Best Little Stories of the Blue and Gray

By C. Brian Kelly
Illustrated, bibliography, index, 343 pp., 2006. Cumberland House Publishing Inc., 431 Harding Industrial Park Dr., Nashville, TN 37211, $16.96 plus shipping.

Reviewer: Clint Johnson
Clint Johnson's latest book is The Politically Incorrect Guide To The South. His next book will be Pursuit - The Chase, Capture, Persecution and Surprising Release of Confederate President Jefferson Davis coming in June 2008.

Review:
There is no way to describe this book other than exactly what its title says. These are short, sometimes less than a page, true stories about men, women, machines and incidents during the war.

Kelly, the author of two similar collections on the war, as well as the same theme revolving around both world wars and the White House, alternates the stories between blue and gray. The book is roughly divided into fourths with stories before, during and after the war and a "final glimpse" about the funerals of some of the more famous figures in the war. As a bonus, Ingrid Smyer has written some essays on selected generals' wives.

Some of the stories are familiar, such as how Jefferson Davis met his wife, Varina, after a decade-long mourning period for his first wife, Sarah, or Gen. Robert Anderson's return to Fort Sumter after it was captured at the end of the war.

Other stories are mini-biographies, such as the story on Confederate Gen. Richard Taylor, son of President Zachary Taylor.

Others would be more obscure to most readers, such as the young actress who saw John Wilkes Booth standing near the presidential box in Ford's Theatre before the assassination of Lincoln, or the very detailed account of the United States submarine Alligator, which sank somewhere off Cape Hatteras, N.C., before it could be deployed against the Confederates.

Some stories are very touching and probably totally unknown to most readers, such as the story of Jefferson Davis' very devoted dog, Traveler, who took it upon himself to protect the aging former president until his own death, perhaps from poisoning.

This is a good book to give to someone who does not care much for the details of battles, but who wants to read about personalities.

Some of these stories are enlightening. While most casual readers know about Mary Custis Lee and Julia Dent Grant, who has given much thought to the woman who had to live with wild man William T. Sherman? There is a short biography of Ellen Ewing Sherman.

Hardcore historians will either discount this book because it does not satisfy their needs for details on regimental movements, or they will love this book because it gives them lighter fare to occupy their time while looking for that tactical study.