Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, March 6, 1995 TAG: 9503060012
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DAVID MAURER THE DAILY PROGRESS
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE (AP) LENGTH: Medium
Even the most faithful supporters of the Confederacy would have had trouble blinding themselves to the reality that the cause was lost. Further butchery in a war noted for its blood and carnage seemed pointless.
The Union soldiers who marched up the slight incline toward the entrenched rebels certainly thought so. The men in blue waved handkerchiefs as a signal for the Southerners to surrender without further bloodshed.
The rebels' answer came in the form of a thunderous fusillade that devastated the front files of the advancing Union line. The bloodiest war in American history continued.
In ``Best Little Stories From the Civil War,'' C. Brian Kelly included anecdotes from this savage convulsion of the dying Confederacy to fill his latest book with tragic ironies, strange coincidences and little-known tales.
Even Kelly, editor of Military History magazine and a lecturer at the University of Virginia, was chilled by some of the findings. He remains mystified by the magnitude of violence played out near the creek in 1865.
``In just a few days, Robert E. Lee would surrender at Appomattox,'' Kelly said at his Albemarle County home. ``I've studied military history for most of my life, and I cannot personally understand why they went at each other with the savagery they did.''
But such oddities, quirks and ``just good stories'' are what has made Kelly's ``Best Little Stories'' series so popular. He introduced the series in 1989 with ``Best Little Stories From World War II.''
The World War II book, now in its sixth printing, was followed by ``Best Little Stories From The White House,'' now in its third printing. The concept has proven so popular that Kelly said several more ``Best'' books are planned.
Kelly said discovering and writing the short and often obscure stories about World War II was so enjoyable he created a book of them. But after he finished he couldn't find a publisher that would take a chance on it.
Undaunted, Kelly and his wife, Ingrid Smyer-Kelly, started Montpelier Publishing. Although Kelly was the sole author of the first book in the series, his wife has contributed to the next two. In one on the White House, she offers sketches on each first lady.
``One of my favorite first ladies, Abigail Fillmore, the wife of Millard Fillmore, is one of the lesser known,'' said Smyer-Kelly. ``She was very well-read, and was shocked when she moved into the White House in 1850 to find there wasn't so much as a dictionary there. She got busy, and through her efforts secured an appropriation from Congress to purchase books. With these funds she established the nucleus of the library that is there today.''
The Civil War book is far from just a compilation of hardship and cruelty. It is leavened with touching anecdotes that even the most astute buff might have missed.
Kelly referred to an account about a Union corporal at the battle of Sayler's Creek. After wounding a Confederate officer, the corporal ran to the dying man's side.
``I am sorry I had to shoot you,'' the corporal said. ``I am a Christian, and if you wish, I will pray for you; it is all I can do for you now.''
When the corporal finished his prayer, the Confederate officer said ``Amen'' and died.
``I've been doing this type of research for a long time, but when I come across something like that I still get shivers,'' Kelly said. ``Some of this stuff just bowls you over.''
by CNB