Webb Garrison – författare

Think you know your Civil War History? No matter how well-versed you think you are in Civil War facts and trivia, this book will enlighten and entertain you with little-known details of one of the most important events in American history.Civil War Trivia and Fact Book is your ultimate resource for mastering the minutia of America’s War Between the States. Compiled by Civil War expert Webb Garrison, this book is packed with more than 2,000 fascinating facts about the war, its prelude, and its aftermath.This treasure trove of trivia and information includes:events that happened in both the North and South between 1861 and 1865the distinguished military and political leaders of the daykey issues that defined the Union and the Confederacyfamous first events of the war, and moreThis wealth of information is presented in simple question-and-answer format and is a perfect book for a history buff or someone interested in learning more about this historical and signature event in American history.

Why are spectacularly successful movies called blockbusters? Why does "putting your best foot forward" mean you hope to make a good impression? Why is rowdy and prankish behavior called horseplay and what does it have to do with the rarity of horses? Word Nerds Unite! shares 200 fascinating word meanings for fans of Wordle, Scrabble, and other word games.You've probably used words or phrases like these without giving them a second thought. But you'll be surprised and interested to discover the fascinating and sometimes curious origins to these fun sayings!In Word Nerds Unite! you'll find:200 quirky, interesting words, phrases, and colloquial termsBackstory for these colorful sayings still used todayHow some of our favorite expressions have evolved through the yearsYou'll discover such fascinating word and phrase origins for:handwriting on the wallplay for keepsraining cats and dogsbreak the icebull's eyeand many more!Word Nerds Unite! is perfect for word lovers, Wordle enthusiasts, homeschoolers, and anyone curious about the illuminating history of 200 words that pepper our everyday dialogue and how they gained contemporary use. Organized by subject, each chapter begins with a quote, an introductory paragraph, and a list of what you'll discover! This fun read is great for sharing with and gift-giving to the Word Nerd in your life--even you!

Are you a lover of language?Awaken your passion for words, and savor the sheer deliciousness of the things people say!Casual Lex holds the hidden pleasures found in our usage of words. This fresh edition of the classic Why You Say It will turn you on to the fascinating?and often surprising?stories behind everyday words and phrases. Experience Casual Lex and discover:The phrase hell on wheels comes from the early American practice of renting railway flatcars to create rolling casinos and brothels bound for the Wild West.Gibberish was the word coined by English villagers to describe the hard-to-understand dialects of certain bands of Gypsies.Gymnasium comes from the Greek word gymnos, which means "naked"?Greek athletes trained and competed in the nude.If your joy of language has been aroused, then many more surprises await you. After all, even the most formal users of our language can benefit from a little Casual Lex.

True stories of unusual happenings during the civil war. In 1861, Wilmer McLean, distressed that a cannon ball crashed through his home during the battle of Bull Run, moved to a farm where "the sound of battle would never again reach him and his family." Almost four years later, McLean's Appomattox Court House home was used for Lee's surrender to Grant. There wasn't damage from cannon balls, but souvenir-hunting Union officers left McLean's parlor bare of furniture.After the Confederacy was defeated, Jefferson Davis was stripped of his citizenship. He died as a man without a country. His citizenship was restored by Congress during the administration of Georgian Jimmy Carter.Three members of the Guillet family were killed while riding the same horse, which was then given to the Ohio Ninety-eighth regiment. Three officers were killed while riding the same horse. Lieutenant Milliner, the senior officer left on the field, then jumped on the jinxed horse. He escaped death, but suffered all his life from an arm shatterred by a minie ball while he was in the saddle.Civil War Curiosities uncovers those unusual persons, attitudes, and events that take you beyond a textbook understanding of the Civil War. A collection of  fascinating anecdotes and colorful stories, this book covers a wide variety of subjects, including "newfangled" weapons that changed the nature of war, the press' outrageous inaccuracy in covering the conflict, the phenomenon of "silent battles, " and various disguises, atrocities, and mix-ups.

More Civil War Curiosities contains strange but true stories from the four-year conflict that raged across a one-thousand-mile battle front with more than three million men in uniform. Anything could and often did happen. Webb Garrison recounts instances of friendly fire casualties, the unperfected art of spying, banishments and deportings, grisly tales of missing limbs, name changes for both people and ships, disguises that worked (and some that did not), and many "firsts" and "lasts."Fragging, or purposely killing a fellow soldier, was the probable cause of the death of Thomas Wilson, a tyrannical Federal general. He died in action at the battle of Baton Rouge when, according to one account, he was seized by a group of his own men who held him in front of a cannon before it was fired at the enemy.When Confederate Gen. Jubal Early marched on Frederick, Maryland, he offered not to torch the town for a payment of $200,000. It took the townspeople a day to borrow the money?and 87 years to pay it back. When Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, failed to raise a ransom of $500,000, Early's subordinate, Gen. John McCausland, burned the town to the ground.The arm of Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson was amputated when he was wounded at the battle of Chancellorsville. Following the operation, Jackson's corps chaplain gave the arm a respectful burial?complete with a gravestone?in his family's cemetery. When the general died a week later, the rest of him was buried in Lexington, Virginia.Hiram Ulysses Grant was mistakenly listed as Ulysses Simpson Grant by the congressman appointing him to West Point. Grant did not protest, and the name stayed with him all the way to the presidency of the United States.

Back in print!

The Civil War is most often described as one in which brother fought against brother. But the most devastating war fought on American soil was also one in which women demonstrated heroic deeds, selfless acts, and courage beyond measure. Women mobilized soup kitchens and relief societies. Women cared for wounded soldiers. Women were effective spies. And it is estimated that 300 women fought on the battlefields, usually disguised as men. The most fascinating Civil War women include:Harriet Tubman, a former slave, who led hundreds of fellow slaves to freedom on the Underground RailroadFour hundred women who were seized in Roswell, Georgia, deported to Indiana, and vanished without a traceBelle Boyd, the "Siren of the Shenandoah," who at the age of seventeen killed a Union soldier"Crazy" Elizabeth Van Lew, who deliberately fostered the impression that she was eccentric so that she could be an effective spy for the North"The poor fellow sprang from my hands and fell back quivering in the agonies of death. A bullet had passed between my body and the right arm which supported him, cutting through my sleeve and passing through his chest from shoulder to shoulder." ?Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross"We were all amused and disgusted at the sight of a thing that nothing but the debased and depraved Yankee nation could produce. [A woman] was dressed in the full uniform of a Federal surgeon. She was not good looking, and of course had tongue enough for a regiment of men." ?Captain Benedict J. Semmes, describing Mary Walker, M.D.

Here is a fascinating and humorous encyclopedia of more than three hundredwords and phrases and how they have taken on new meanings over time. It is aninformative reference book for the whole family. What's in a Word? is asequel to Garrison's popular Why You Say It. Indexed.

More than 100 true stories of comrade killing comrade:defective ammunitionaccidental shootingsblinding smokedeliberate fire upon comrademistaken uniformsinexperienced troopsunknown passwordsOn May 2, 1863, Stonewall Jackson was on the verge of the greatest victory of his career. Shortly before 10 P.M. he rode through the woods near Chancellorsville, Virginia, to find where the Federals had established their line. As he returned, his own men, in the noise and confusion, opened fire, woulding Jackson several times. One of the Civil War's first heroes died eight days later.Stonewall Jackson's death is but one example of Confederate killing Confederate or Yankee killing Yankee. No war was as intense and chaotic as the American Civil War. Author Webb Garrison has brought together Jackson's story and 150 other instances of friendly fire in this unique book that strips away the romanticism of the Civil War."[With] night setting in, it was difficult to distinguish friend from foe. Several of our own command were killed by our own friends." ?Ambrose Wright at Malvern Hill"I thought it better to kill a Union man or two than to lose the effect of my moral suasion." ?Union Officer Louis M. Goldsborough"Whilst in this position my regiment was shelled by our own artillery. The officer in command should be made to pay the penalty for this criminal conduct." ?Confederate Col. Edward Willis, speaking of a battle at Gettysburg"Seemingly not content with the speed that the enemy were slaughtering us, one of our own batteries commenced a heavy and destructive fire on us." ?Union Maj. Thomas S. Tate, speaking of Tupelo, Mississippi

Fifty-three fascinating tales introduce readers to the people, places, and events that shaped a nation and changed the world. Indexed and illustrated.

When the Civil War broke out, leaders on both sides had to develop strategies for fighting the conflict and considered almost any suggestion. This book chronicles some of the most intriguing and unusual plans devised by these leaders.