Preppers to be treated as terrorists

[RichardSinFWTX]

Ahhhh, so Gil's a student of the War of Northern Aggression?! 

My hat's off to ya, suh!   8)

[gil]

Well, except for slavery, I can't help but take the South's side.. I didn't know much about the politics of the conflict before developing an interest for it... I can say however that one of my favorite author is Ayn Rand; no surprise then. Speaking of history books, a good one I am reading right now is "The Black Count" by Tom Reiss, which is the story of Alexander Dumas' father, who was half black and a general in the French army in the 1790s. He was an exceptional soldier and would charge whole groups of ennemies by himself on his horse, armed with a saber and a pair of (single-shot) pistols. He was of course a contemporary of Lafayette, who as you all know came over here to kick British asses.. So, Alexander Dumas (the father), originally from Saint Domingue (Haiti) was a nobleman, general, and married to a French woman. At the same time blacks were picking cotton in the fields. It's not all rosy on the French side however, as although they didn't have slaves in France and anyone could become anybody, French planters did use slaves in Saint Domingue (i.e. Dumas' mother). Dumas also went to Egypt with Napoleon. He didn't like the guy. His son took him as an inspiration when he wrote "The Count of Monte Cristo." Anyway, I digress... Reading about history certainly helps understand current political scheeming...

Gil.

Guess where the attached photo was taken and who's in it?

[RichardSinFWTX]

Slavery was dying under it's own weight.  The War of Northern Aggression was about the rights of the states.  IMHO, not trying to start another war.

[gil]

Slavery was dying under it's own weight.  The War of Northern Aggression was about the rights of the states.  IMHO, not trying to start another war.

Oh I agree. Slavery was part of it, but certainly not the only reason. As if any was ever started to save or liberate people...  ::)

Today it seems we have three zones... The West Coast, the East Coast, and the rest of us good guys...  ;)
That said it's a bit mixed of course, but ya'll get my meaning...

Gil.

[RichardSinFWTX]

I fancy it more the Left Coast, the damn Yankees and the rest of us.  :)

[raybiker73]

George Washington's War" by Robert Leckie.

Thanks, I'm a sucker for big books  ::)

As far as the Civil War, I'd like something more tactical than political, and more on the South side.

Thanks!

Gil.

In that case, look for just about anything by Stephen Sears. I'd recommend starting with "To the Gates of Richmond: The Peninsula Campaign." It's a good look at the tactical blunders made by McClellan, and it does a really good job of getting into the heads of the Confederate commanders as well. This was the period of time when Lee took over command of the Army of Northern Virginia, and it really takes a good look at those crucial first days of Lee's command. Another good one from Sears is "Landscape Turned Red." It's a detailed (and horrifying) blow-by-blow account of Antietam. I read it because I was a reenactor in the 66th Ohio Vol. Infantry, and the original 66th was on the field near the Dunker Church at Antietam. Brutal fighting at Antietam.

If you want to look towards Gettysburg, there are too many choices to list. The best would probably be "Stars in their Courses" by Shelby Foote. It's a play by play of the entire battle of Gettysburg, from Buford's holding action the whole way to Meade's decision to not follow Lee into Maryland. It's an excerpt from the 2nd volume of Footes "Civil War" series, and goes about 200 pages.

Another great Gettysburg book that gets into VERY minute detail is "Struggle for the Bliss Farm." It looks at one very small, very specific facet of the battle during July 2nd and into the 3rd. Since it deals with such a small slice of the pie, it gets into exhaustive detail. Where in most books you'd read something like, "Doubleday's Corps moved into place on the east, next to Hancock's Corps," this book gets down to the equivalent of, "Dave was behind the big oak tree, while Bill and George were hunkered down behind the fence." It's a great little book that almost nobody ever reads. I love it.

Actually, if you liked "Battle Cry of Freedom," you should just go all-out and read Shelby Foote's 3-volume set "The Civil War." It's the complete package, from north to south to east to west to the ocean to the rivers to the aftermath. The whole series will get you about 2700 pages of awesomeness.

Now I'm all wound up. Gotta go read some Civil War.  :D

[gil]

Thanks Ray, much appreciated!

Gil.

[KK0G]

Now we're onto must read books huh? Probably many here have already read them but just in case you haven't, the following should be required reading for all citizens:


"Enemies Foreign and Domestic" - 3 novel trilogy by Matt Bracken
"Castigo Cay" - by Matt Bracken
"Unintended Consequences" - by John Ross


I can not recommend these books highly enough.

[gil]

I've read two of those five...
Gil.

[KK0G]

I've read two of those five...
Gil.

Looks like you've got some reading to do 8)

[Quietus]

I second the choice of Shelby Foote's three-volume set as recommended just above by raybiker73.  Foote has been maybe the best writer to chronicle the whole conflict.  His writing flows as prose.  Some years back during a TV series on that war, there was numerous interviews with Foote.  They were a joy to watch, a gentleman talking about what he knew better than most anyone.
 
Foote's trilogy took some years to write; copywright dates are from 1958 for the first volume, to 1974 for the third.  I think he may have been a company-grade redleg officer during WW2. 
 
Gil, if you are looking for something from the southern perspective:  read Shrouds of Glory by Winston Groom (Forrest Gump author).  The book is about a lesser-known campaign waged by the south after Atlanta had been lost.  Intent was to do a left hook out of lost Atlanta and capture Nashville, while cutting off Sherman's sources of supply.  The campaign didn't go real well.  Hood's army got to the outskirts of Nashville during Dec 1864 just about as Sherman's was reaching the Georgia coast at Savannah,sans supplies since Sherman provided/looted as he went.  Oops.  And then Hood's army got driven off from Nashville's outskirts, badly.  It had gone up to Nashville just as badly.  The attack into Franklin TN which lost twelve generals for the confederacy, may have been a punishing action for his army on the part of Hood, and he was using some decent drugs due to wound and amputation status at the time.
 
Trace Adkins' song that plays in commercials asking for money for current wounded vets, begins with the singer saying that he was at Nashville.  He got pounded there by Hood.  In that book, there is a quote from a contemporary about how Hood wanted to forge an axe of the Army of Tennessee.  He got blunted, so the forging got to be a froe.  In the end, it was a wedge.
 
Anyway, good book, I've given it off but intend to go to the library and read it again.  Gil, it will fulfill your wish for the tactical side of a narrative.  Small campaign, big book.  And it will bring in the human side of failed leadership:  one army passing another fifty yards away in the night, while leadership was having a soiree with the locals.  Punishment soon after at Franklin.  And all within the shadow of leadership coming from primitive painkillers.
 
ETA while starting to post:  Well eff me.  Maybe there should be a suggested reading list here where people can put out what they think a RadioPrepper sort of a person ought to get his mind around.  There's a person on the training side of life's equation, who says that ham radio operators will be among the first to rat you out to the proper authorities (that would, of course, be right behind your family and close neighbors.)  I like the concept.  What do people here recommend for a reading list?  I vote for books seconded by people who know American history.

[gil]

Good idea, better start a new thread...
Gil.

[RichardSinFWTX]

Trace Adkins' song that plays in commercials asking for money for current wounded vets, begins with the singer saying that he was at Nashville.  He got pounded there by Hood.  In that book, there is a quote from a contemporary about how Hood wanted to forge an axe of the Army of Tennessee.  He got blunted, so the forging got to be a froe.  In the end, it was a wedge....
 

The song is called "Til the Last Shot's Fired".....GREAT song!  If you don't shed a tear listening to it, you're not human!  :)

[Geek]

I've read two of those five...
Gil.

Looks like you've got some reading to do 8)

I've read all but Unintended Consequences and that one is on my To Do list already.

[Archangel320420]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LuLvlp1Pao