Uncle Tom's Cabin

If you have never read this story, you are really missing out on a good read and a big part of history. This was called by some, including Lincoln, one of the catalysts that help bring on the Civil War.

Uncle Tom is really the type of person all Christians hope to be. He is not the stereotype that modern idiots that have never read the book claim him to be. He sacrificed...

Naw; your gonna have to read it. I'm not gonna spill the beans.

Some say the dialect is hard to follow. Get it in an audiobook and get after it. You will kick yourself for waiting so long to enjoy this. You will love it.

 4D6VWNWUVUS5

The Battle of Helena

The Battle of Helena Arkansas seems to take a backseat compared to other battles. In fact most battles in the Trans-Mississippi Theater--with the exception of Pea Ridge--get very little attention compared with the fighting in the East. The biggest thing that puts the battle in the shadow is it was fought on the same day Vicksburg surrendered and Lee was disengaging at Gettysburg, July 4, 1863. Man, what a day for Old Glory!

Helena sits between Crowley'sRidge (a ragged maze of choppy hills and steep ravines) and the Mississippi River. Being a river town above Vicksburg, the Yankees found it a good staging area and supply dump for the battle down below. Major General Samuel Ryan Curtis took it from the Confederates in July 1862 and the Yankees were determined to keep it.

The commander of the Confederate District of Arkansas , Lt. General Theophilus H. Holmes brought his force of about 7000 to take it. He had been prodded by Secretary of War James Seddon and Lieutenant General Kirby Smith. He was reluctant until he was informed that the garrison had been reduced in numbers for the seige of Vicksburg.

Union Major General Benjamin M. Prentiss had an army of a little over 4000, and he knew the Confederates were coming. He had trees dropped across the roads leading into the town. This was one of the best decisions of the battle--the Rebels couldn't bring their artillery up. One of the worst decisions that day--they attacked without it.

The Confederates only took one position that day. Major General Sterling Price's men stormed up Graveyard hill to take Battery C. They couldn't hold it. The guns on Batteries A, B, and D, along with the Gunboat Tyler on the Mississippi, and Fort Curtis turned all their guns on the Confederate position. It was all down hill for the Confederates from there. It was a very bloody affair.

I urge you to read more about the Battle of Helena and other battles west of the Mississippi. This is where you learn about Indians in the Civil War. You will see what made Jesse James into the outlaw he became. There is much more to the conflict than Grant and Lee.

Don't be so passionate about the Civil War

Yeah right! I know of few subjects that people are more passionate about than the American Civil War. If you ever visited any of the forums on the net, you know what I'm talking about. Since you are here, you are more than likely passionate, too. You are probably already wondering where this jerk is going with this.

People still take sides on the war as if we were still fighting, as if their kin were still in the army. Many from the North will pick Grant as the greatest general. People from the South say it's Lee. Oh yes, they can find the facts to back up their opinions, too. I call it, "Facts based on hard opinion."

This is all good, and everyone has an opinion, right? We know what they are like. In fact, it's kinda fun to get worked up over it.

I took a buddy to the Shiloh Battlefield. He knew very little about the battle or the war. I explained things as best I could as we roamed about--being the expert that I am. We are both from Arkansas, and he kept saying things like, "If Johnston hadn't been killed, I bet 'we' would have won the battle," and "Forrest must have turned out to be 'our' best general." I reminded him that one of his grandfathers didn't come to America until the early 1900's. I told him if he researched, he would probably find ancesters that were Yankees, so it's hard to know what side "we" were on. The war was lost or won almost a century and half ago, and frankly friends, many of our ancesters liked to travel after--ask the Western Native-Americans.  You and I probably have Rebs and Yanks in our history.

I think we can get a lot better understanding if we take our "uniforms" off and take another look at the war. I have no problem saying Grant was one of the best generals our country has ever seen; his record speaks for itself. Lincoln, in my opinion, is the top reason the North won. He bent, broke, and snapped the rules and laws because that is what it took. He stayed the course. Shelby Foote said the war created two geniuses, Lincoln and Forrest. I agree. They learned on the job--they mastered the job.

There is plenty to debate: Did the South have the right to leave the Union? Was slavery doomed anyway, even without the war? Was the war really started because of slavery? Was Grant a butcher? It goes on and on. However, let us remember we are all Americans when we look and study the history. There is no CSA.

By no means am I saying not to have lively debate and argument--far from it. However, I believe the debate would be better served if we gave opinions based on facts, not facts based on opinions because of bias blinders.

If you really want to have fun and love to argue the Civil War, check out forums like Civil War Talk and Civil War Interactive . I may even be there to debate you on who was the greatest general of the war. We all know it was Patrick Cleburne, because he was from Helena Arkansas. See, I have an opinion, too.

My new novel, Chase The Wild Pigeons

My novel, Chase The Wild Pigeons: A novel of the Civil War, is set during the Civil War, but the story of friendship is just as timely today. This story is not just one of war and manuevers–far from it. It is a story of two boys learning the meaning of true friendship, real trust, and love that is binding among men–in this case, young men.

I addressed many of the subjects of the day, so of course, I couldn’t avoid the issue of slavery. I tried, but the story kept leading me back. I decided to just dive in. I researched extensively for my story, and I hope I got it right. Slavery was just as complex as the war, maybe more so. Let me know what you think.