The Reluctant Rebel

After the feverish mobilization of secession had faded, why did Southern men join the Confederate army? Kenneth Noe examines the motives and subsequent performance of "later enlisters." He offers a nuanced view of men who have often been cast as less patriotic and less committed to the cause, rekindling the debate over who these later enlistees were, why they joined, and why they stayed and fought. Noe refutes the claim that later enlisters were more likely to desert or perform poorly in battle and reassesses the argument that they were less ideologically savvy than their counterparts who enlisted early in the conflict. He argues that kinship and neighborhood, not conscription, compelled these men to fight: they were determined to protect their families and property and were fueled by resentment over emancipation and pillaging and destruction by Union forces. But their age often combined with their duties to wear them down more quickly than younger men, making them less effective soldiers for a Confederate nation that desperately needed every able-bodied man it could muster. Reluctant Rebels places the stories of individual soldiers in the larger context of the Confederate war effort and follows them from the initial optimism of enlistment through the weariness of battle and defeat.

A rich and riveting portrait of the man behind Gulliver’s Travels, by a “vivid, ardent, and engaging” (New York Times Book Review) author. One of Europe’s most important literary figures, Jonathan Swift was also an inspired humorist, a beloved companion, and a conscientious Anglican minister—as well as a hoaxer and a teller of tales. His anger against abuses of power would produce the most famous satires of the English language: Gulliver’s Travels as well as the Drapier Papers and the unparalleled Modest Proposal, in which he imagined the poor of Ireland farming their infants for the tables of wealthy colonists. John Stubbs’s biography captures the dirt and beauty of a world that Swift both scorned and sought to amend. It follows Swift through his many battles, for and against authority, and in his many contradictions, as a priest who sought to uphold the dogma of his church; as a man who was quite prepared to defy convention, not least in his unshakable attachment to an unmarried woman, his “Stella”; and as a writer whose vision showed that no single creed holds all the answers. Impeccably researched and beautifully told, in Jonathan Swift Stubbs has found the perfect subject for this masterfully told biography of a reluctant rebel—a voice of withering disenchantment unrivaled in English.

There it is again, hope. The defeat and the despair I can stand, but it's the hope that kills me, as if the Cause wasn't lost, as if Father hadn't died in vain. As if any one of us could possibly come out of this alive... Following the death of his father, 13-year-old Archie MacDonald has lost faith in the Jacobite Cause. Having witnessed their clan's terrible defeat at the Battle of Culloden, Archie and his feisty cousin Meg flee back to Lochaber to lie low. Or so they think. Until the fugitive Prince's life depends on them. When Prince Charles Edward Stuart looks to the people of Borrodale for help, will the young stable boy support the rebellion that has cost him so dearly? With enemies closing in, the Prince's fate now rests in the hands of a stable boy and a maid with a white cockade. Who will survive this deadly game of hide-and-seek?

In 1861,The Whitlow Brothers of Texas felt they were living near perfect lives. They enjoyed the outdoor work on the family ranch, they were well paid for their efforts, and they knew beautiful girls who enjoyed their company. The future held such wonderful promise, until the politicians destroyed the American dream. War amongst ourselves has to be evidence of ultimate failure. Uncompromising politicians were forcing the citizens of America to fight each other in a war. As far as the Whitlow boys were concerned, they should have locked all the politicians in a barn and told them No one comes out until you reach an agreement to do something other than wage war. U.S. citizenship and Texas citizenship are both held very precious. Why would anyone in his right mind be willing to give up either? The boys thought their father had the best idea. He had said, If the politicians want a war, we ought to make them fight it amongst themselves instead of getting all of the American people involved. That, of course, didnt happen. When personal involvement in the Civil War could no longer be avoided, the Whitlow Brothers made the difficult decision to join their friends and neighbors in defending the South, which the North had invaded. If the slavery issue had been the only consideration, they would have gladly fought on the Union side. Slavery was not an issue for most Southerners. Only about ten percent of all Southerners held slaves. The problem was, the ten percent who did were, for the most part, the wealthy people who had the most influence with the Southern politicians. It appears that the problem of special interest groups was a plague even then. Determining how they could best serve the South was not a major problem. The Cavalry was the logical choice, since they had been on horseback most of their lives. The Texas Eighth Cavalry, also known as Terrys Texas Rangers, was the unit they chose. History reveals the Terrys Texas Rangers were marvelous horsemen, and fierce fighters. Many considered them the best cavalry unit on either side in the Civil War. Their level of accomplishment in battle led them to become the most feared, and most hated, adversary of many in the Union Army. Such success did not come without casualties. The Regiment began with over eleven hundred members; at the end of the Civil War less than three hundred had survived. The Whitlows faced the gamut of emotions as they waged this senseless war, and came to realize that being the best at what you do does not guarantee a final victory. Fiction can not do justice to the actual experiences of the Terry Texas Rangers, but the chronology of events, and the battle activities of the actual unit must have been very similar to those recorded on the pages of this book.

This fresh interpretation explains how an untutored musician changed music while at the same time playing an inadvertent role in the youth rebellion that has shaped the Baby Boomer generation into the 21st century. Elvis Aaron Presley was born in a two-room house in Tupelo, MS, on January 8, 1935. He died at his Memphis home, Graceland, on August 16, 1977. In those 42 years, Elvis made an indelible impression on pop culture the world over. Elvis Presley, Reluctant Rebel: His Life and Our Times probes both the man and his influence, delving deeply into the personality of its protagonist, his needs and motivations, and the social and musical forces that shaped his career. Elvis's musical talents and liabilities are explored, as are his records, films, and live performances and his relationship with his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, whom he allowed to manipulate him as a money-making machine. Readers will learn about Elvis's personal life, his devotion to conventional religious and political beliefs, and his decline into self-destruction and death. Finally, the book explores Elvis's impact on the musical and racial revolutions of the 1950s and 1960s, his legacy, and his importance in shaping a generation of Baby Boomers.