The review was penned by Mr. C. Michael Harrington - a Houston-are attorney - in the October 2013 issue, which is now in subscribers' hands! Many thanks to Mr. Harrington and Civil War News!
As with the Civil War News reviews of my previous, books Lincoln's Labels (here), Years of Change and Suffering (here), and Notre Dame and the Civil War (here), this review of Galveston and the Civil War is special because Civil War News is where I got my writing "bona fides," as I've penned the "Medical Department" column on a regular basis since 2000. CWN editor/publisher Kay Jorgensen (and her late husband, Pete) has been extremely supportive of my writing and research efforts over the years, which I appreciate very much, indeed.
If you don't subscribe to Civil War News, you should! You can learn how to get a sample issue (here).
"For those unfamiliar with [the] role [of Galveston in the Civil War], James Schmidt’s new book is an excellent introduction."
"The strength of Schmidt’s book is its coverage of topics largely neglected in prior studies of Civil War Galveston. These include slavery, Unionist dissent, the laudable relief efforts of Galveston’s Ursuline nuns and the yellow fever epidemic."
"Schmidt’s book is set in easy-to-read, double-spaced type with profuse illustrations and a helpful map of the island. The text is thoroughly researched and includes some unpublished primary source material."
"This weekend Galvestonian highly recommends the book to those interested in Texas in the war or the war on the water. And he can recommend no better place to enjoy the book than Galveston’s beaches."
More reviews of Galveston and the Civil War:
Civil War Books and Authors (here) ["What sets Schmidt apart from the majority of local history writers with similar goals is his discontent with the all too common practice of dressing up poorly documented history with tale spinning. His book is a story-centric narrative but it is well researched and footnoted using a variety of primary and secondary sources."]
Confederate Book Review (here) ["Mr. Schmidt has an enjoyable writing style that is easy to follow. The book is thoroughly researched and the notes and bibliography contain a nice mix of primary and secondary sources."]
Amazon reviews here
GoodReads reviews here
Swee! Great to get rave reviews:) Also, I mentioend you on my blog, Jim:)
ReplyDeleteThank you for the kind words Mark! And thanks also for trusting me with the beginning of your Fort Defiance novel as a critique partner...it was a pleasure to read and a privilege that you were willing to share and accept my comments...keep up the great work!
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