Decapitating The Union

"This comprehensive re-examination of the facts seeks to correct major and minor errors in the record, reconcile differences of opinion, offer explanations for unknowns and evaluate theories. The conspiracy theory is rejected in favor of the theory that Booth worked with the complicity of the highest levels of the Confederate Government and its Secret Service Bureau"--

More than a hundred books have been written about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, yet one of the few certainties about his death is that little about it is certain. The literature on the subject is replete with errors, theories and guesswork. This comprehensive work on the assassination and on the attempted assassination of other Northern leaders (Secretary of State William H. Seward; Vice President Andrew Johnson; Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton; and Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant), in the closing days of the American Civil War, seeks to correct major and minor errors in the record, reconcile differences of opinion of historians and scholars, offer explanations for great unknowns and make sense of conspiracy theories. After a Foreword by the renowned historian, Joan L. Chaconas, it begins with the background of the regional conflict that tore the nation apart, threats and assassination attempts against Lincoln, black flag warfare, the Wistar and Dahlgren-Kilpatrick Raids on Richmond and the Confederate response thereto, and it ends with the incarceration, trial and sentencing of the assassin's action team (except for John H. Surratt, who would be tried separately in 1867, and except that one of those tried was not really a member of Booth's team) and an in-depth analysis of conspiracy. The author rejects the simple conspiracy theory and affirms the Tidwell, Hall and Gaddy thesis of the complicity of the highest levels of the Confederate government and its Secret Service Bureau, including the operatives in Canada, whose twofold purpose was retribution against those whom it considered responsible for bringing the curtain of history down on their peculiar institution, as well as for all the consequential military, social, economic and political calamities that had befallen the South, and snatching independence from the jaws of a toothless and chaotic government. In between are chapters on the underground mosaic; Booth and his co-conspirators; the great kidnapping myth that concealed the planned decapitation of the United States government; the setting for assassination; riddles, conundrums, enigmas and mysteries relating to key players in the drama (Francis P.Burke, John F. Parker, Charles Forbes and Silas T.Cobb); carnage in the presidential box; Booth's descent to the stage, declamations, broken leg, exit and escape; attempted decapitation of the government; the death of the President; Edman Spangler's innocence; the pursuit of the fugitives; and the death of Booth.The author makes use of hundreds of sources--books, periodicals, newspapers and much more--to justify his conclusions and to give greater cohesion to the record of the events of April 14, 1865. The book has received dozens of reviews. Among them:1. "...a must read for Civil War historians and enthusiasts."--William John Shepherd, America's Civil War.2. "Everyone should have this one on their Lincoln bookshelf."--Joan Chaconas, The Surratt Society3. "I found every page an adventure. You cannot come to a decision on who ordered the assassination without reading this book."--Joseph Truglio, Civil War News4. "...probably the best (book) on the market on the American Civil War."--Amazon Customer5. "...very strongly recommended..."--Michael J. Carson, Midwest Book Review6. "A brilliant contribution..."--Frederick Hatch, author of Protecting President Lincoln and other works7. "Long overdue. John Fazio's lucid narrative puts Booth's plan to decapitate the Union front and center...Decapitating the Union is both educational and entertaining...Give it five stars."--Edward Steers, Jr., author of Blood on the Moon and other works8. "If you enjoyed Ed Steers's Blood on the Moon, you must read Decapitating the Union..."--Howard G. Anders, Jr.

The first book to explicitly name white supremacy as the motivation for Lincoln's assassination, America's Original Sin is an important and eloquent look at one of the most notorious episodes in American history.

This is the first book in English to provide a truly comprehensive view of Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso ), a major guerilla movement in Peru. Sendero 's Maoist principles first begin in the 1960s with a small band of supporters and no attention from the outside world, but later emerged as the most radical and dogmatic expression of Marxist revolution in the Hemisphere .

This Omnibus E-Book brings together all three of Colin A. Palmer's books on the making of the modern Caribbean. Included are: Freedom's Children: The 1938 Labor Rebellion and the Birth of Modern Jamaica This is the first comprehensive history of Jamaica's watershed 1938 labor rebellion and its aftermath. The rebellion produced two rival leaders who dominated the political life of the colony through the achievement of independence in 1962. Alexander Bustamante, a moneylender, founded the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union and its progeny, the Jamaica Labour Party. Norman Manley, an eminent barrister, led the struggle for self-government and with others established the People's National Party. Palmer sheds new light on the nature of Bustamante's collaboration with the imperial regime, the rise of the trade-union movement, the struggle for constitutional change, and the emergence of party politics in a modernizing Jamaica. Cheddi Jagan and the Politics of Power: British Guiana's Struggle for Independence Palmer here tells the story of British Guiana's struggle for independence. The work details the rise and fall of Cheddi Jagan--from his initial electoral victory in the spring of 1953 to the aftermath of the British-orchestrated coup d'etat that led to the suspension of the constitution and the removal of Jagan's independence-minded administration. Bringing the larger story of Caribbean colonialism into view, this work shows how violence, police corruption, political chicanery, racial politics, and poor leadership delayed Guyana's independence until 1966, scarring the body politic in the process. Eric Williams and the Making of the Modern Caribbean In this first scholarly assessment of Williams (1911-1981), founder of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago's first modern political party and the nation's first prime minister, Palmer explores his life as a scholar and politician and his tremendous influence on the historiography and politics of the Caribbean. Palmer focuses especially on a 14-year period of independence struggles in the Anglophone Caribbean, when Williams helped resolve regional disputes and promoted the creation of a pan-Caribbean federation.

Salmon gillnetting in the turbulent waters of the Fraser River at the turn of the last century was dangerous, back-breaking work. Skiffs were equipped with a single sail, but most maneuvering had to be accomplished by oars, an almost impossible task against any current or tide. Once towed to the grounds by a cannery tug, the fishermen were on their own for at least twelve hours, casting their 400-metre long nets out and pulling them back by hand. Their only shelter was a partial tent over the bow. Many came to grief on dark, windy nights as they blew out of the main channel to the mudflats of the estuary, or worse, the open waters of the Strait of Georgia. When the powerful Fraser River Canners’ Association fixed the maximum price per salmon at 15 cents, fishermen united in their determination to win a decent living. Their strike shut down British Columbia’s second-largest export industry and effectively resulted in the imposition of martial law as the canners, frustrated by political deadlock in Victoria, called out the militia without government assent to achieve their ends. The strike has long been understood as a watershed moment in the province’s industrial history. In this revealing chronicle, Geoff Meggs shows it was even more than that. Other strikes in that era may have lasted longer, many were more violent, but none drew such diverse groups—Indigenous, Japanese, white—into an uneasy, short-term but effective coalition. While united by the common goal of economic equality, strikers were divided by forceful social pressures: First Nations fishermen wished to assert their Indigenous rights; Japanese fishermen, having fled poverty in their homeland, were seeking equality and opportunity in a new country; white fishermen were angered by the greed of the tiny clique of wealthy Vancouver industrialists who controlled the salmon industry. This maelstrom came together in Steveston, a ramshackle clapboard and cedar shake cannery boom town that blossomed into one of the province’s largest cities for a few hectic months each summer. In this compelling account, told with journalistic flair and vivid detail, Meggs leaves no room for doubt: this event marked BC’s turn into the modern era, with lessons about inequality, racism, immigration and economic power that remain relevant today.

This book debunks popular myths and misconceptions about the American Civil War through primary source documents and shows how misinformation can become so widespread. The American Civil War deeply divided the nation and was a pivotal point in American history. The acrimony and bitterness of this four-year struggle, coupled with its importance to the fabric of American life, has resulted in the development and perpetuation of many myths about the conflict. This work separates myth from reality. The author examines 10 popular myths about the war, each of which is examined in terms of its origins and how it became ensconced in the American memory. It uses primary sources to explain the evolution of the myths and to inform the reader about what really happened, providing a unique quality to this work. Moreover, the book not only explains the flaws in the myth but encourages the reader to further investigate each of the topics.

The true story of one man's reluctant but relentless war against the invaders of his country.A quiet, wealthy plantation owner, Jack Hinson watched the start of the Civil War with disinterest. Opposed to secession and a friend to Union and Confederate commanders alike, he did not want a war. After Union soldiers seized and murdered his sons, placing their decapitated heads on the gateposts of his estate, Hinson could remain indifferent no longer. He commissioned a special rifle for long-range accuracy, he took to the woods, and he set out for revenge. This remarkable biography presents the story of Jack Hinson, a lone Confederate sniper who, at the age of 57, waged a personal war on Grant's army and navy. The result of 15 years of scholarship, this meticulously researched and beautifully written work is the only account of Hinson's life ever recorded and involves an unbelievable cast of characters, including the Earp brothers, Jesse James, and Nathan Bedford Forrest.