Two Battlefield Guides available for McRae Papers donation

[dusty27]

All,

I have two paperback copies of Jeff Shaara's acclaimed battlefield guide, "Civil War Battlefields: Discovering America's Hallowed Ground" available to the two highest bidders for the remainder of February. The books retail for $18.95, so I will start the bidding at $20.00 each. Bids will be taken here on the thread. You may raise the bid only in $5.00 increments. The bidding will end at 12:00 midnight on February 29th. All proceeds will be donated to the McRae Papers project through the ACPP.

Below is a review that appears on Amazon.com.

Thank you in advance.

Editorial Reviews
From Booklist (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/feature/-/1000027801)
Shaara is the author of two "nonfiction novels" that completed the Civil War trilogy begun by his late father, Michael, with the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Killer Angels (2001). Here Shaara provides a guide to 10 of the most significant Civil War battlefields. He begins with the first great bloodletting at Shiloh, and he concludes with Petersburg, a sustained seige with World War I-style trench warfare. Shaara superbly provides context for the actual battles by describing the physical settings as well as the military environment that precipitated the battles. Shaara is at his best, however, in describing the ebb and flow of the fighting. He describes in vivid--and often necessarily gruesome--detail episodes like the death of Albert Johnston at Shiloh, the famed charge of the 20th Maine at Gettysburg, and the machinelike mowing down of Union troops at Cold Harbor. The text is amply supported by maps and photos. This is an informative and moving examination of "hallowed ground" that will appeal to both scholars and Civil War buffs, especially those planning to visit these sites. Jay Freeman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Book Description
TRAVEL THROUGH A PIVOTAL TIME IN AMERICAN HISTORY

Jeff Shaara, America’s premier Civil War novelist, gives a remarkable guided tour of the ten Civil War battlefields every American should visit: Shiloh, Antietam, Fredericksburg/Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Vicksburg, New Market, Chickamauga, the Wilderness/Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, and Petersburg/Appomattox. Shaara explores the history, the people, and the places that capture the true meaning and magnitude of the conflict and provides

• engaging narratives of the war’s crucial battles
• intriguing historical footnotes about each site
• photographs of the locations–then and now
• detailed maps of the battle scenes
• fascinating sidebars with related points of interest

From Antietam to Gettysburg to Vicksburg, and to the many poignant destinations in between, Jeff Shaara’s Civil War Battlefields is the ideal guide for casual tourists and Civil War enthusiasts alike.

[tompritchett]

I will bid $25 for one copy.

[Material Culture]

I would bid but auctions are not allowed on the forum so you better decide what the final cost will be.

Sam Hayle
Auctioneer Mess

[dusty27]

Sam,

This "auction" is to raise money for preservation, not me. I've done it before and will continue until the Admins tell me not to.

[RangerSWB]

As way of endorsement, I was given a copy of "Civil War Battlefields: Discovering America's Hallowed Ground" on audio CD this past Christmas. I just recently finished listening to it in my car while traveling between Maryland and Virginia. To tell the truth, I wasn't expecting much from Shaara's book but I was pleasantly surprised. Much of the info in the book is probably known to most folks here but the author has a neat way of tying each battle all together with history, topography of the field, 'politics' of the battle, etc.

There are some real nuggets in the "What You Should See" sections that follow each battle, such as the "real" site of A.S. Johnson's death at Shiloh NMP and a better understanding of the 20th Maine's maneuvers on LRT at Gettysburg that puts you on the spot and gives you a clearer picture than the NPS markers do.

In my humble opinion, this book is a keeper and well worth the donation that Dusty is seeking for a good cause.

George "Ranger" Walters
27th VA, Co. D
Stonewall Brigade

[Abrams]

I agree with the above.

I have a copy of this book already, actually read it several times, and have carried it with me to battlefields. It is first class in my opinion.

Great info, pictures, maps, and a great way of laying it all out with the events leading to the battle, the battle itself, and the aftermath. I won't visit a battlefield without one.

[dusty27]

Thanks for the endorsement, fellas. I didn't think everyone had this book already. May have to rethink this. Still going for now.

[Cornfed]

I bid $30.00.

[dusty27]

Looks like Tom and Phil are the winners of the books.

Tom, send me your address and I'll get the book off.

Phil, I can either mail or save the postage and bring to Spring Drill.

Let me know.

Thanks fellas.