I’ve made a number of new acquisitions over the past few weeks. I bought this book to assist with an assignment on the command skills of Abraham Lincoln. Author Eliot A. Cohen (left), also examines the records of Georges Clemenceau, Winston Churchill and David Ben-Gurion in an effort to synthesize why they stand above others as leaders in time of war. So far, after reading the first few chapters, I’m quite impressed. Full disclosure: I own the 2002 paperback version of this book p... Read Full Story

I’ve been catching the WWII in HD series running on The History Channel when I can today. Much of the footage has never been seen on television. Good study guide on History.com along with other supporting information. RECOMMEND! Tagged: History Channel, History Documentaries, History.com, World War II, WWII in HD Read Full Story

Hardcover: 256 pages Publisher: National Geographic (October 20, 2009) Language: English ISBN-10: 1426203470 ISBN-13: 978-1426203473 Product Dimensions: 13.7 x 10.7 x 1.1 inches The good folks at National Geographic sent me a review copy of their new Atlas of the Civil War: A Comprehensive Guide to the Tactics and the Terrain of Battle. I’m impressed. This is one of those books that as a kid I would spread out on the floor in front of the fire and lose myself in for hours. It̵... Read Full Story

I’ve decided choose as topic for the research paper I’m writing for my current class, the leadership of David G. Farragut during the New Orleans Campaign. I’m on the hunt for both primary and secondary sources. Let me know if you have recommendations. Portrait of Rear Adm. David G. Farragut, officer of the Federal Navy (Vice Adm. from Dec. 3, 1864) Source: Library of Congress LC-B813- 1561 A Tagged: American Civil War, Civil War Naval History, David G. Farragut, Library ... Read Full Story

STEVEN E. WOODWORTH. Jefferson Davis and His Generals: The Failure of Confederate Command in the West. Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas. 1990. Pp. xv, 380. $16.95. Much has been written about the political and military genius of Abraham Lincoln and the successful leader he grew to be while Commander in Chief of a fractured union.  But as the country divided and civil war became a reality, a new leader was called upon to assume the role of Commander in Chief for the Confederacy, ... Read Full Story

The good folks at the University of Oklahoma Press forwarded a review copy of Jeremy Black’s new book, The War of 1812 in the Age of Napoleon. In my usual fashion, I am making an initial post about the book before a full reading. . ISBN: 978-0-8061-4078-0 Hardcover 288 pages 6″ x 9″ x 0″ 1 B&W Illus., 3 Maps Published: 2009, Oklahoma University Press Jeremy Black (Photo: athens.edu) The quick perusal reveals several compelling reasons for recommending the book. F... Read Full Story

A moment of celebration for the 200,000th view of Wig Wags that occurred sometime today. Many thanks to those who have stopped by. Ahem.  Carry on… OH and thanks to Gabriel Pollard for the photo. Tagged: Blogging, wigwags blog Read Full Story

The National Book Awards finalists have been named. And here are your finalists for the Non-Fiction category… . Congratulations to the authors and publishers! I’ve got my eye on the The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt. Tagged: Adrienne Mayor, Alfred A. Knopf, David M. Carroll, Following the Water: A Hydromancer's Notebook, Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City, Greg Grandin, Houghton Mifflin Harcort, Metropolitan Books/Henry Hol... Read Full Story

WordPress has recently partnered with PicApp.com to provide photos for embedding in blogs they host. I’m giving the new service a try in this post. All photos are fully licensed for use and searchable because of tagging. You, the reader, can close the thumbnails strip along the bottom of the photo or use it to locate similar pictures. You can also easily copy the code to embed the photos I’ve posted yourself. I’d be interested in your feedback on whether my blog loads any sl... Read Full Story

A friend recently found a newpaper article regarding the death of his wife’s great grandfather, published below with permission.  Since I live near the border of Missouri and Kansas and have posted quite a bit on our Civil War era border wars, I found this particularly interesting. Note that Elwood, Kansas (originally called Roseport) is directly across the Missouri River from St. Joseph, Missouri. —— . St. Joseph Morning HeraldThursday September 11, 1862 Killing in Elwoo... Read Full Story