Monday, July 30, 2007

Reading on Braxton Bragg

I started my reading this past weekend on Braxton Bragg - are there any "good" books on Bragg? I’ve started with the two-volume Braxton Bragg and Confederate Defeat.
I recently finished Contested Borderland: The Civil War in Appalachian Kentucky and Virginia. by McKnight - loved it! Just wished there had been a little more about the military campaigns that affected the socio-economic outlook of the area.

I also read War at Every Door: Partisan Politics and Guerrilla Violence in East Tennessee 1860-1869 by Fisher - I really liked this book also. I took lots of notes

Lastly, I’ve read The Terrible Time: The Civil War in Kentucky’s Bell, Knox, Laurel, and Whitley Counties by Taylor - I really wanted to like this book. I spend a lot of time in this area. Alas, there is not really anything here that cannot be found online for free. Plus, a full third of the book is reenactorisms. I’ve reenacted for over 25 years; I think I know how to load a musket.

After Bragg, I plan to read the bio on E. Kirby Smith.

2 comments:

Don said...

Michael,
Which bio on Kirby Smith? I've been curious about him, but haven't had a chance to get a look at his letters at UNC. I was impressed by his conduct during his regiment's exodus from texas just prior to his resignation.

Anonymous said...

The McWhiney-Hallock series is it for the moment, although there is a new one being worked on. I would also recommend reading Stephen Woodworth's Jefferson Davis and His Generals to get more info on the wartime career of Bragg. Also, http://users.aol.com/CintiCWRT/bragg.html
I have been working on a project listing all of the supporters of Bragg in the Army of Tennessee, it might come as a surprise to many that I have found a lot more support for the old fellow that not.

Lee