Book Recommendations

[c.d.]

I am halfway through "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen and enjoying it very much.

It either was or is number one on the New York Times bestseller list and has 1,337 reviews on amazon.com.

c.d.

[Celesta]

Jeff, Rev, Dougie, et al,

I've been reading The Mysterious Private Thompson: The Double Life of Sarah Emma Edmonds, Civil War Soldier by Laura Leedy Gansler.

May not be of interest to some, but it's an interesting book, thus far. I didn't know there were as many women in the army as there were. The exact number is unknown, but the estimate is between 250-500. There were some who didn't bother to disguise themselves in any way while others pretended to be men. Some wanted to stay with their husbands, others did it for the army salary, others refused to stay home and let the men do all the fighting. Single women weren't allowed.

[Mayerling]

Though over the years there has been a deviation in spelling and my family remained around Ireland and the UK. A distant relative of mine was one Michael O'Laughlin. A convicted accomplice of Mr Booth.

I am not as protective of him.

Peter O'Loughlin

Hi Peter,

Michael was captured along with Samuel Arnold because they were part of the conspiracty to kidnap President Lincoln (which Booth held onto until early April 1865, when he switched to homicide). There was, I believe, an attempt to make Michael the would-be assassin of General Grant (who was on a train for Burlington, New Jersey on the night of April 14-15, 1865) with his wife Julia. Most historians dismiss this. Michael was found guilty of conspiracy, and sentenced (with Sam Arnold) to life imprisonment. He died during the yellow fever epidemic of 1867 at Fort Jefferson military prison in Dry Tortugas.
Pity because if he had lived he with Arnold, Dr. Mudd, and Ned Spangler would have been pardoned by Andrew Johnson and released.

Michael knew Booth because they were boyhood pals (as was Sam Arnold).
Arnold, by the way, died in 1906.

Best wishes,

Jeff

[plang]

Dougie, some of us still read books, thus the more educated we become, the better chance there is of averting disaster.
The internet cannot be a substitute for books.
I'll bet the last book M. Savage read was something like 'The Cat in the Hat'.

[dougie]

Plang,
Id say that your last comment is questionable......

[plang]

Yes Dougie, we do. The more educated we become, the less chance there is of history repeating itself.

[dougie]

The American Civil War has nothing to be proud of. Just think about that.

Jack the ripper had nothing to be proud of either....but people still read books about him
regards

[plang]

The American Civil War has nothing to be proud of. Just think about that.

[dougie]

http://www.usgennet.org/usa/topic/letters/djm

For anyone interested in civil war memoirs there are a host of memoirs,journals diaries free here...some interesting stuff.
regards

[revpetero]

Funnily Enough......

Though over the years there has been a deviation in spelling and my family remained around Ireland and the UK. A distant relative of mine was one Michael O'Laughlin. A convicted accomplice of Mr Booth.

I am not as protective of him.

Peter O'Loughlin

[c.d.]

In keeping with the Civil War theme, you might appreciate this story. I grew up in Pennsylvania which was solidy for the Union in the Civil War. I remember when I was eleven years old we were studying the war in school. Naturally the South was portrayed as evil and the instigator of the war.The teacher started bad mouthing Robert E. Lee when a quiet little mousey girl stood up and told the teacher that she was somehow related to Lee and if the teacher didn't retract her statements, she would kick her ass right there. The teacher backed down and retracted her remarks. I was shocked. I guess even then old feelings ran deep.

c.d.

[dougie]

First Blood by David Morrell - 1972.
This is where all the Rambo stuff started, an absolutely gripping adventure.
Makes the movies look like sh**!
plang

The movies WERE sh**

regards

[plang]

First Blood by David Morrell - 1972.
This is where all the Rambo stuff started, an absolutely gripping adventure.
Makes the movies look like sh**!
plang

[Sam Flynn]

"I love what makes people like Stalin tick."

Death-watch beetles, probably.

LOL! Nice one, Graham

[Graham]

I am currently reading "Young Stalin" by Simon Sebag Montefiore.

Very interesting read. I love what makes people like Stalin tick.

Peter

Death-watch beetles, probably.

Graham