I am very excited about this book and the history,This story is about my family ,, Frances Short Smith is my Great- Great Aunt ,, I recall the stories from my Grandfather ,, and looking at the origanal book was so exciting ,, this is a must for history buffs ,,,,

By pure luck, I ran across this excellent first hand account of the Smith brothers captivity by Comanches in Texas. Written before a revisionist philosophy dominated history writing, their accounts of Indian raids and murders in Texas in the 1870s are the opposite of what is usually written or shown on screen today. My sympathies are with the Texas pioneers who suffered so much. Outstanding reading from such a little book.

Amazing story of a boy who was captured and lived with the Comanche Indians for five years. He actually became a Comanche and identified as an Indian while he was with them. Fought with them against other tribes and the US army, etc. Told in an absolutely matter of fact manner. Written in 1927 so not "politically correct" but gives an amazing view of frontier life and life with the Indians. It is in print.

I re-read Woodworth's excellent treatise on Jefferson Davis and his involvement in the Western Theater. The chapters are succinct and focus more on strategy than in specific battle details. My favorite parts are the reviews at the end of each chapter. I have always believed that Lee's strategy to invade the North rather than deploying his forces in the West was a major blunder. If there is one salient point that screams from this book it is that Jeff Davis' personal relationships with his generals (Polk??) definitely was a detriment to his decision making. This book should be required reading for high school and undergraduate students. Indeed any leader could profit from the analysis and history rendered here.

This book is a must read to understand the generals, campaigns, strategy, and the thinking of Jefferson Davis in the Western Theater. The book is well-written, informative, and features good analysis of the differing generals, Davis' actions, and some very good mini-biographies of the major players. Although the book does not go into major detail about specific battles, Woodworth does give a good overview of the major campaigns and battles of the West. The book also has some interesting theories on why Davis failed in the West. Although I disagreed with some of Woodworth's conclusions, especially regarding Braxton Bragg's capabilities as a commander, I found his arguments well-reasoned, although I thought he went out of his way to bash James Longstreeet. The major sticking point I had with the book was Woodworth's analysis on Bragg and his theory that J.E. Johnston thought the CSA's cause was doomed so he didn't really try to win. I thought that was utter nonsense, but that was really my only quarrel with the book. Well-written, informative, just an excellent book.

After reading 'Davis & Lee at War' I ordered this book from my local book shop and I loved it, more so than the first book. The author explains the relationships between Davis and his Generals who were trusted with the Confederacy's command in the West. That so much damage could be done to the Southern cause by these men in petty infighting is amazing. Beside analysising the Command/Leadership relationships it provides an overview of the battles and fighting in that theatre of operations. I highly recommend this book, it's a great read.

Jefferson Davis remains a dark, remote Civil War figure, hardly as romantic as Lincoln or as inspiring as Lee.

What William C. Davis has done is to make both the man and the forces that gave him fire and light more immediate and tangible.

Weaving through the myriad controversies and struggles of the pre-Civil War, Civil War and post war years, the author somehow manages to explain endless geographical, political and societal issues without ever losing sight of Davis' central role in them.

A dense but vastly entertaining book that even readers who are not interested in the Civil War would find fascinating.

Really enjoyed listening to this book, especially the themes in which Jeff Davis' strengths and flaws were carry on throughout his entire adult life. The last few tapes are outstanding on how the confederacy got reduced to a well guarded 3 mile wagon train.

William C. Davis has written THE biography of Jefferson Davis. The book not only reads as easily as a novel, it also has been meticulously researched. Keep your eye on this Davis. He is fast becoming one of America's best popular historian.

Before I was introduced to this book I knew nothing about the man in question outside of the fact that he was the first confederate President.

After spending a good month reading this biography of Jefferson Davis I feel like I know the man. William C. Davis does an excellent job portraying the life of Jefferson Davis. Here is a man who had his share of suffering, both physically, mentally, as well as numerous personal loses, but always seemed to bounce back and go on. The book moves along quite smooth, and William C. Davis has the gift of actually making you feel like your there when the many drama'a of Jefferson Davis unfold.

For anyone interested in learning about Jefferson Davis, this is the "meat" of books written about Jefferson Davis. When you finish reading this fine biography you will actually feel like you "know" Jefferson Davis and watched his life unfold right before you. I highly recommend this book to all beginners.

The author has mastered the challenging task of introducing the reader to the person of President Davis without capturing him in a net of preconceived ideas. In this well told account he presents the positive as well as the negative aspects of Jefferson Davis' character and actions concisely and in a straightforward manner, even bluntly at times. In most instances he does not comment more than absolutely necessary thus leaving a lot of room for the reader to develop his / her own opinion or just to encourage further research on certain points. However, the author's strictly chronological and factual approach is balanced here and there with suitable relaxing anectotes from the President's life such as the story of soldier Jeems, with vivid descriptions of the President's happy and sad moments as well a couple of awe-inspiring contemporary descriptions of his person (the latter being quotes from contemporary sources). The author has endeavoured throughout his work to present Jefferson Davis objectively, not praising nor criticising him more than seems appropriate to facilitate understanding. The book should be compared to a photograph of the President rather than a painting the details of which have been processed by the painter's mind. Speaking from personal experience I can only say that this book has become a lamp to me which lights up the path to further research into the life and times of a very special man indeed.

Wlliam Davis has written a well researched and skillful biography of a major player in American history. He was not only the first and last President of the ill-fated Confederate States of America but, as well detailed in the book, he was the south's leading defender in Congress in the mid-1800s' of "states-rights" and the rightfulness of slavery (He was a major slave "owner" himself). His was not a minor role in the events that that resulted in secession nor in the terrible bloodbath that followed. An excellent book.

Anton Chaitkin was persecuted for releasing the most in depth research on the traitors to America throughout it's existance. Anton Chaitkin also uncovered the document from the library of congress proving that Bush Sr's father, Presscott Bushes bank "Union Bank" was shut down by Roosevelt in 1942, under the trading with the pact for funding the Nazi party and Thyssin Steel money. Fritz Thyssin wrote the book "I funded Hitler" and was responsible for more than 50% of the war drive steel and iron. Democratic Presidental Candidate Lyndon LaRouche has exposed these impierail traitors to the ideas of the American Revolution the the civil rights movement. It is time we Americans got off our high and holy degenerate [behinds] and acted in the spirits of Ben Franklin, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Aberham Lincoln, McKinley, and FDR.

This book has to be one of the most important books that any media scientist could possibly read. It is pure art in the sense of art as an updater of consciousness.Wonderful book.

You can study American History in High School or College, but you will never get the in depth research involved in this book. I have never seen such a great list of referances andbibliography. Why haven't more historians been able to just tell it like it is instead of just sucking up to New World Order Crazies? How many people have ever heard of the "American System of Economics" as opposed to the British East India "Free Trade Buy cheap,Sell dear slavocracy. If you really want to know your history, Read this book and study its' referances.

Sometimes, when reading a book, I skip the footnotes in order to save time. I wouldn't dare do that with this book! The footnotes are the best part because they show HOW the verses are understood by those with opposing beliefs. They show why, for example, you can have two or more different theological views each supported by the SAME bible verses! Very interesting reading. This book is a great quick reference and is also good for devotional reading. I assign this book when I teach new members classes in my church! This is a book that should never go out of print!

This is an excellent book to help you understand the basic theological differences between major doctrinal interpretations. Instead of giving you "unbiased" commentary on each verse which is almost always, by definition, slanted toward one side or another, the author simply gathers together the main texts each side uses to prove their position. This not only helps you decide for yourself if you agree with any of them or not, but it also trains you to recognize a good or bad argument when you hear one.

Since the different views must rely only upon the scriptures to support them in this book, you begin to see which arguments are the strongest biblically and which ones seem to be stretching the truth. All of the comparative doctrinal texts are placed in close proximity for easy comparison. You will learn a lot of theology (hopefully not just your own) by simply reading this book.

Poet, essayist, and Southern Agrarian, Allen Tate brings (brought) to his life of Jefferson Davis not only a tremendous narrative talent, but also a deep understanding of, and sympathy for, the Southern culture that produced Jefferson Davis. But unlike other Southern writers who made Davis a larger-than-life hero of the Lost Cause, Tate pulls no punches in his assessment of the President's weaknesses as well as his strengths, and how they may have crippled the Confederacy from the very beginning.

Tate considers Davis a man of high ideals and great personal honor. At the same time, though, he had a "peculiarly inflexible mind" ("he had not learned anything since about 1843") (p. 197) and a "feeble grasp of human nature" (p. 255). He treated his office as a sort of super-minister of defense, and was never "the leader of the Southern people as a whole" (p. 180). The South could have won the war if she had had the right kind of political leader, Tate argues. But Davis, whose rise to leadership was generally unearned (p. 79), wasn't it.

Beyond Davis the man, Tate also has a deep grasp of the Southern culture and the larger historical and cultural issues that were clashing in the War Between the States. In keeping with his Southern Agrarianism, Tate paints the South as the last outpost of European culture in the Americas, standing against -- and ultimately overwhelmed by -- the surging might of restless, expansionist, wealth-seeking "Americanism," embodied in the Yankee Northeast. Tate's grasp of Southern regionalism lets him place an emphasis on the tensions between Upper and Lower South that, for me, shone a light on the instability of the Confederate government that I haven't seen as emphasized elsewhere.

Tate's perspective and narrative form may not be in keeping with more modern styles of biography. But this book is nevertheless an excellent and insightful read, and I recommend it to any student of the men caught up in, as well as the issues behind, America's bloodiest conflict.

This book is no act of idolatry, despite the author's reputation as a Southern conservative and Agrarian. Tate believes Davis was a great man, but he points out his flaws as well, his diffidence in acting sooner that might have won the South the War, his pride, his sometime aloofness, his tendency to remain loyal to generals (Braxton Bragg foremost among them) whose incompetence was all too apparent to others, and his refusal to appoint the right men for the right job.

This is an absorbing read that puts one in mind of Shelby Foote's celebrated War trilogy, although Tate's was written first. It has the same novelistic quality and drive and the same quickly drawn but utterly convincing characterizations. The book alternates between presentations of certain monumental battles and portraits of life on the "homefront." The latter is actually more fascinating than the former. We learn in vivid detail of the strength and loyalty and perseverance of the Southern people.

Most people think the Civil War ended at Appomattox with Lee's surrender to Grant. Actually, the fighting carried on for a couple more months and included many events, including General Joseph Johnson's surrender, Lincoln's assassination, the flight of Jefferson Davis, a steamboat tragedy on the Mississippi River, the final land battle in Texas (ironically, a Confederate victory), the escape through Florida of several Confederate political leaders including John Breckinridge and the continued plundering of Union merchant shipping by a Confederte raider well into the fall of 1865. Burke Davis chronicles all of this as well as Jefferson Davis's post Civil War life as an unreconstructed rebel. It is a fascinating read for those interested in the Civil War.

This is a terrific book by Burke Davis. This book follows Jefferson Davis and his cabinet during the last days of the Civil War using first-hand accounts, newspaper articles, memoirs, and other never-before-published materials.. The books follows Davis, his cabinet, Lee, the Confederate treasury, Davis' family and others. Even though there are many people, Burke Davis writes in a way that is easy to follow and enjoyable to read. This book also looks at Davis' imprisonment and the post-war years of Davis, Lee, and the others above mentioned. It also attempts to answer the question of what happened to the Confederate treasury. This is a great book about a little-written about part of the Civil War.

There is no doubt that this is a comprehensive and clear introduction into diving medicine. It certainly dealt very well with all of the questions that I had regarding both the Pathophysiology of Diving Medicine and also some of the practical considerations arising from these. Additionally I am sure that this book would be suitable for those without formal Medical training who wish to further their knowledge in this field. My only reservation is that the layout of the book appears very dated. The black-and-white pictures and diagrams could be made so much more engaging and more clear if they were brightened up a little. This is a criticism which could be aimed at many books outside of the main general Undergraduate texts, however just because a situation is widely tolerated it does not mean a publisher shouldn't try a bit harder to make a better product, especially when the content is absolutely first class as it undoubtedly is in this case.

My favorite diving medicine textbook. If you like the no-nonsense format of the NOAA Diving Manual, Bove too, shoots from the hip. Bove is best in the hands of medical professionals, as brevity in some discussion presumes a background in medical care. Focusing on medical professionals may limit its audience, but astute readers anywhere may appreciate its directness, as a distillation, its strong spirit. Diving Medicine is a MUST for any physician treating civilian divers, and its format makes for quick reference for primary care gives who occassionally encounter divers with medical issues.

I read this book cover to cover before taking Medical Boards in Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine. I enjoyed the experience greatly, and passed the Boards. It is well-organized and easy to read if you have at least a diving background. I am a pulmonary and critical care specialist (and diver) and found it very straight-forward. I recommend reading this book in conjunction with the US Navy Diving Manual which is available through .... in print (but I prefer the CD ROM published by the Navy and others). We keep these references at our hyperbaric unit at UCLA where we have already done 4 Table VI treatments this week.

Since becoming interested in the 19th Century, and the oasis of information concerning that time period, I'm still baffled as to why the 21st Century historian cannot understand the greatness of men like Jefferson Davis. All the modern historian can do is point out cultural problems of times past (slavery: as if the South was the only place on earth that had them). After reading the standard review from Amazon, I had to chime in on this great book. I've read William J. Cooper's Jefferson Davis as well as Jefferson Davis himself. Is it not interesting that modern day Jefferson Davis antagonists' (Just read James Mcpherson's preface in 'The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government") can only talk of slavery, as if this is the only motivating factor which drove J. Davis to become a relunctant secessionist, while ignoring our own cultural problems that are far worse and grandiose in scope. Modern day/ post-modern historians cannot grasp the larger picture of history. Their worldview does not allow for such truth gazing. F. Allen does a supurb job of showing us a Davis who was triumphant, depressed,ultimately defeated, caring for Negros, and a dedicated Episcopalian who knew who his Saviour was. Many of J. Davis' associates supported gradual emancipation (Bishop Meade of Va and Bishop Leonidas Polk) as to help assimulate the Negro into society. The Northern invasion of the South precluded any such cultural assimilation to take place. Read this book- It is partisan, but isn't every historian coming to work the task of history with his/her presuppositions? F. Allen is not ashamed of this and her logical conclusions about the man and his times is as accurate as a historian can get. Cheers for independent scholars who have not abdicated the task of passing story to fellow countrymen!

What Mrs. Allen succeeds so brilliantly at is showing the human side of the man. I must admit that I was no fan of Jefferson Davis in his role as the President of the CSA. However, thanks to Mrs. Allen, I was able to see him in a much different light - as an American patriot and a human being. In the passions that colour anything dealing with the War of Northern Aggression, it is sometimes difficult to remember that everyone involved had a life before that tragic conflict. I can't help but be grateful for the way in which Mrs. Allen brought that point home in her book. While I will still take issue with many of his wartime decisions, I can't help but be proud that our nation produced a man like Jefferson Davis. Thanks for the insight and the education Mrs. Allen!

This book inspite of some reviews is informative and to my mind inspirational. It is however, NOT for the so-called politically correct unless they are seriously considering jettsoning their neo-Stalinist approach to learning. It is a delight for those who appreciate the man and his country for what they really stood for.

Dixie!