In this masterful portrait of life in Savannah before, during, and after the Civil War, prize-winning historian Jacqueline Jones transports readers to the balmy, raucous streets of that fabled Southern port city. Here is a subtle and rich social history that weaves together stories of the everyday lives of blacks and whites, rich and poor, men and women from all walks of life confronting the transformations that would alter their city forever. Deeply researched and vividly written, Saving Savannah is an invaluable contribution to our understanding of the Civil War years.
Savannah, Georgia was home to one of the most notable Civil War moments, naval battles, and has a deep Civil War past. Noted local filmmaker and author tells the stories of Savannah's deep engagement in the conflict. Union general William T. Sherman cemented Savannah's most notable Civil War connection when he ended his "March to the Sea" there in December 1864. However, more fascinating stories from the era lurk behind the city's ancient, moss-draped live oaks. A full-scale naval battle raged between ironclad warships just offshore. More than seven thousand prisoners were confined in the area surrounding Forsyth Park. And on March 21, 1861, the present-day Savannah Theatre was the site of one of the most inflammatory and controversial speeches of the entire war. Noted local filmmaker and author Michael Jordan delves deep into this fabled city's Civil War past.
In December 1864, Confederate and Union forces clashed in the Siege of Savannah. Using this guide you will tour the city's river defenses, witness the battered fortifications along the battle lines, and walk among the beautiful Southern homes, offices, and churches that survived it all. The 98 striking color photos and black and white historical views and maps enhance the experience. This useful guide is divided into four chapters. Two provide walking tours through the downtown area, including a narrative describing how events, people, and hardships of war affected the area. The other two are driving tours, allowing readers to retrace the city's defenses and the battle lines. Anyone fascinated by the Civil War or captivated by Savannah will need this book!
Black Savannah focuses upon efforts of African Americans, free and slave, who worked together to establish and maintain a variety of religious, social, and cultural institutions, to carve out niches in the larger economy, and to form cohesive black families in a key city of the Old South.
A richly illustrated, accessibly written book with a variety of perspectives on slavery, emancipation, and black life in Savannah from the city's founding to the early twentieth century. Written by leading historians of Savannah, Georgia, and the South, it includes a mix of thematic essays focusing on individual people, events, and places.
The "March to the Sea." It shocked Georgians from Atlanta to Savannah. In the late autumn of 1864, as General William Tecumseh Sherman's troops cut a four-week-long path of terror through Georgia, he accomplished his objective: to destroy civilian morale and with it their support for the Confederate cause. His actions elicited a passionate reaction. Sherman became the ruthless personification of evil, an arch-villain who made war on innocent women, children, and old men. But does the Savannah Campaign deserve the reputation it has been given? And was Sherman truly this brutal? In War and Ruin: William T. Sherman and the Savannah Campaign, Anne J. Bailey examines this event and investigates just how much truth is behind the popular historical notions. Bailey contends that the psychological horror rather than the actual physical damage-which was not as devastating as believed-led to the wilting of Southern morale. This dissolution of resolve helped lead to ultimate Confederate defeat as well as to the development of Sherman's infamous reputation. War and Ruin looks at the "March to the Sea" from its inception in Atlanta to its culmination in Savannah. This is a chronicle of not just the campaign itself, but also a revealing description of how the people of Georgia were affected. War and Ruin brilliantly combines military history and human interest to achieve a convincing portrayal of what really happened in Sherman's epic effort to smash Confederate spirit in Georgia.
The remarkable story of how an earthen fort defense shielded a Southern city from the ironclad monitors of the U.S. Navy Built out of sand and mud, Fort McAllister was designed to serve as the southern anchor of the coastal defenses of Savannah, Georgia. Hastily constructed near the beginning of the Civil War, the fort was situated on the Great Ogeechee River, twelve miles south of the Savannah River. During the war, Fort McAllister withstood devasting naval assaults and served well the aims of Confederate strategists. When the city fell to Union troops, it was General William T. Sherman's overland attack and not an assault from the sea that subdued Savannah. Roger S. Durham offers a comprehensive history of the Fort McAllister's construction and its use during the Civil War, as well as its post-war restoration. Durham intertwines historical narrative with first-person accounts and personal stories through the judicious use of primary sources. By letting the fort's Confederate defenders and Union attackers speak for themselves, Durham offers a compelling account of one of the most hotly contested sites in the naval struggle between Union and Confederate forces.
From the outset, the 1st Battalion Georgia Sharpshooters had problems. Much of the trouble lay in the organization of Civil War regiments and companies. Most companies in the early years of the war were made up of men from the same town or county. The concept of the sharpshooters was alien to this home-town tradition. Men were asked to leave the comfortable companionship of their neighbors and friends and go into a unit with people they had never met before. Despite its uncertain beginning, the battalion was molded into a fine unit by the skill and energy of its officers and non-commissioned officers. The sharpshooters early won the praise of higher-level commanders and inspecting officers. However, as the war dragged on, the battalion was reduced in numbers, morale, and efficiency. Notwithstanding its poor performance in the last months of its life, the unit has a high reputation that was well deserved. A Civil War veteran and historian called the sharpshooters "one of the best-drilled and most-efficient battalions in the service." This book objectively examines the organization, leadership, and performance of the sharpshooters, follows their wartime experiences, and devotes considerable attention to the individual soldiers. If the story of the 1st Battalion Georgia Sharpshooters has not been a well known story, it is now.
