William C. Davis

From just after the Louisiana Purchase through the War of 1812, privateers Jean and Pierre Laffite made life hell for Spanish merchants on the Gulf. Pirates to the U.S. Navy officers who chased them, heroes to the New Orleanians who shopped for contraban

The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf

The Pirates Laffite

Three Roads to the Alamo is the definitive book about the lives of David Crockett, James Bowie and William Barret Travis—the legendary frontiersmen and fighters who met their destiny at the Alamo in one of the most famous and tragic battles in American history—and about what really happened in that battle.

The Lives and Fortunes of David Crockett, James Bowie, and William Barret Travis

Three Roads to the Alamo

The Natchez Trace and the Civilization of the Southern Frontier

A Way Through the Wilderness

A study of the final days of the Confederacy at the end of the Civil War focuses on two men--Jefferson Davis, the autocratic president of the Confederate States, and his affable, practical Secretary of War, General John C. Breckinridge--who played key roles in the Confederate government. Reprint. 50,000 first printing.

The Last Days of the Confederate Government

An Honorable Defeat

On March 9, 1862, an epic naval encounter in Hampton Roads, Virginia, changed the face Of warfare on the water for all time, The Monitor met the Virginia (Merrimack) and their story entered the realm of history and legend. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.

Duel Between the First Ironclads

C. William Davis

Madison Lynn Devereax, his pretty blonde psychic friend, had warned him. “A storm is coming and it's coming at you.” For over a year and a half, Sheriff Clive Aliston believed it wasn't over. The “Forever Man” murders had come to a close, but for Clive the shadows that remained followed him every moment. A national disaster had devastated the country and interrupted life. Now the country was coming back together, but so were those shadows. A sporting goods store robbery had seemed routine until that cryptic one word message, “Forever,” was discovered on the store wall. What Clive would face now made the previous murder spree seem like child's play. It was the beginning of a war that would become very personal. What he faced now was a phantom, a chameleon that changed color with each twist and turn. The storm that was coming was a dark vortex that could very easily suck the life from anyone who stood in its way. Sheriff Clive Aliston was about to meet a monster. He was about to begin a life and death struggle with “The Ticket Master.”

Return of the Forever Man

The Ticket Master

Brian C. Pohanka

Don Troiani

Based on the History Channel documentary series. How the Civil War sparked profound changes in slavery, immigration, women’s roles, journalism, and more. “In many arenas, the Civil War changed things both in military and civilian life,” William C. Davis observes. “The roles in society of women and minorities were altered drastically. Advancements in medicine and technology exerted a profound impact on the future. Industry burgeoned. The reporting of news entered the modern era with the photograph. Culture changed as the complexion of Americans evolved and as war’s wounds imposed lasting divisions upon our society. It ensured at once that future wars would be more terrible, and yet we would be equipped to cope with that terror to come. These are the legacies of the war covered in this volume.” Civil War Journal: The Legacies is the third volume of a three-volume treatment of the Civil War developed from the popular History Channel series Civil War Journal. Drawing on personal letters, diaries, and newspaper reports, these volumes focus on seldom-told stories of people, places, and events that bring to life the heroic intensity of the Civil War. They portray the human side of the conflict that is frequently overlooked in recounting troop movements and engagements.

The Legacies

Civil War Journal

Among the most misunderstood, Davis contends, was Jefferson Davis. Often branded as enigmatic and incompetent, the Confederate president was simply a decent and committed leader whose mistakes were magnified by the war's extraordinary demands. Davis scrutinizes Jefferson Davis' relationship with his generals--most of whom were unproved talents or cronies with proven deficiencies--and reveals why only Robert E. Lee succeeded in winning Davis' confidence through flattery, persuasion, and a sense of responsibility. He also examines the myths and memories of the nearly deified Stonewall Jackson and of John C. Breckinridge, the only effective Confederate secretary of war.

Myths and Realities of the Confederacy

The Cause Lost

The little-known story of the West Florida Revolt: “One rollicking good book.” —Jay Winik When Britain ceded the territory of West Florida—what is now Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida—to Spain in 1783, America was still too young to confidently fight in one of Europe’s endless territorial contests. So it was left to the settlers, bristling at Spanish misrule, to establish a foothold in the area. Enter the Kemper brothers, whose vigilante justice culminated in a small band of American residents drafting a constitution and establishing a new government. By the time President Madison sent troops to occupy the territory, assert US authority under the Louisiana Purchase, and restore order, West Florida’s settlers had already announced their independence, becoming our country’s shortest-lived rogue “republic.” Meticulously researched and populated with some of American history’s most colorful and little-known characters, this is the story of a young country testing its power on the global stage, as well as an examination of how the frontier spirit came to define the nation’s character. The Rogue Republic shows how hardscrabble frontiersmen and gentleman farmers planted the seeds of civil war, marked the dawn of Manifest Destiny, and laid the groundwork for the American empire. “A significant study of an obscure but highly revealing moment in American history . . . Not only does Davis cast a bright light into these murky corners of our national past, he does so with a grace and clarity equal to the best historical writing today.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review “A well-documented account of ‘America’s second and smallest rebellion,’ led by a simple storekeeper named Reuben Kemper . . . Davis tells this story with nuance and panache.” —Publishers Weekly

How Would-Be Patriots Waged the Shortest Revolution in American History

The Rogue Republic

James I. RobertsonJr.

Although nine of the former British colonies joined the United States before Virginia, the fate of the new republic depended heavily on the Commonwealth. With four of the first five American presidents, and many other founding fathers and framers of the Constitution, calling Virginia their home, the roots of American democracy are firmly planted within the borders of the Old Dominion. Similarly, several Southern states preceded Virginia in seceding from the Union, but until Virginia joined them in April 1861, the Confederacy lacked cohesion. Richmond was immediately named the capital of the fledgling nation, and by the end of spring, Virginia had become the primary political and military theater in which the grand tragedy of the Civil War was enacted. Virginia at War, 1861, edited by acclaimed historians William C. Davis and James I. Robertson Jr., vividly portrays the process of secession, the early phases of conflict, and the struggles of Virginians to weather the brutal storms of war. Virginia at War, 1861 is the first in a series of volumes on each of Virginia’s five years as a Confederate state. Essays by eight noted Civil War scholars provide a three-dimensional view of Virginians’ experiences during the first year of the War Between the States. In addition to recounting the remarkable military events taking place in Virginia in 1861, this collection examines a civilian population braced for war but divided on crucial questions, an economy pressed to cope with the demands of combat, and a culture that strained to reconcile its proud heritage with its uncertain future. In 1861, the outcome of the Civil War was far from determined, but for Virginians there was little doubt that the war experience would alter nearly everything they had known before the outbreak of hostilities. In exacting detail, Virginia at War, 1861 examines the earliest challenges of the Civil War, the changes war wrought, and the ways in which Virginians withstood and adapted to this profound, irrevocable upheaval.

Virginia at War, 1861

Tells the story of the relationship between Abraham Lincoln and his Union soldiers

How President Lincoln Became Father to an Army and a Nation

Lincoln's Men

Examines the social and cultural history of the Alabama/Mississippi frontier using the Natchez Trace Indian trail as the pathway

Rhett first raised the possibility of secession in 1826, well before Calhoun adopted the notion, and would ever after hold fast to his one great idea. In this examination of Rhett's personal and political endeavors, Davis draws upon many newly found sources to reveal the extremism that would make and mar Rhett's adult life."--BOOK JACKET.

The Turbulent Life and Times of a Fire-eater

Rhett

Two great, untested armies were readying for the first—and what many believed would be the last—major conflict between North and South. On the eve of July 21, 1861, one Northerner wrote: “The sky is perfectly clear, the moon is full and bright, and the air was still as if it were not within a few hours to be disturbed by the roar of cannon and the shouts of contending men.” So optimistic were the people in Washington that a crowd of civilians came from the city with picnic hampers to witness the crushing defeat of the upstart “rebels.” It was, says William C. Davis, “the twilight of America’s innocence,” and the following day the mood would shatter in a battle that confounded the expectations of both sides—the first Battle at Bull Run. William C. Davis has written a compelling and complete account of this landmark conflict. The Battle at Bull Run (or Manassas) is notable for many reasons. It was a surprise victory for the Confederacy, a humiliating defeat for the Union, and the first ominous indication that a long and bloody war was inevitable. It marked the first strategic use of railroads in history, and the first time the horrors of the battle were photographed for the folks back home. It was also a training ground for some of America’s most colorful military figures: P.G.T. Beauregard, Joe Johnston, Irvin McDowell and “Stonewall” Jackson. Drawing from a wealth of material—old letters, journals, memoirs and military records—Davis brings to life a vivid and vital chapter in American history.

A History of the First Major Campaign of the Civil War

Battle at Bull Run

Chronicling four decisive months in 1861, the unique story of the birth of a nation within a nation examines the leaders of the Confederacy--from those who wanted war to those who wanted reconciliation--and their struggle to form a southern nation.

The Making of the Confederacy

A Government of Our Own

James I. Robertson

The fascinating third book in the Virginia at War series focuses on the Virginia experience at mid-conflict. The collection provides a comprehensive overview of the conflict's impact on children, religion, and newly freed slaves. Also included are essays that probe the South's view of Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War careers of the Hatfields and the McCoys. The 1863 installment of Judith Brockenbrough McGuire's valuable Diary of a Southern Refugee during the War rounds out the collection.

Virginia at War, 1863

Meredith L. Swentor-Barwick

Diaries by Kentucky Rebels are a rarity; the soldiers, cut off from their homes and families in the Union Bluegrass, were themselves atypical. In this massive and eloquent journal, Captain Edward O. Guerrant evocatively portrays his unusual wartime experiences attached to the headquarters of Confederate generals Humphrey Marshall, William Preston, George Cosby, and, most notably, John Hunt Morgan. Able to see the inner workings of campaigns in the little-known Appalachian region of eastern Kentucky, southwestern Virginia, and east Tennessee, where some of the most vicious small-scale fighting occurred, Guerrant made scrupulous daily entries remarking upon virtually everything around him.

The Headquarters Diary of Edward O. Guerrant

Bluegrass Confederate

Vintage and color photography, quotes from the soldiers who fought, and a running commentary by historian William C. Davis focus on the real experience of the Civil War.

The Lives and Experiences of the Men Who Fought the Civil War--In Their Own Words

Brothers in Arms

For four crucial months in 1861, delegates from all over the South met in Montgomery, Alabama, to establish a new nation. Davis (Jefferson Davis: The Man and the Hour, LJ 11/15/91) tells their story in this new work, another example of Davis's fine storytelling skill and an indispensable guide to understanding the formation of the Confederate government. Among the issues Davis examines are revising the Constitution to meet Southern needs, banning the importation of slaves, and determining whether the convention could be considered a congress. Also revealed are the many participating personalities, their ambitions and egos, politicking and lobbying for the presidency of the new nation, and the nature of the city of Montgomery itself.

William C. Davis

Books

Your next favorite book is out there