SWHQ Reviews "Galveston and the Civil War"!

I'm so pleased to announce that Southwestern Historical Quarterly – the official journal of the Texas State Historical Association - published a very kind review of my latest book, Galveston and the Civil War: An Island City in the Maelstrom (The History Press, 2012)!

The review was published in the January 2014 issue of SWHQ and penned by Brett J. Derbes  – a graduate teaching assistant and Ph.D. candidate (19th Century United States History, and Civil War & Reconstruction) in the History Department at Auburn University. Excerpts from the review (you can see the entire review here):

The importance of Galveston Bay has often been overlooked as inconsequential in United States frontier history during the early 1800s, but the recent work of James M. Schmidt reveals a deeper history of the “jewel of the Gulf Coast."

Schmidt’s clear and concise overview extends beyond the Battle of Galveston to provide readers with a valuable account of the port city by addressing a range of issues including slave labor, Unionist dissent, the ‘Texas Troubles,’ blockade running, yellow fever epidemics, Galveston’s Ursuline sisters, and the declaration of “Juneteenth.”

The author cleverly utilizes a variety of manuscript collections, Galveston Daily News, Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies and Navies, letters, diaries, slave narratives, as well as essential secondary works.

Schmidt’s skillful method of interweaving his eleven chronological and topical chapters contributes to the work’s strength of highlighting Galveston’s role in events related to the tragedy of the Civil War.

Many thanks to Mr. Derbes and SWHQ!

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