Distributed by the University of Nebraska Press for Caxton Press Like pages torn from the culinary history of The Old West, Sowbelly and Sourdough conjures up visions of mealtimes at chuck wagons in dusty cow camps.

In 1932, a farmer named George Washington Perry decided it was too rainy to plow and went fishing. That day, George landed the largest largemouth ever recorded—twenty-two pounds four ounces. The fish has inspired and frustrated hundreds of anglers for decades. They’ve dedicated their lives to the pursuit of “Sowbelly”—a nearly mythical fish, whose swinelike girth holds the key to their dreams. From an L.A. cop who came within ounces of besting the record to an Alabaman who has lost his marriage and his daughter to this pursuit, Burke takes readers along for the ride in this legendary race.

Americans should not be lifted immediately to a full state of political power. It was an attitude that typified the ambivalence of many white northerners toward the course of Reconstruction policy."--BOOK JACKET.

Caleb's War is a narrative about the tribulations of Sergeant Caleb Johnson, a farmer from the Shenandoah Valley who volunteered to serve in the Stonewall Brigade to stop the Yanks invading eastern Virginia. As Caleb fought at Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg, the reader will experience the gamut of emotions as he dealt with military and platoon issues and family concerns on the farm. The book is a plethora of information on the Civil War. The reader will learn about the filthy living conditions in camp, weapons, food preparation, diseases, generals, medicine, and terror and chaos of battle. A major theme throughout the book is the overpowering religious convictions of the soldiers, especially those from the South: reading the Bible, praying, and singing hymns such as "Amazing Grace" were common behaviors. Soldiers prayed before and during each battle imploring God to intervene on their behalf. Wounded warriors begged their Lord for forgiveness and end their agony and take them to his kingdom. The reader will gain a unique perspective of the battles as they first experience horrific happenings through the eyes of Sergeant Caleb Johnson, and then they join Union Private Josef Volzek and see what he perceived and underwent. The reader will be drawn into the story and feel what the soldiers endured: fear, bloodshed, smoke, terror, loss, noise, and chaos. Caleb's War is also a testimonial to all veterans. In the annals of warfare, there are no braver warriors than the men and several hundred women who served in the ranks of the Union and Confederacy during the Civil War; their courage and bravery is above reproach. Veterans are the men and women who answered our nation's call during a crisis. They remain a national treasure and merit our profoundest remembrance, respect, and support.

A handsome and critical addition to the library of every historian, genealogist, and Civil War buff, this rare two-volume set is the official record of Minnesota's participation in the Civil and Dakota Wars. Published in two parts in the 1890s and written by the men who fought in battle, Minnesota in the Civil and Indian Wars contains regimental rosters (names lists with ages, muster dates, transfers, and remarks) as well as detailed narratives describing the wartime service of each regiment, battery, battalion, and brigade--their marches, campaigns, battles, surrenders, wounded lists, furloughs, reenlistments, and return to Minnesota. Letters, telegrams, and descriptions related to the development of the Dakota War, including dispatches written from the field, offer a personal face to this wartime history. Included for the first time is a 144-page index to all the regimental rosters, making this an invaluable research tool. Together, these volumes are the essential reference for Minnesota's troops and their campaigns.

What began as an attempt to learn about the service of a family ancestor lost in the Civil War became an exciting journey following him through two decades and a half of some of the most critical years in Americas history. Irish Immigrant Peter Gregory Curry was one of the few soldiers who served his country in one of the Florida Seminole Wars, the Mexican War, Gold Rush California and finally the Civil War. His family had no memory or record of his extraordinary life of adventure which included hard Federal military service in 1840s Florida, front line combat in the Mexican War, being shot in the shoulder in a battle with California Indians during the Gold Rush, homesteading in frontier Illinois and finally dying as a Union officer in the Civil War. A haunting photo he had taken for his wife and children before he went off to his final war was the only trace of him that remained 150 years later. Using the Federal Archives in Washington D.C. specialized history libraries in California and Wisconsin and with significant help from amateur historians who form a unique Internet community, the author recovers Peter Currys remarkable life from his enlistment in New York City in 1840 to his 1863 military funeral in Civil War Arkansas.