Being there . . . . for two ways to be a real Santa Claus by giving A+ American history book gifts,one dealing with the Great Sioux Campaign of 1876, the other the Civil War Battle at KennesawMountain in NW Georgia, near Atlanta in 1864. Published by McFarland & Company in 2018under the title, “Movements and Positions in the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain – – The Memoirof Colonel James T. Holmes, 52d Ohio Volunteer Infantry”, now published for the firsthanddetails in considerable depth the action on Cheatham’s Hill during the June 1864 Battle for theKennesaw. Written in 1915, Holmes’ riveting, insightful narrative, with original hand-drawndiagrams, differs on key points from the accepted scholarship on troop movements andpositions at Kennesaw, and contests the legitimacy of a battlefield monument.In the equally enthralling, “The Great Sioux Campaign of 1876, Day-by-Day”, author FredericC. Wagner III, draws almost exclusively upon his impressive 22 years’ of dedicated research foran exhaustive chronology of the Sioux Campaign in three parts. The U.S. Seventh Cavalry’scommunications, decisions and movements from October 15, 1875, thru JUNE 21, 1876, aretraced, day-by-day, including the three-day prelude to the Battle of Little Bighorn, hour-by-hour, and the battle itself, minute-by-minute.Read, one after the other, buffs realize each title is abundantly supported with a variety ofhard data. Within paragraphs, the Civil War reader is deafened with the sounds systematicbattles allowing for more sweeping generalizations. Both authors, James T. Holmes and FredericC. Wagner III are to be commended not only as resolutely dedicated historical researchers, butalso as gifted writer-wordsmiths who know how to mesmerize. The scenes they direct areusually riddled with the calamitous.ACCLAIM IS VIRTUALLY A CERTAINTY FOR TWO NEWLY McFARLAND PUBLISHED NARRATIVEHISTORIES – ONE A CIVIL WAR COMBAT MEMOIR BY A LIEUTENANT COLONEL OF THE 52 nd OHIOVOLUNTEERS; THE OTHER, AN EXHAUSTIVE CHRONOLOGY OF THE TRAGIC SIOUX CAMPAIGNVIA THREE PARTS. EACH, UNIQUE AND BRILLIANT, IS A FULL, SWEEPING ACCOUNT TO BE READ,REREAD, THEN REMEMBERED AS CLASSIC OF THEIR KIND FOR GENERATIONS. ARRIVING IN TIMEFOR YULETIDE GIFT-GIVING, EACH BY ITSELF WILL BE CHERISHED. GIVEN TOGETHER, THE TWOADD UP TO A SUPERB, NONPAREIL COMBINED SWEEPING SEGMENT OF AMERICAN HISTORYLESS THAN 15 YEARS AND 150 MILES APART. . . .Each reviewed and highly recommended together as a venturesome American HistoryChristmas Gift by Don DeNevi“MOVEMENTS AND POSITIONS IN THE BATTLE OF KENNESAW MOUNTAIN – – The Memoir ofColonel James T. Holmes, 52d Ohio Volunteer Infantry”, by James T. Holmes, edited by Garth D.Bishop (great-grandson of Col. James Taylor Holmes), With an Introduction and Annotations byMark A. Smith. McFarland & Company, Inc. Publishers: 2018, republished in 2024, 155 pages, 6”x 9”, photos, battle diagrams, maps, softcover, $29.95. Visit Web, www.mcfarlandpub.com.“THE GREAT SIOUX CAMPAIGN OF 1876, Day-by-Day”, by Frederic C. Wagner III. McFarland &Company, Inc. Publishers: 2022, 272 pages, 7” x 10”, maps, softcover, $39.95. Visit Web,
www.mcfarlandpub.com.
In short, “Movements and Positions In the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain – – The Memoir ofColonel James T. Holmes, 52d Ohio Volunteer Infantry” is a powerful extensive introductionwith annotations by respected Mark A. Smith who provides a brief yet comprehensive overviewof the battle, placing Holmes’ documents in historical context.Meanwhile, in the highly welcomed, “The Great Sioux Campaign of 1876, Day by Day”,Frederic C. Wagner III separates the actions of his several military commands and the Indiangroups involved – – they are appropriately and efficiently narrated in coherent sequence.Archival intelligence summaries offer the reader a fresh perspective on the events leading tothe decisive Indian victory popularly to as “Custer’s Last Stand”.With such appealing subjects and titles to start crossing gift-recipient names off your list,won’t you appreciate you began your gift wrapping early enough to enjoy the first three weeks
of December even better?
