Sumter public library
An in depth look at the events leading up to and encompassing the first battle of the War Between the States highlights the bizarre and tragic occurrences at Fort Sumter in an informative look at the political and personal conflicts of 1861 Sumter First Day of Civil WarRobert Hendrickson s 1990 book Sumter The First Day of the Civil War tells a vitally important story from that much discussed and usually poorly recalled era in American history The scholarship on display here is remarkable and Hendrickson presents it in an electric prose that keeps us moving at an impressive clip Importantly he anchors his story fully in the context of its time It is the plenteous detail of that context which is all too often missing from books which treat with an historical subject such as this one There is never any doubt that any of the characters and subjects on either side of the dividing line are living breathing honest to goodness human beings and not stock cut outs snipped from the musty volumes of the past Hendrickson s animated book is on the ball. Summary of a book example I have no doubt that this book has received rave reviews I never read other reviews until after I ve written my own I m sure it s mostly deserving of that acclaim If you are interested in the American Civil War or if you are interested in this incident alone or in the Charleston of yesteryear or if you are a casual reader who by hook or by crook has somehow acquired a copy of this book by all means I d recommend that you read it But and of course there was a but coming BUT this book is not a history book which is a true shame. Kindle sumter item In the first paragraph of his preface Hendrickson tells us exactly why he has declined to include footnotes or properly endnotes in his book quoting John Barry A footnote is like running downstairs to answer the doorbell during the first night of marriage This may seem true to some maybe to dedicated readers of the genre hardly so to everyone else it s really no stumbling block at all to elide over tiny footnotes if they don t interest you This is nothing but an act of deliberate dumbification to placate the yahoos Hendrickson s argument or defense lacks credibility So far as I can tell alas I can t check his facts since he omits sources this omission of essential citations is Hendrickson s Great Sin in this book which otherwise I would have praised as a kind of masterpiece Without sourcing for his superabundance of factual material and the exceptionally fine minutiae providing local color the book ceases to be history which it properly should have could have been and becomes a pop culture book Sure there s a bibliography attached at the end but with no direct connection to the preceding content it s as meaningful or meaningless as any list of American Civil War books which anyone might generate A bibliography in a book like this is not a compromise It s useless. Sumpter ace I should like to have rated this book as being only fair because of the lack of proper sourcing However the book is otherwise so remarkably good that I must give it a better rating even despite this poison pill. Sumter allergy clinic S When those of us who read a good deal of books about the American Civil War see a review praising a book as reading like a novel than like a history book that s not considered a Good Thing 9780812831115 I really enjoyed this book I have a much better understanding of the first shots of the Civil War and the Southern states breaking away from the Union after reading this book If you are ever going to visit Charleston SC and see Fort Sumter I would highly recommend this book prior to your trip It will make it that much worth it 9780812831115
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Sumter gamecock football Now my dear patient reader you re free to return to the rave reviews others have no doubt submitted about The First Day of the Civil War.P