The Civil War: Strange & Fascinating Facts

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Summary: --Civil War Trivia--
Review: After a lifetime of reading, Burke Davis put together a book of amazing and interesting pieces of information that don't usually show up in the historical accounts of the Civil War.

Here are a few examples of his research:
The Civil War was known by more than twenty-five names. The most unusual: The Brothers War--The War to Suppress Yankee Arrogance--The War for the Union and The War of the Rebellion.

Abraham Lincoln had smallpox when he gave the Gettysburg Address and several members of his wife's family were soldiers in the Confederate Army. Also President Lincoln admitted that one of his favorite tunes was "Dixie."

General Nathan Bedford Forrest, CSA had twenty-nine horses shot from beneath him during the war years. Belle Boyd started her career as a spy for the South when, at the age of seventeen, she killed a Federal soldier. After the war, about 3,000 former Confederate officers left the South and moved to foreign countries. And there's so much more to learn.

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Summary: The Civil War: Strange and Fascinating Facts (Wr. by Davis)
Review: Despite the title, these strange and fascinating facts may interest Civil War buffs, and not many others.

Davis, the author of several history books, takes the little stories and factoids he has collected in research and put them all here in small episodes. To appreciate the value of these stories, the reader should have more than a passing knowledge of the Civil War. Many names, dates, battles, and the like are tossed around by an author who knows his subject, and requires his readers to know some, too.

The stories here are very entertaining, covering subjects as varied as can be imagined. The Civil War was full of "firsts." Firsts include: successful submarine, hospital ships, tobacco and cigarette taxes, and presidential assassination. The book also mentions Confederate States president Jefferson Davis more than Abraham Lincoln, possibly because Davis is barely a footnote in high school history books today. Stonewall Jackson, Ulysses Grant, and Robert E. Lee are also profiled. One entertaining chapter debunks many myths surrounding Grant's drunken war behavior.

Davis also gets serious, writing about widespread venereal disease on both sides, and the atrocities committed on civilians, which was evident on both sides as well.

Davis' book was published in 1960, and once again the publishers have decided to reprint the book many times without updating it. Davis mentions the upcoming centennial of the war, and mentions descendants of the major figures of the war and what they are doing today, or at least today forty years ago. Another drawback here is the lack of an index, leaving a serious researcher to have to skim the book looking for useful information. The author also mentions prices for Civil War memorabilia at current auction prices...forty years ago. Davis writes that more people lost their lives in the Civil War than in all the wars from the Revolution to our most current conflict...Korea.

I will recommend this book as a cursory page turner. As a displaced Texan who descends from three Confederate soldiers (that I know of), I appreciated Davis' balanced view of both sides of the conflict. Too often today we lose sight of the fact that over 600,000 people lost their lives in this war, and not many people know much about it.

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Summary: The stories behind The Story
Review: Did you know that the owner of the farm where the first Civil War fighting took place hosted the peace treaty signing in his front parlor in Appomattox? Col Wilmer McClean, seeking to escape the fighting after the First Battle at Bull Run, moved to Southern Virginia and settled in Appomattox. Little did he know the fighting would eventually follow him--and end with the meeting of Grant and Lee in his front parlor. Minutiae and the smaller aspects of the Great War Between the States is all documented in this rather small volume. This is not a stale treatment of those lesser-known facts of the Civil War, but a lively telling of those incidents and thoughts on the Great American Schism. It is hard to put the book down once you start reading it. A must read.

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Summary: Fun reading
Review: Every Christmas, someone gives me a copy of this book. Even though I enjoyed it, PLEASE do not send me ANY MORE, as I have 9 copies already. This is a fun read, even if you are not a Civil War buff. It's historical trivia that goes a long way to show that people do not change. The ironic twists of fate, coincidence, the stupidty of war and the general folly of human nature. Here are stories of gallantry, humor, tragedy, fatal mistakes, famous onlookers and witnesses and sex, (oooh, hide the children!) From the human side of Robert E. Lee, U.S. Grant, Jefferson Davis and Abraham Lincoln to the "firsts" of the war (balloons used for signaling, underwater mines, large scale use of repeating rifles, telegraphs, etc) the casual reader will find plenty of tidbits to pass the time. I just wish the artwork had been better.

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Summary: imagine that !
Review: If you thought you knew everything about the civil war than chances are you were wrong. I found out things in this book I never knew, like Robert E. Lee was buried without any shoes, an 8 year boy watched as Jefferson Davis was driven off to prison and that boy was Woodrow Wilson, plus so many other facts covered in this book.If you enjoy fascination facts than this book is for you.

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Summary: student
Review: There are many interesting and delightful news bits in this book. Lots of things you'll not encounter unless you read every Civil War book avalibale. Easy read. You'll also want to keep it close at hand while reading other books to jog your memory on an event.

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Summary: A solid look at many little-known aspects of the Civil War.
Review: This book was a welcome find when I was pulling together source material for my book, Everyday Life During the Civil War. As Burke Davis says, it is a serious book, and contains a wealth of information not easily gleaned from other sources; it is unfortunate that the words "strange" and "fascinating" seem to have given some the wrong impression of this work. I recommend it for anyone interested in the Civil War.

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Summary: The First, and Still the Best of All Civil War Trivia Books!
Review: When "The Civil War: Strange & Fascinating Facts" or, "Our Incredible Civil War" was first published in 1960, America was on the eve of "celebrating" the 100 anniversary of that poignant, defining moment in our history. We were also on the verge of finally bringing those rights to Black Americans that rightfully should have been granted after Appomattox.

Burke Davis' book was an instant bestseller then. And almost 45 years later still is.

Mr. Davis covers the all of the major and minor incidents of the Civil War, from 1812 war veteran and Gettysburg civilian John Burns grabbing his musket and going to fight alongside the Union Iron Brigade at that decisive battle, to the tragedy of Confederate Isidore Guillen, who inherited the horse that his two brothers were killed riding on, only to be mortally wounded himself, to the humorous story of Jason the mule, who would go into the tent of a Confederate colonel late at night because that colonel resembled his owner!

Davis also cites practically all of the amazing inventions of the Civil War, and he was the first historian to cite the story of the C.S.S. Hunley, the Rebel sub that was the first to sink an enemy vessel, but went down with all hands in Charleston Harbor.

There are also enthralling chapters on foreigners who served on both sides, on spies,on famous sea battles, including the one between the U.S.S. Kearsarge and the C.S.S Alabama in the French harbor of Cherbourg, thousands of miles away from North and South,and yes, there is even a chapter on sex in the Civil War too.

This book is a treasure trove for Civil War enthusiasts (I have sent copies of it to my friends) - and the word "trivia" demeans its importance. But I couldn't think of another word to describe it in my review title.

Thank You Very Much for this book, Mr. Burke Davis.