Kenneth C. Davis's Blog, page 122
April 14, 2010
A Nation Rising: A Video Q&A with Author Kenneth C. Davis
With the publication of A NATION RISING (Smithsonian/HarperCollins) on May 11th, bestselling author Kenneth C. Davis answers some questions about his career and new book.
Advance Praise for A NATION RISING–
"With his special gift for revealing the significance of neglected historical characters, Kenneth Davis creates a multilayered, haunting narrative. Peeling back the veneer of self-serving nineteenth-century patriotism, Davis evokes the raw and violent spirit not just of an 'expanding...
April 9, 2010
Ghosts of Confederates Past
On April 9, 1865, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered his army to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House in Virginia.
After four years of Civil War, with his Army of Northern Virginia practically starving and reeling under the onslaught of Union pressure from Grant's superior forces, Robert E. Lee had to contemplate the inevitable –surrender. On the evening of April 8, after a last-ditch attempt at breaking through Union lines failed, Lee was told that his army could n...
April 8, 2010
The Power of the Press: My Lai and Seymour Hersh
A few weeks ago, I wrote about the anniversary of the American attack on My Lai during the Vietnam war. Today April 8, is the birthday of the journalist who broke that story, Seymour Hersh. In his honor, I want to remind you of My Lai and what one of the great journalists of our lifetime has accomplished.
On March 16, 1968, in a small Vietnamese village, "something dark and bloody" took place.
On November 12, 1969, journalist Seymour Hersh broke the story of the massacre in My Lai during...
April 7, 2010
Today in History-Shiloh: "The slaughter on both sides is immense."
In the Bible, "Shiloh" meant "place of peace."
That word took a whole new terrible meaning on April 7, 1862, when Union forces led by Gen. Ulysses S. Grant defeated the Confederates at the Battle of Shiloh in Tennessee, near Corinth. Coming nearly one year after the Civil War began with the bombardment of Fort Sumter, the battle was the most horrific and costly of the war to that point.
In a report on the battle two days later, the New York Times account said,
The slaughter on both sides is...
