Being there . . . to revel, i.e., take great or intense delight and satisfaction in the recent, almostsimultaneous, publication of three new American Civil War history books buffetiers andbufferettes yearn for – – peculiar nonfiction subjects so unusual, singular, strange, and hithertounresearched that other publishing houses reject out-of-hand. “No money to be made trying tosell reading subjects deviating from the center,” owners, most editors, and their boards claim.Hence, the huge success of one of this reviewer’s favorite presses, McFarland & Company, Inc.,Publishers which seems to be organized around the unofficial, unannounced, rarely triedpractice, “Look our way, historical researcher and author, if your submission is considered tooelliptic, eccentric or idiosyncratic. Can’t promise a thing. But we’ll decide if the topic, and itsexplanation, continues the reading public’s respect and admiration we’ve garnered over thepast six decades.” For example, whether aficionado of America’s sad War Between the States,Civil War buff club initiate, or plain old-fashioned Novice of Nothing, how do the three followingMcFarlandnite titles grab your intended, NAY, wandering curiosity?“THE CONFEDERATE NAVY MEDICAL CORPS – – – Organization, Personnel and Actions”, by Guy R.Hasegawa, Foreword by Gary McQuarrie. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, Jefferson,North Carolina, 28640: 2024, 239 pages, 6”x 9”, softcover, illustrated with original Civil Wardrawings and photos, $39.95. Visit, www.mcfarlandpub.com.“THE OLD WAR HORSE – – The USS Benton on Western Waters, 1853 – 1865”, by Myron J.Smith, Jr. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, Jefferson, North Carolina, 28640: 2024, 256pages, 7” x 10”, softcover, well-illustrated with photos and maps, $49.95. Visit,www.mcfarlandpub.com.“TREASURE and EMPIRE in the CIVIL WAR – – The Panama Route, the West and the Campaignsto Control America’s Mineral Wealth”, by Neil P. Chatelain. McFarland & Company, Inc.,Publishers, Jefferson, North Carolina, 28640: 2024: 276 pages, 7” x 10”, softcover, well-illustrated with original drawings, photos, and maps, $49.95. Visit, www.mcfarlandpub.com.Why are these three titles, and virtually all the other hundred on the American Civil War thatMcFarland & Company published, so important? Anyone who has read ANY history can easilyanswer that important question. Simply put, in so far as possible, to put us in the heart of it“lest we forget“ the sacrifices our fellow Americans made many, many, many years ago that arenow considered gifts. Since it’s impossible to recreate history, reenactment. But even goodchoreography hardly hints the reality. Read, and then more, with a quality magnifier to betterperuse, and study, rare photographs, placing you even closer. We, then, are capable of “beingthere” to experience it first-hand. We need not ever again worry about forgetting the studied.Making the literary even more important is that no book has ever been written on SouthernNavy medicine, the newly formed Confederate medical corps, its personnel, actions, andorganization. In short, one less unifying thread woven indelibly throughout the “fabric ofAmerica”, writes James G. Barber, Editorial Consultant, DK Smithsonian’s “The Civil War – – A
Visual History”, the best-ever compiled photographic encounter ever published.
In “The Old War Horse – The USS Benton on Western Waters, 1853 – 1865, Morton J. Smith,Jr., provides us with an enthralling story, a book-length profile of the flagship, originally a pre-Civil War snagboat, later a refurbished, converted boat of critical importance in America’swestern rivers’ navy. From Island No. 10 through the Vicksburg and Red River campaigns, therevolutionary ironclad participated in both combat and administrative activities, earning aprominent place in nautical legend and literature. BUFFS, a 33-page bibliography? Never sawthat before, on any subject!What a 42-page reference of Chapter Notes and Bibliography Neil P. Chatelain offers thereader who seeks almost all that’s known on the routes to our nation’s mineral wealth. As GaryMcQuarrie, Managing Editor of “Civil War Navy – The Magazine”, says, “A must-read for CivilWar naval history enthusiasts!”. Agreed! Especially since unknown, overlooked, or deliberatelyignored campaigns are introduced and described as to who, the U.S. or Confederacy, woulddominate lands, mines and seaborne transportation networks of North America’s mineralwealth. Neil examines the campaigns to control North America’s mineral wealth, linking theCivil War’s military, naval, political, diplomatic and economic elements.When Managing Editor of “Emerging Civil War”, Sarah Kay Bierle endorsed Neil’s effort, shewrote, “A needed and readable adventure into the international politics and financially-inspiredintrigues that evolved as Confederates and Federals maneuvered for pieces of victory”, she wascommingling financial tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt; Admiral and explorer Charles Wilkes;renowned sea captain Raphael Semmes; General Henry Sibley, cowboy and mountain man KitCarson, Apache indigenous leaders, Mangas Coloradas and Geronimo; writer and miner, MarkTwain; and Mormon leader, Brigham Young. Another splendid book McFarland & Company can
be proud of!
