Michael Ballard is an archivist at Mississippi State University and draws upon his considerable expertise and research to provide the reader with an invaluable handbook to Mississippi's civil war battles, battlefields, and commemorative sites. Enhanced with easy-to-follow maps and a wealth of historical information, readers and visitors can trace the progress of the Civil War in its campaigns, and exploits in the Mississippi theater, which included sieges, trench warfare, naval bombardments, and calvary engagements. Civil War Mississippi is a handy field guide and an invaluable aid for the casual tourist and dedicated Civil War buff alike.

I've read about a dozen or so soldier memoirs/diary accounts, and this one ranks as one of the poorest. I find most of these have a generic nature to them - seems like if you've read one, you've read them all! Mr. Holt wrote this in his latter years, so Goodness knows how the years have treated his memory of things, although a fine editing job by Cockrell and Ballard keep things on the straight and narrow. Much of the memoirs involve Holt's escapades that have little to do with the war effort. Lot of it reads like a Mark Twain tale, with Holt often relating some of the hijinks and sit-com like situations he experienced as a soldier.

Holt really conveys the attitudes, feelings, deep convictions, and courage displayed by those who fought in the war. (Not only on the Rebel side, but also on the Yankee side.) He also goes into some of the other reasons besides slavery, that caused the South to secede. Very well written and extremely interesting. It makes you feel as if you're right beside Holt following him as they go down in history. Also shows how life for the Confederate soldier was awfully harsh in the latter part of the war. Holt doesn't have shoes and is walking through snow along with men who are dying of starvation. Holt entertains readers by detailing what he and his group would do for fun, ie., sneaking away from camp to meet girls, etc.

I knew Holt was in the 16th Miss. Co. K. I was hoping it would mention Co. H where my relative fought, but it didn't.

Holt leaves for the war as a boy, but returns a man.

Great book. I highly recommend it.

Holt's memoirs are entertaining as well as informative. This book becomes hard to put down as you read. Very good details of life in the Army of Northern Virginia. He gives the "personal" side of the war so often left out by other memoirs. Reading this book was like having Holt tell you the story himself. Excellent.

I used a copy of this book to find accomodation during a 3 week holiday in Italy. I can recommend it if you are looking for something a little off the beaten track at a reasonable price. Most areas have many entries and in September it was easy to find a place to stay even in Rome and Florence. Take a mobile phone and you can arrange your stay while traveling on the Italian railways.

A heavy drinker and trouble-maker while at West Point, Jefferson Davis went on to be a war hero, a U.S. Senator, a Secretary of War and finally first and only President of the Confederate States of America. Thin skinned, proud and convinced his position was the only correct one, he was unsuited to be in a political administrative position.

Davis' unsuitability did not prevent the founding CSA Congress from electing him to the Presidency. That was the only high point of his term in office. He fought with his generals (thinking he was better qualified than they), failed to get along with his Vice President and earned the hatred of many Southern papers. Then the war was lost. The South did not earn independence.

This was when the Davis weaknesses became his strengths. Convinced he was still right in his firm belief in Southern independence, he kept the fight and government alive long after most men would have given up. His retreat from Richmond was met by cheering and appreciative crowds of people who only months before would have jeered him. In defeat he was fearless, still dedicated and still passonate about the fight.

With out going into the long and troubled life of Mr. Davis, Ballard looks at the final days of the Confederacy in minute detail. He does not attempt to cover-up the Davis failures or chararter flaws. Instead, he shows how the stuborn leader turned those flaws to his advantage as he endured the retreat, capture and imprisonment. While in popular opinion today, General Lee is viewed as the Confederate war leader, President Davis becomes the leader of the aftermath. He never gave up on the Lost Cause, becoming the South's spiritual leader for nearly 20 years after the war's end.

Ballard's style takes us through those days smoothly, showing the transformation of Mr. Davis from revieled President to peace time leader of a nation that would exist only in the hearts of its inhabitants.

Unlike current historical works, Ballard does not write as if he is being paid by the word. Each word has a purpose. Details are not told and then retold several times. He tells the story, pure and simple, and tells it well. This is a most book for any student of the Civil War, the South, Jefferson Davis, or the Reconstruction period.