The Blue & Gray Almanac: The Civil War in Facts & Figures, Recipes & SlangCasemate Publishers, 2017 M08 19 - 304 pages “Help[s] readers to examine this period in history with a more cultural perspective than other books have . . . clear, concise, and crisp . . . fascinating” (San Francisco Book Review). • During the final days of the war, some Richmond citizens would throw “Starvation Parties,” soirees at which elegantly attired guests gathered amid the finest silver and crystal tableware, though there were usually no refreshments except water. • Union Rear-Admiral Goldsborough was nicknamed “Old Guts,” not so much for his combativeness as for his heft—weighing about three hundred pounds, he was described as “a huge mass of inert matter.” • 30.6 percent of the 425 Confederate generals, but only 21.6 percent of the 583 Union generals, had been lawyers before the war. • In 1861, J.P. Morgan made a huge profit by buying five thousand condemned US Army carbines and selling them back to another arsenal—taking the army to court when they tried to refuse to pay for the faulty weapons. • Major General Loring was reputed to have so rich a vocabulary that one of the men remarked he could “curse a cannon up hill without horses.” • Many militia units had a favorite drink—the Charleston Light Dragoons’ punch took around a week to make, while the Chatham Artillery required a pound of green tea leaves be steeped overnight. • There were five living former presidents when the Civil War began, and seven veterans of the war, plus one draft dodger, went on to serve as president. These stories and many more can be found in this treasury of anecdotes, essays, trivia, and much more—including numerous illustrations—that bring this historical period to vivid life. |
Contents
| 1 | |
| 27 | |
Chapter 3 The Civil War in 11000 Words | 53 |
Chapter 4 Armies Blue and Gray | 94 |
Chapter 5 Incidents and Anecdotes of War | 124 |
Chapter 6 The Naval War | 167 |
Chapter 7 War and Society | 189 |
Chapter 8 The Generals | 203 |
Chapter 10 The Naughty Bits | 245 |
Chapter 11 The Troops | 254 |
Chapter 12 Civil War Medicine | 278 |
Epilogue The Civil War since the Civil War | 292 |
Appendix The Civil War and the Presidency | 307 |
Notes | 308 |
| 337 | |
| 341 | |
Other editions - View all
The Blue and Gray Almanac: The Civil War in Facts and Figures, Recipes and Slang Albert Nofi No preview available - 2022 |
The Blue and Gray Almanac: The Civil War in Facts and Figures, Recipes and Slang Albert Nofi No preview available - 2017 |
Common terms and phrases
African American Alabama American Civil War April Army of Northern Army of Tennessee artillery August Baton Rouge Battle became began Brig brigadier Bull Run Campaign captured casualties cavalry chaplains Civil colonel command commissioned Confederacy Confederate Army Congress Corps despite died duty early enlisted federal fighting flag George Georgia Gettysburg Grant History Infantry ironclad James James Longstreet January Jefferson Davis John Johnston July killed later Lee’s Army Lincoln Longstreet Louisiana State University major March Mexican-American War military militia Mississippi missouri National Archives naval North & South Northern Virginia officers percent Pickett Pierre G. T. Beauregard Potomac President prisoners rebellion regiment Richmond Robert secession secessionist served Sherman ships slavery soldiers South Carolina Southern Sumter surgeons surrender Texas Thomas U.S. Navy Ulysses Union Army union forces Union troops United University Press veterans volunteers Washington West Point William women wounded York