Rae Swent's The Red River Campaign

The Northern men are not shown much. Only Capt. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain is portrayed, leaving out General Hancock, a major player in the beginning of the Civil War. This causes questions about there importance and if they were fighting for the “proper” reasons. A lot is left to the imagination about the North. The Southerners are all represented well and thoroughly throughout the film. Lee is portrayed as a very kind-hearted religious old man who has the respect of his troops and is out to win this war. Jackson is given the most glory as this film includes him in almost every other scene. He is also given a great light of respect from his troops and all around him. Even Jeb Stuart, who in real life was pompous and egotistical of himself and his troops, was given a light of respect by all including Lee which was not seen at all in real life (Gods and Generals the book.) In all the Southerners were surrounded in this great white light while the Northerners were not even given there few shining moments in fame during the beginning of the Civil War.

There are many ways in which we can view the history of the American West. One view is the popular story of Cowboys and Indians. It is a grand story filled with adventure, excitement and gold. Another perspective is one of the Native Plains Indians and the rich histories that spanned thousands of years before white discovery and settlement. Elliot West’s book, Contested Plains: Indians, Goldseekers and the Rush to Colorado, offers a view into both of these worlds. West shows how the histories of both nations intertwine, relate and clash all while dealing with complex geological and environmental challenges. West argues that an understanding of the settling of the Great Plains must come from a deeper understanding, a more thorough

"Battleground America," written by Jill Lepore, provides a strong history of guns and the way they have changed in the eyes of the American through the years. She proves her point with strong evidence throughout her article, sprinkling it with opinion and argument that is strongly supported. She presents her argument to convince her audience that the open availability of guns allows citizens to undeservingly purchase them by displaying the credibility in her sources, using negative connotations in her speech, and the strength and objectivity only a strong logos appeal can provide.

Also the excessively violent actions of the characters shock the audience at times and works to show a bloody part of American history. Furthermore, the film feels as if you are thrown into history with wood constructed sets and men armed with clubs and knives. These elements work to enhance the thematic content of the play and the viewer’s intense experience of an untraditional period piece that relates a different version of American history, one darker and more anarchic. They sets, accents, and character actions all add to the authentic feel of the movie, which makes the film feel like it is a historical narrative, while also being interlinked with an individual story of vengeance that provides not only a historical account, but entertainment for the

James M. McPherson sets out to discover what motivated the Confederate and Union soldiers to continue fighting in the Civil War in his book What They Fought For. McPherson analyses nearly a thousand letters, journals, and diary of Union and Confederate soldiers to determine what urged them to fight is this defining American Conflict. McPherson reads and groups together the common thoughts of the everyday soldier, from their letters and journals that none of which had been subjected to any sort of censorship, in that time period. He then generalizes the motivations that they used to fight for their country. Whether it be for slavery or for the Union, the author views both sides of the fighting to analysis their ideological issues, how deep their belief coursed through their veins to continue fighting, and how the soldiers held their convictions close to heart in the time of war.

Whether you wanted to or not, you were forced into conflict during this time in the area. There were many Unionist and Confederates who abused their powers during the war. And Paludan depicts this story in detail. However, the writing was very thorough in research, and as climatic as the events were, the reading was a bit dull. At some points I found myself drifting off while reading it, however, I would be quickly brought back in by some of the events taking

There are several things that can be depicted in history by using a work of fiction as opposed to non-fiction. In the novel where it states, “They were Tennessee troops who prided themselves on their marksmanship, but so far as I could tell, not a ball came within ten feet of that buck,” the author could be letting the reader use their imagination in picturing what the fabricated Confederate Army consisted of, which were inexperienced and noisy troops without much experience in battle, especially those of dire importance (24). The author can also use the historical facts prevalent in regards to the Civil War, and in a way, mesh these with a creative elegance to truly master the art of fiction in a novel. The author must not only fully understand the details about the past, but also should be able to weave in certain events with the themes presented with fiction as a whole.

Broward College, Central Campus Theater in building 6, on Sunday, the 1st of November. The play was performed by Broward College students. The type of stage was Proscenium stage with extended apron. I thought it was a little bit small, but it did not show as a problem. The pre-show was dark and a feel of suspense. I felt excited to see how everything would play out. The play takes place down south of Chicago in the 1950’s.

James M. McPherson, author of For Cause and Comrades, uses more than 25,000 unaltered letters and closely 250 private journals from Civil War soldiers—both Union and Confederate—in his attempt to explain what possessed these men to endure the roaring, gruesome chaos of war. What better way to express the motivation behind fighting than words straight from the pens of the men who were physically there and experienced the Civil War to its fullest? I personally feel as though McPherson succeeded in his explanation of the different driving forces that kept each man going during these difficult years of battle. The Wall Street Journal describes McPherson’s work as “an extraordinary book, full of fascinating details and moving self-portraits.”

The Battle of Antietam could have been a devastating and fatal blow to the Confederate Army if Gen. McClellan acted decisively, took calculated risks, and veered away from his cautious approach to war. There are many instances leading up to the battle and during the battle in which he lacks the necessary offensive initiative to effectively cripple and ultimately win the war. This paper is intended to articulate the failure of Mission Command by GEN McClellan by pointing out how he failed to understand, visualize, describe and direct the battlefield to his benefit.

In the work, And Keep Moving On, Mark Grimsley presents a study on the Virginia Campaign that is both pleasant in readability and substantial in material. While numerous historians and enthusiast have covered the Civil War, Grimsley’s work offers clear and distinct coverage that assists the reader in identifying the political backdrop to the conflict and a play-by-play report of military tactics. He remains fair to both Grant and Lee as he takes the scholar through Battles such as Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor and The Wilderness. As this is one book in a collection, Great Campaigns of the Civil War, dedicated to the war as a whole, Grimsley’s focus remains set to a short period of six weeks beginning in May of 1864.

The Union enjoyed overall success in the Western Theater in 1862, but the year also brought defeat and setbacks between the times of Grant’s River War and the Battle at Stones River during the Civil War. These events contradicted the Unions success with strategic embarrassments that demonstrated the Union’s youth in military strategy in handling two separate theaters and management of men and goods.

Over 150 years, the Civil War had been the bloodiest war in the American history, also known as “The War Between the States” or “Brother Against Brother”, it was fought between the Union or the United States of America and the Confederate States of America. The war lasted four years from 1861 to 1865. What motivated these men to fight and what is the cause of the Civil War is a subject that many historians tried to find out.

Women’s issues during slavery and even into the Reconstruction Era were not held as top priorities within the social structure of life during those times. The main political and social issues were within the male spectrum, and therefore left women’s rights and values in second place, behind men. Within the nineteenth century, there were four specific characteristics that society deemed should be associated with a woman; piety, purity, domesticity, and submissiveness. However, this was not the case when it came to black women. They were not able to exemplify the expected worldview of womanhood due to their circumstances.

The production spearheaded with a solemn poem by Langston Hughes entitled "Harlem." Preparing for an emotionally empowering theater piece, the poem quieted the audience and placed a serious blanket over us. While appropriate for me, I found it extremely coincidental that the poem's title, ties in directly with James Baldwin and his extensive writings on the 1943 Harlem race riots. With the lights off and just a solitary voice reciting the poem, it gave us, the audience, an immediate notion of play's melancholy style.