The Oxford Dictionary of Civil War Quotations

by John D. Wright

A definitive book of quotations with comments not only from generals (such as General Sherman's "War is hell,") and presidents (Lincoln's description of army recruitment/retention as "trying to shovel fleas. You take up a shovelful, but before you can dump them anywhere, they are gone,") but also from ordinary soldiers (Sam R. Watkins' "A private soldier is but an automator, a machine that works by the command of a good, bad, or indifferent engineer, and is presumed to know nothing of all these great events,") and quotes from businessmen, wives and daughters (such as Southerner Sarah Morgan's comment about Northern newspapers "There must be many humane, reasonable men in the North, can they not teach their Editors decency in this their hour of triumph") nurses, African Americans (both enslaved and free, such as John S. Rock, a lawyer in Boston), foreign observers (such as William Howard Russell), and many others, this work will also include more contextual information than other
books of Civil War quotations.
Organized by topic and collecting quotations from people from different classes and with different perspectives on the conflict, The Oxford Book of Civil War Quotations should engage the casual reader as well as be an essential volume for the library of Civil War buffs. Thirty-five halftones will illustrate selected topics and individuals.

464 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2006

About the author

John D. Wright is an American author and editor living in England. He has been a reporter in London for Time and People magazines, covering such subjects as politics and crime. He is the author of several history books, including The Oxford Dictionary of Civil War Quotations and The Routledge Encyclopedia of Civil War Era Biographies. Among his other books are Crime Investigation and Unsolved Crimes. He holds the Ph.D. degree in Communications from the University of Texas and has taught writing at three universities.

Reviews

[TheHenry Blank · Rating 1 out of 5]

A book filled with ambiguous quotations, taken from obscure characters from the Civil War period. What was the point ?