War & Military
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‘Co. Aytch,’ Maury Grays, First Tennessee Regiment or, A Side Show of the Big Show
Samuel ?Sam? Rush Watkins (June 26, 1839 ? July 20, 1901) was a noted Confederate soldier during the American Civil War. He is known today for his memoir Company Aytch: Or, a Side Show of the Big Show, often heralded as one of the best primary sources about the common soldier’s Civil War experience….Sam?s writing style is quite engaging and skillfully captures the pride, misery, glory, and horror experienced by the common foot soldier. Watkins is often featured and quoted in Ken Burns? 1990 documentary titled The Civil War. (Introduction from Wikipedia)
A Confederate Girl’s Diary
Sarah Morgan Dawson was a young woman of 20 living in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, when she began this diary. The American Civil War was raging. Though at first the conflict seemed far away, it would eventually be brought home to her in very personal terms. Her family’s loyalties were divided. Sarah’s father, though he disapproved of secession, declared for the South when Louisiana left the Union. Her eldest brother, who became the family patriarch when his father died in 1861, was for the Union, though he refused to take up arms against his fellow Southerners. The family owned slaves, some of whom are mentioned by name in this diary. Sarah was devoted to the Confederacy, and watched with sorrow and indignation its demise. Her diary, written from March 1862 to June 1865, discourses on topics as normal as household routines and romantic intrigues to those as unsettling as concern for her brothers who fought in the war. Largely self-taught, she describes in clear and inviting prose, fleeing Baton Rouge during a bombardment, suffering a painful spinal injury when adequate medical help was unavailable, the looting of her home by Northern soldiers, the humiliation of life under General Butler in New Orleans, and dealing with privations and displacement in a region torn by war. She was a child of her time and place. Her inability to see the cruelty and indignity of slavery grates harshly on the modern ear. Regardless of how one feels about the Lost Cause, however, Sarah’s diary provides a valuable historical perspective on life behind the lines of this bitter conflict. (Introduction by Christine Dufour)
Above the French Lines
A collection of letters written by Stuart Walcott while training to be an aviator in France to prepare for combat. Walcott died in his first aerial combat after first downing a German bi-plane. – Summary by KevinS
Across the Reef: The Marine Assault of Tarawa
“Tarawa Atoll is 2085 miles southwest of Pearl Harbor and 540 miles southeast of Kwajalein in the Marshalls. Betio is the principal island in the atoll. The Japanese seized Tarawa from the British within the first three days after Pearl Harbor. In August 1943, to meet in secret with Major General Julian C. Smith and his principal staff officers, Vice Admiral Raymond A. Spruance flew to New Zealand from Pearl Harbor. Spruance told the Marines to prepare for an amphibious assault against Japanese positions in the Gilbert Islands in November. General Smith?s operations officer, Lieutenant Colonel David M. Shoup, studied the primitive chart of Betio and saw that the tiny island was surrounded by a barrier reef. Shoup asked Spruance if any of the Navy?s experimental, shallow-draft, plastic boats could be provided. ‘Not available,’ replied the admiral, ‘expect only the usual wooden landing craft.’ Shoup frowned. General Smith could sense that Shoup?s gifted mind was already formulating a plan. The results of that plan were momentous. The Tarawa operation became a tactical watershed: the first, large-scale test of American amphibious doctrine against a strongly fortified beachhead.” – Summary by Joseph H Alexander
Aeroplanes and Dirigibles of War
“Aeroplanes and Dirigibles of War” is an interesting read of the beginnings of air warfare in World War I. Anyone interested in early aviation and armament will find this a fascinating work. By William Tomcho.
Aircraft and Submarines
“Aircraft and Submarines” is a history of the development of these forms of transportation and their ultimate use in warfare. Also a brief history of submarine use in commercial applications. A thoroughly enjoyable piece for anyone interested in the detailed development of these modes of transportation. Summary by William Tomcho
An Explorer in the Air Service
Explorer Hiram Bingham discovered Machu Picchu in 1911, as recounted in his book Inca Lands, now released on LibriVox at http://librivox.org/inca-lands-by-hiram-bingham/. In 1917, he became an aviator and organized the United States Schools of Military Aeronautics at eight universities to provide ground school training for aviation cadets, and then in Issoudun, France, Bingham commanded the primary Air Service flying school. He became a supporter of the Air Service in their post-war quest for independence from the Army and supported that effort, in part, with the publication of this book of his wartime experiences published in 1920 by Yale University Press. (Summary by Wikipedia and ToddHW)
Angels of the Battlefield
“Angels of the Battlefield: A History of the Labors of the Catholic Sisterhoods in the Late Civil War” chronicles the compassionate services of these dedicated women during the bitter and bloody U.S. Civil War. These accounts also offer some important historical details, giving some important insights into the people and events of the war. This is the Second Edition, Revised and Enlarged. – Summary by Larry Wilson
Bismarck
Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898) famously said, “The great questions of the day will not be settled by speeches or the decisions of the majority…but by iron and blood.” Prince Bismarck unified the German states under Prussian hegemony through a series of carefully orchestrated wars, which excluded Austria from the new Confederation and added Schleswig-Holstein, and Alsace-Lorraine to Germany. But Bismarck avoided useless confrontations and was, above all, a master of balance of power diplomacy. His skills, both at home and abroad, won him the loyal support of Kaiser Wilhelm I. Paternalistic and socially conservative, Bismarck established for workers the very first government sickness, accident, and old-age insurance. This pithy, if pungent little biography was written in 1918 by the French historian, Georges Lacour-Gayet, who often lets Bismarck tell his story in his own inimitable words. – Summary by Pamela Nagami
Bismarck and the Foundation of the German Empire
“It is hard to be an Emperor under such a Chancellor.” lamented Wilhelm I, the first emperor of the German Empire. Otto von Bismarck is probably the most fascinating or the most boring statesman throughout German history depending on one’s perspective. He led 3 victorious wars (against Denmark, Austria and France) and achieved unification of Germany. However, he tried very hard to avoid unnecessary wars. His vision of European political system led to more than 40 years’ peace and prosperity of Europe or to World War I, also depending on one’s perspective. – Summary by SS Kim
Bismarck and the Origin of the German Empire
Despite its brevity, this Little Blue Book #142 by the Oxford historian, Sir F.M. Powicke, provides a valuable overview of the political history of Germany from medieval to modern times, culminating in the career of Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898), the Prussian Junker who masterminded the unification of Germany and served as its first Chancellor. – Summary by Pamela Nagami, M.D.
Extracts from a Diary Kept by the Rev. R. Burrows during Heke’s War in the North, in 1845
An eye-witness account of the so-called Flagstaff War, fought between Maori warriors, led by Hone Heke, and British troops between March 1845 and January 1846 in and around the Bay of Islands. Ostensibly triggered by the cutting down of the flagstaff above Kororareka (now Russell), Heke’s attack on the town was a consequence of festering grievances following the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi and annexation of New Zealand by the British Crown in 1840. The Reverend Robert Burrows had charge of the mission station and school at Waimate, inland from the Bay of Islands. His day-by-day account paints a vivid picture of the conflict, in which his chosen role was to mediate between the two sides. – Summary by Phil Benson
Famous Adventures And Prison Escapes Of The Civil War
Seven narratives published in the late nineteenth century and assembled in this 1913 collection. – Summary by david wales
Famous Sea Fights
I propose to tell in non-technical and popular language the story of some of the most remarkable episodes in the history of sea power. I shall begin with the first sea-fight of which we have a detailed history?the Battle of Salamis (B.C. 480), the victory by which Themistocles the Athenian proved the soundness of his maxim that “he who commands the sea commands all.” I shall end with the last and greatest of naval engagements, the Battle of Tsu-shima, an event that reversed the long experience of victory won by West over East, which began with Salamis more than two thousand years ago. I shall have to tell of British triumphs on the sea from Sluys to Trafalgar; but I shall take instances from the history of other countries also, for it is well that we should remember that the skill, enterprise, and courage of admirals and seamen is no exclusive possession of our own people. I shall incidentally describe the gradual evolution of the warship from the wooden, oar-driven galleys that fought in the Straits of Salamis to the steel-built, steam-propelled giants that met in battle in the Straits of Tsu-shima. I shall have something to say of old seafaring ways, and much to tell of the brave deeds done by men of many nations. These true stories of the sea will, I trust, have not only the interest that belongs to all records of courage, danger, and adventure, but also some practical lessons of their own. (From the Introduction of the Book)
First World War Centenary Poetry Collection
This collection of poetry, with its companion prose collection, commemorates the outbreak of the First World War on 28th July 1914. Most of the poetry, all chosen by the readers, is in English, but the collection also includes poems in Dutch, French, German, Portuguese and Russian. Please note that some poems are still protected by copyright in countries which observe copyright laws based on the author’s date of death. The majority of the poems were written during the war itself, but some poems have been included for their relevance in other ways. For more information about each poem, please see this document (PDF format), which also shows the poets’ dates of death. (Summary by Ruth Golding)
First World War Centenary Prose Collection Vol. I
This collection of non-fiction and fiction, with its companion poetry collection, commemorates the outbreak of the First World War on 28th July 1914. The majority of the items, all chosen by the readers, are in English, but the collection also includes pieces in Dutch, French, German and Ukrainian. Please note that some works are still protected by copyright in countries which observe copyright laws based on the author’s date of death. Most items were written during or shortly after the war, but one or two have been included for their relevance in other ways. For more information about each piece, please see this document (PDF format), which also shows the authors’ dates of death. (Summary by Ruth Golding)
First World War Centenary Prose Collection Vol. II
This collection of non-fiction and fiction pieces is the second volume commemorating the First World War. The majority of the items, all chosen by the readers, are in English, but the collection also includes pieces in French and German. Please note that some works are still protected by copyright in countries which observe copyright laws based on the author’s date of death. Most items were written during or shortly after the war, but one or two have been included for their relevance in other ways. For more information about each piece, please see this document (PDF format), which also shows the authors’ dates of death. (Summary by Ruth Golding)
First World War Centenary Prose Collection Vol. III
This collection of non-fiction and fiction pieces is the third volume commemorating the First World War. The majority of the items, all chosen by the readers, are in English, but the collection also includes pieces in Dutch, French, German, Italian and Portuguese. Please note that some works are still protected by copyright in countries which observe copyright laws based on the author’s date of death. Most items were written during or shortly after the war, but one or two have been included for their relevance in other ways. For more information about each piece, please see this document (PDF format), which also shows the authors’ dates of death. (Summary by Ruth Golding)
The A.E.F.: With General Pershing and the American Forces
In 1917, the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) arrived in Europe to fight alongside the French and British allied forces. American journalist Heywood Broun followed the AEF and reported on their experiences. He published these sketches in book form in 1918. This project is part of the ongoing commemoration by LibriVox volunteers of the centenary of World War I. (Summary by MaryAnn)
The Aeroplane in War
“Although it is still a crude machine?in view of the perfected apparatus which is the aim of thoughtful designers?the aeroplane has demonstrated, in a conclusive way, its value as an instrument of war.” – Summary by Authors
The Afghan Wars 1839-42 and 1878-80, Part 1
The First Anglo?Afghan War was fought between British India and Afghanistan from 1839 to 1842. It was one of the first major conflicts during the Great Game, the 19th century competition for power and influence in Central Asia between the United Kingdom and Russia, and also marked one of the worst setbacks inflicted on British power in the region after the consolidation of British Raj by the East India Company. (Summary by Phil)
The Afghan Wars 1839-42 and 1878-80, Part 2
This Part 2 of “The Afghan Wars 1839-42 and 1878-80” discusses the 1878-80 war, which was one of the major conflicts during the Great Game, the 19th century competition for power and influence in Central Asia between the United Kingdom and Russia, and also marked one of the worst setbacks inflicted on British power in the region after the consolidation of British Raj by the East India Company. – Summary by Lynette Caulkins and Phil Griffith
The Age of Anne
This short survey of the age of Queen Anne begins with the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714) and the career of the Duke of Marlborough, leader of the allied armies against Louis XIV. Scotland joins England to form the United Kingdom. Peter the Great wrests control of the Gulf of Finland from Charles XII of Sweden and builds St. Petersburg. Despite the Jacobite threat, the Whigs secure the Protestant Succession and George I ascends the throne. Pope writes a mock epic in couplets, Addison’s “Spectator” enlivens coffee houses and tea tables, and Defoe creates the immortal “Robinson Crusoe.” (Pamela Nagami, M.D.)
The Age of Elizabeth
This short history by the eminent British historian, Mandell Creighton, places Elizabeth and her reign within the context of 16th century European political, religious, and military events. Elizabeth overcomes her two great rivals, King Philip of Spain and Mary, Queen of Scots. England gradually unites behind her Queen, who survives multiple assassination plots. After the defeat of the Spanish Armada, the English, lightly taxed by their frugal sovereign, launch flourishing commerce enterprises. The author writes of the Protestant Reformation that “a change of belief meant a revolt from authority.” In this age of individualism, personal daring, and a consciousness of national greatness, the golden age of Elizabethan literature breaks new ground in historiography, literary theory, poetry, and above all, drama. (Pamela Nagami, M.D.)
The Age of the Condottieri: A Short History of Mediaeval Italy from 1409-1530
Italy from 1409 to 1530 is synonymous with the Renaissance, but this was also the age of the condottieri, Italian captains of mercenary companies and multinational armies who fought in the service of city states, monarchs, and the Pope. Some like Ludovico Sforza in Milan seized power and founded dynasties in their own right. The merchant princes of the Medici family reached their apogee in Lorenzo the Magnificent in Florence, but faltered in the Papacy; Leo X proved no match for Martin Luther and Clement VII was powerless to avert the sack of Rome in 1527. Venice lost her overseas empire to the Turks, while proud King Francis I, defeated by the Emperor Charles and a prisoner in Madrid, was eventually forced to relinquish all hope of Italian conquest. (Summary by Pamela Nagami, M.D.)
The Bomb: The 1945 Test of the First Atomic Bomb
These two publications put out by the U.S. government are about the Trinity site in New Mexico where in 1945 the first atomic bomb was tested. Each publication (about 1984 and about 1995) complements the other, though there is some duplication. These are descriptions of the test itself and of the planning and organization leading up to the test. They also tell what was done with the site after the test and how it became a national historic landmark. – Summary by david wales
The County Regiment
A sketch of the second regiment of Connecticut volunteer heavy artillery, originally the Nineteenth Volunteer Infantry, in the Civil War.
The Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars fought between 1096 and 1272 to recover the Holy Land from Islamic rule. According to the Latin Church, Crusaders were penitent pilgrims whose sins were forgiven. British historian, George Cox, writes of the churchmen, great and small, who inspired the Crusades, of the warriors who left families and lands behind, of the wily Venetian merchants and Byzantine emperors who exploited the knights, and of the valor of the Saracens. Here are accounts of sublime sacrifice and bestial ferocity, of dynastic conflict within the Crusader States, of sieges, starvation, pestilence, and ambush, and of the clash and interpenetration of two cultures. – Summary by Pamela Nagami, M.D.