Strange and Obscure Stories of the Civil War is an entertaining look at the Civil War stories that don’t get told, and the misadventures you haven’t read about in history books. Share in all the humorous and strange events that took place behind the scenes of some of the most famous Civil War moments. Picture a pedestal in a public park with no statue on top; Rowland’s book explains that when the … that when the members of the New York Monument Commission went to hire a sculptor to finish the statue, they were shocked to discover that there was no money left in the agency’s accounts to pay for the project. The money for the statue of Dan Sickles had been stolen—stolen by former monument committee chairman Dan Sickles!
Brig. Gen. Philip Kearny was the son of a New York tycoon who had helped found the New York Stock Exchange, and who groomed his boy to be a force on Wall Street. The younger Kearny decided his call was to be a force on the field of battle, so despite a law degree and an inheritance of better than $1 million, he joined the U.S. Army and studied cavalry tactics in France. His dashing figure in the saddle earned him the name of Kearny the Magnificent, probably because Kearny rode with a pistol in one hand and a sword in the other while holding the horse’s reins in his teeth. This habit proved useful after he lost his left arm in the Mexican War, because he was able to continue to wave his sword with all the menace to which he was accustomed while still guiding his horse.
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A good read for any Civil War history buff.
Still reading. Interesting parts of history we aren’t taught. It was tragic at times, witty at times, detailed, surprising,etc. A worth while read!
Little known facts about the Civil War.
Great fun facts and little stories about a sad time. a good read.
It was very good reading, shedding perhaps more light on some of the lesser or unknown stories/history of the Civil War. I liked it so much, I purchased another copy for one of my brothers, who is also a fan of things like this.
Superb book
The stories were obscure but not that strange or interesting
I grew up in South Carolina, and have read many books about the war. This is a collection of rarely heard episodes, and cleverly written to hold your interest.