In April 1865, Richmond fell to the Union army and Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to his Northern counterpart, Ulysses S. Grant, at the Appomattox Court House. But the Civil War was far from over.
Determined to keep Confederate dreams of secession alive, President Jefferson Davis and his cabinet fled the burning capital city. With Union troops in pursuit, the fugitives rallied loyalists across the South and made plans to escape to Cuba. In the aftermath of President Abraham Lincoln's assassination, a $100,000 bounty was placed on Davis's head. Finally captured in Irwinville, Georgia, the former US senator and secretary of war became a prisoner of the American government. The harsh treatment he received would inflame tensions between North and South for years to come.
Meticulously researched and brilliantly told, The Long Surrender brings these dramatic events to vivid, unforgettable life and paints a fascinating portrait of Davis, one of history's most enigmatic figures. By shining a light on this forgotten chapter of the Civil War, bestselling author Burke Davis examines the lasting impact of America's bloodiest conflict on the national character.
The gripping story of an extraordinary American hero, the most decorated man in U.S. Marine Corps history, from a New York Times bestselling author.
In the glorious chronicles of the U.S. Marine Corps, no name is more revered than that of Lt. Gen. Lewis B. 'Chesty' Puller. The only fighting man to receive the Navy Cross five separate times-a military honor second only to the Congressional Medal of Honor-he was the epitome of a professional warrior. A son of the South, descendant of Robert E. Lee, and cousin to George S. Patton, Puller began his enlisted career during World War I and moved up through the ranks as he proved his battlefield mettle in Haiti and Nicaragua, with the Horse Marines in Peking, in the Pacific Theater of World War II, and in the nightmarish winter engagements of the Korean War.
Fearless and seemingly indestructible, adored by the troops he championed yet forced into early retirement by a high command that resented his 'lowly' beginnings and unwillingness to play politics, Puller remains one of most towering figures in American military history. Bestselling military biographer Burke Davis paints the definitive portrait of this extraordinary marine hero.
A New York Times bestselling author's account of the devastating military campaign that broke the Confederacy's back in the last months of the Civil War.
In November 1864, just days after the reelection of President Abraham Lincoln, General William T. Sherman vowed to 'make Georgia howl.' The hero of Shiloh and his 65,000 Federal troops destroyed the great city of Atlanta, captured Savannah, and cut a wide swath of destruction through Georgia and the Carolinas on their way to Virginia. A scorched-earth campaign that continues to haunt the Southern imagination, Sherman's 'March to the Sea' and ensuing drive north was a crucial turning point in the War between the States.
Weaving together hundreds of eyewitness accounts, bestselling author Burke Davis tells the story of this infamous episode from the perspective of the Union soldiers and the Confederate men and women who stood in their path. Eloquent, heartrending, and vastly informative, Sherman's March brilliantly examines one of the most polarizing figures in American military history and offers priceless insights into the enduring legacy of the Civil War.
Robert E. Lee, a Christian and a gentleman, was the most remarkable man to emerge from the Civil War and is one of the greatest tragic figures of American history. Reserved and unflappable, savvy and fearless, shrewd and tenacious, fatherly and kind are but a few of the adjectives commonly used to describe this noble hero.
By using a dramatic form of narrative and relying on numerous eyewitness accounts, Burke Davis brings Lee to life. Listening to this powerful work gives you the feeling you are there, with Lee, Jackson, and the rest. It is a rare blend of history and emotion, a book that speaks to both the mind and the heart.
"As a sheer work of art the book is as fine as anything that has been done on Lee."-Harper's
Jeb Stuart: The Last Cavalier is a full and definitive biography of the dashing and enigmatic Confederate hero of the Civil War, General J.E.B. Stuart.
This life-sized portrait of Stuart surveys his life from childhood through his training at West Point, his years on the Western frontier, and his decision to stand with Virginia when war arrived. His brilliant Civil War career is covered in detail, from the raid on Chambersburg to his final, fatal clash at Yellow Tavern.
"The rudimentary field communications of the Civil War demanded of the cavalry the utmost in bravery, durability, and vigilance," writes Burke Davis in his introduction to this edition. "Victory or defeat of armies was often in the hands of their cavalrymen."
Stonewall Jackson was a military genius at once peculiar and perfect, a fearless soldier in battle but a God-fearing man who hesitated to kill on Sunday. He broke the rules of war to win, and yet his tactics are studied in military academies the world over. Burke Davis brings the color, vivid characterization, and immediacy of the best fiction to this fascinating biography.
From the remarkable Valley Campaign through the Seven Days, Manassas, Antietam, Fredericksburg, and the masterful though tragic sweep at Chancellorsville where Jackson was felled by one of his own soldiers, this is a compelling narrative of men and war.
