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Loading... Lights and Shadows of Army Life: From Bull Run to Bentonville (edition 1997)by William B Westervelt (Author), George Maharary (Editor)Lights and Shadows of Army Life, is an edited version of William Westervelt's time in both the Army of the Potomac and later in Sherman's Army during the final two years of the war. His memoirs provide an in-depth look into the daily life of a northern soldier, as well as the part that he, and his regiments played in major engagements. The weakness in the book is with the editing. George Maharay has chopped the manuscript into over 30 chapters,each only a few pages each. He provides a background into the events of the chapter along with a "Highlights" section. Why anyone would need a highlights section when there are only 3 or 4 pages of text is befuddling. The text ruins the flow of the actual manuscript, and most of what Maharay writes could simply have been added as footnotes. Additionally there are some significant errors in the book, including the date of General John Sedgwick's death and identifying incorrect army leaders. I would suggest any who read this book, to concentrate on Westervelt's words and skip the added information. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)973.7History and Geography North America United States Administration of Abraham Lincoln, 1861-1865 Civil WarLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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The weakness in the book is with the editing. George Maharay has chopped the manuscript into over 30 chapters,each only a few pages each. He provides a background into the events of the chapter along with a "Highlights" section. Why anyone would need a highlights section when there are only 3 or 4 pages of text is befuddling. The text ruins the flow of the actual manuscript, and most of what Maharay writes could simply have been added as footnotes.
Additionally there are some significant errors in the book, including the date of General John Sedgwick's death and identifying incorrect army leaders.
I would suggest any who read this book, to concentrate on Westervelt's words and skip the added information. ( )