Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 22, 1992 TAG: 9203220270
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Reviewed by JAMES TUCKER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
This excellent book educates, entertains and amazes the reader with a wealth of information.
Whether you're a Civil War novice or a grizzled-veteran buff, almost every question you can pose is answered in this one little volume.
Until this handy book came along, I would have thought it impossible to cram the complexity of that multifaceted war into a single treatise. Happily, here it is and Chuck Lawliss, a Yankee no less, has done it. And he has written with an impartiality that the South rarely receives from Northerners.
Despite his broad canvas, Lawliss is not simplistic, nor does he skimp on detail. His presentation is clear and readable, and his selection of vintage photographs captures the flavor of the war.
This is a handy reference manual for those who wish to discover the gamut of the Civil War experience. For example, to learn who was who in the war, turn to the capsule biographies of Confederate and Federal leaders. Another section explains the organization of each government and its respective armies. A chronology of the war sets forth the major military engagements and political events.
Do you wish to know which battlefields are protected and which are open to visitors? How does one get to them? What is the best way to tour a given battlefield? Are living history demonstrations and re-enactments held there? What led to a specific battle and what effect did it have on the outcome of the war? All these questions and more are answered in chapter two.
Other subjects covered: finding your Civil War ancestors, modern applications of the lessons of the war, books, antiques, collections and museums.
Sprinkled throughout the book, like little sugar desserts, are descriptions of hotels, inns, restaurants, bed-and-breakfast accommodations and other discoveries which await your journey back into time. At Sharpsburg, for example, you can stay overnight in a farmhouse that was Gen. James Longstreet's headquarters.
The importance of Southwest Virginia to the South's war effort is not slighted. Among things of local interest is this description of Abingdon, "an important Confederate railroad depot and supply base [which] was at various times the headquarters of Generals John Hunt Morgan and John C. Breckinridge. Union troops captured the town in December 1864 and burned down a number of buildings. Throughout the war, the Martha Washington Inn (150 W. Main, 24210, telephone 703-628- 3161) was pressed into service as a military hospital. Now a four-star inn, it has been restored to its original appearance. The dining room . . . does nice things with veal Zurich and chicken piccata."
Delightful!
James Tucker, of Dublin, is active in the re-activated 4th Virginia Infantry, Stonewall Brigade.
by CNB