Baseball In Blue And Gray

During the Civil War, Americans from homefront to battlefront played baseball as never before. While soldiers slaughtered each other over the country's fate, players and fans struggled over the form of the national pastime. George Kirsch gives us a color commentary of the growth and transformation of baseball during the Civil War. He shows that the game was a vital part of the lives of many a soldier and civilian--and that baseball's popularity had everything to do with surging American nationalism. By 1860, baseball was poised to emerge as the American sport. Clubs in northeastern and a few southern cities played various forms of the game. Newspapers published statistics, and governing bodies set rules. But the Civil War years proved crucial in securing the game's place in the American heart. Soldiers with bats in their rucksacks spread baseball to training camps, war prisons, and even front lines. As nationalist fervor heightened, baseball became patriotic. Fans honored it with the title of national pastime. War metaphors were commonplace in sports reporting, and charity games were scheduled. Decades later, Union general Abner Doubleday would be credited (wrongly) with baseball's invention. The Civil War period also saw key developments in the sport itself, including the spread of the New York-style of play, the advent of revised pitching rules, and the growth of commercialism. Kirsch recounts vivid stories of great players and describes soldiers playing ball to relieve boredom. He introduces entrepreneurs who preached the gospel of baseball, boosted female attendance, and found new ways to make money. We witness bitterly contested championships that enthralled whole cities. We watch African Americans embracing baseball despite official exclusion. And we see legends spring from the pens of early sportswriters. Rich with anecdotes and surprising facts, this narrative of baseball's coming-of-age reveals the remarkable extent to which America's national pastime is bound up with the country's defining event.

The life and times of the extraordinary Octavius Catto, and the first civil rights movement in America.

This history of America’s pastime describes the evolution of baseball from early bat and ball games to its growth and acceptance in different regions of the country. Such New York clubs as the Atlantics, Excelsiors and Mutuals are a primary focus, serving as examples of how the sport became more sophisticated and popular. The author compares theories about many of baseball’s “inventors,” exploring the often fascinating stories of several of baseball’s oldest founding myths. The impact of the Civil War on the sport is discussed and baseball’s unsteady path to becoming America’s national game is analyzed at length.

This collection contains the greatest western stories such as Riders of the Purple Sage, The Last Trail, The Mysterious Rider, The Border Legion, Desert Gold, The Last of the Plainsmen and many more. The edition also includes historical novels such as "Betty Zane" (a historical novel about Elizabeth "Betty" Zane McLaughlin Clark - a heroine of the Revolutionary War on the American frontier), "The Day of the Beast" (the story from World War I) and many other historical novels. You will find here are the exciting adventure novels such as "Ken Ward in the Jungle", "The UP Trail", "The Young Lion Hunter" and many more. The collection as well contains numerous baseball and fishing stories since the author Zane Grey vas very passionate about these sports. Table of Contents: Betty Zane The Spirit of the Border: A Romance of the Early Settlers in the Ohio Valley The Last of the Plainsmen The Last Trail The Short Stop The Heritage of the Desert The Young Forester The Young Pitcher The Young Lion Hunter Riders of the Purple Sage Ken Ward in the Jungle Desert Gold The Light of the Western Stars The Rustlers of Pecos County The Lone Star Ranger Rainbow Trail The Border Legion Wildfire The UP Trail The Desert of Wheat Tales of Fishes The Man of the Forest The Mysterious Rider To the Last Man The Day of the Beast Tales of Lonely Trails Wanderer of the Wasteland Tappan's Burro The Call of the Canyon Roping Lions in the Grand Canyon The Thundering Herd The Vanishing American Under the Tonto Rim Tales of the Angler's Eldorado, New Zealand Forlorn River Nevada Sunset Pass Arizona Ames The Drift Fence The Hash Knife Outfit The Code of the West Thunder Mountain The Trail Driver The Wilderness Trek Arizona Clan Raiders of Spanish Peaks ...

This carefully crafted ebook: "ZANE GREY Ultimate Collection: Historical Novels, Western Classics, Adventure Tales & Baseball Stories (60+ Titles in One Volume)" is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents. This collection contains the greatest western stories such as Riders of the Purple Sage, The Last Trail, The Mysterious Rider, The Border Legion, Desert Gold, The Last of the Plainsmen and many more. The edition also includes historical novels such as "Betty Zane" (a historical novel about Elizabeth "Betty" Zane McLaughlin Clark - a heroine of the Revolutionary War on the American frontier), "The Day of the Beast" (the story from World War I) and many other historical novels. You will find here are the exciting adventure novels such as "Ken Ward in the Jungle", "The UP Trail", "The Young Lion Hunter" and many more. The collection as well contains numerous baseball and fishing stories since the author Zane Grey vas very passionate about these sports. Table of Contents: Betty Zane The Spirit of the Border: A Romance of the Early Settlers in the Ohio Valley The Last of the Plainsmen The Last Trail The Short Stop The Heritage of the Desert The Young Forester The Young Pitcher The Young Lion Hunter Riders of the Purple Sage Ken Ward in the Jungle Desert Gold The Light of the Western Stars The Rustlers of Pecos County The Lone Star Ranger Rainbow Trail The Border Legion Wildfire The UP Trail The Desert of Wheat Tales of Fishes The Man of the Forest The Mysterious Rider To the Last Man The Day of the Beast Tales of Lonely Trails Wanderer of the Wasteland Tappan's Burro The Call of the Canyon Roping Lions in the Grand Canyon The Thundering Herd The Vanishing American Under the Tonto Rim Tales of the Angler's Eldorado, New Zealand Forlorn River Nevada Sunset Pass Arizona Ames The Drift Fence The Hash Knife Outfit The Code of the West Thunder Mountain The Trail Driver The Wilderness Trek Arizona Clan and many more