Richard Newman.
My interest in the Civil War goes deep and far into the past. In high school, history and geography were my best subjects, and I wrote papers on the Battle of Little Big Horn and Pearl Harbor. I read books like “Rifles For Watie” and “The American Heritage Picture History of The Civil War”, with its miraculous battle illustrations by David Greenspan. I attended the University of California at Davis and graduated from U.C. Berkeley, not as a history major but as a geographer and sociologist. I must have thought there was no economic future in history!
It was 1976, the year of America’s bicentennial. Leaving a six-week-old daughter in the secure arms of her grandmother, my wife and I embarked on a fantastic national battlefield park tour of Vicksburg, Nashville, Murfreesboro, Shiloh, Chattanooga, Chickamauga, Atlanta, Fredericksburg, The Wilderness, Chancellorsville, Spotsylvania, Manassas, Antietam, and finally Gettysburg. I was very enthralled. My interest was heightened. Unfortunately, my camera was an Instamatic, and the shutter did not open for the whole trip! In those days that would not be apparent until we got home. What the journey did for me was direct me toward writing about the war, and point out that I needed a real camera. I continued to read voraciously, taking in also the battlefield studies published by Civil War Times and American Heritage. The famed Civil War series by PBS and Ken Burns appeared in 1990 and, if anything, brought the conflict home to millions of Americans. Decades went by and I did write, first in pen, then in type, and finally via Word document, always while raising a family and pursuing a career. True to my degree, I became intensely aware of the effects of climate, topography, and vegetation on the vast canvas of the American continent, as well as the social and political factors that led to war.
The other revelation for me was, like the first, geographically related. I had devoured books on the battles and campaigns, but the number and quality of maps usually disappointed me. Without good maps to refer to, the exertions and courses of the armies were a bit meaningless and hard to string together. I struggled with ways to make my own maps, but usually met with disappointment. At somewhat of an impasse, I let the project go but never lost interest and always saved my documents. After a long career in transportation management in the metals industry, where my geographic knowledge was one key to success, I retired. For years I had also used my photographic skills on the side, documenting weddings, portraits, and events; now I only shoot for my own enjoyment.
Then technology began to work in my favor. I am indebted to the producers of the brilliant map making software, Ortelius, where I began to hone my mapping skills and apply them to the subject I loved. Moreover, the Internet had developed to the point where there was instant enlightenment (amid controversy) available. Blogs, stories, and even real history were on display without my having to leave my office seat. Books could be published, read, and discussed on devices unheard-of decades ago. More original maps were available than ever before. So, over the last four years I did final chapter revisions and completed my maps to accompany them. It was my goal to allow the reader to follow through on the paths of the armies as the chapters proceeded, and thereby increase their understanding of the what, where, when, and why. National, campaign, and battle maps were all needed and were produced for this benefit.
A note on sources: In my younger days I believe I read and stood on the shoulders of many of the greats: military histories by Bruce Catton, Shelby Foote, James B. McPherson, and Allan Nevins, and many others. We as historians are all indebted to their efforts. Biographers such as James R. Robertson, Lenoir Chambers, Lloyd Lewis, and David H. Donald supplied the character of the commanders. Over the years fine campaign books by authors such as Noah Trudeau, Wiley Sword, Glenn Tucker, Stephen Sears, and Stanley Horn have emerged and contributed to my knowledge. Ed Bearss and others have been a revelation. One particularly fine effort on the entire war is the Time-Life series. With the accumulation of sources on the Internet, the entire Official Records have become available to anyone who wishes to partake of them. I have tried to supply participants' chapter quotations for me to set the tone of the campaigns. Statistically, numbers and losses involved in campaigns and the orders of battle therein are now easily available. Along with Ortelius mapping software, shout out is due also to SmartDraw, allowing me to easily create organization charts to augment the text of major campaigns.
Of course, our receipt of knowledge never stops with the publication of any particular book, as our many readers and historians can attest. History is a fluid science constantly charting new pathways through the experiences of others. I recall that if we do not remember the unsettling past, we may be bound to repeat it. If my effort has drawn together some of what has been learned and made it succinct by allowing readers to see the appropriate maps in combination, it will all have been worthwhile.
Therefore, I offer “All Hell: America's Civil War - A Military History, Volume I: Beginnings”. Therein I present the narrative story of the campaigns, battles, and the naval war from December 1860 to October 1862. I've presented 101 hand drawn maps, keyed to the text throughout, plus 20 detailed campaign order of battle charts. I emphasize the effect of climate, vegetation, and topography upon the campaigns. My Prologue includes a detailed discussion of military tactics and organization, and the varied problems presented by disease, battle wounds, desertion, conscription, and the inevitable intrusion of politics. This volume will be followed by two more, Transitions and Endings.
Available in large format paperback: richardnewmanbooks.com
Available in E book form for larger iPads and computers, or read a sample at: http://books.apple.com/us/book/id6463947437
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