Benjamin Grierson, a former musician with no prior military experience, is perhaps most famous for "Grierson's Raid", which served as a diversion during General Ulysses S. Grant's Vicksburg Campaign in the Spring of 1863. As the result of the famous raid and other service during the war, Grierson rose in rank from major to major general of volunteers. Unlike many other citizen-soldiers of the Civil War, however, he did not return to civilian life after the war. Instead, Grierson accepted a commission as a Regular Army colonel and was given command of the newly-formed 10th Cavalry Regiment. The 10th Cavalry was one of the four, along with the 9th Cavalry and the 24th and 25th Infantry Regiments newly formed "Colored" regiments of the U.S. Army, which had white officers and black soldiers. Grierson welcomed the opportunity to command a regiment which many other white officers would have regarded as potentially damaging to their careers. Not only did he command the regiment for a quarter of a century, but he continually defended his soldiers against the prejudice that was prevalent throughout American society at the time. Grierson's rather progressive thinking also extended to his dealing with American Indians. Though he and his men participated in many of the Indian wars of the Southwest, Grierson continually sought a more intelligent and humane solution to the Indian "problem". Much of what we now see as Grierson's virtues, however, came with a price to his career and to his family. For instance, Grierson's continual defense of his men certainly played a role in his not being promoted to brigadier general until three months before his retirement in 1890. Likewise, his family would suffer greatly during the frequent moves from one gruelingly inhospitable frontier Army post to another. At least partly as a result of his career choices, Grierson's relationship with his wife was frequently stormy and the military dynasty which he had predicted ultimately failed to appear. Though his wife bore him seven children, only four sons survived into adulthood. Of these surviving sons, three remained life-long bachelors, while only one married and produced any offspring. All of Grierson's children appear to have suffered, in varying degrees, from the manic-depression that was prevalent among his wife's family, and two of his sons would have to be institutionalized.

Benjamin Grierson, himself, emerges from this work as a tragic figure. He was a man who was ahead of his time on issues of racial tolerance and was punished, directly or indirectly, for his beliefs. Likewise, he witnessed financial catastrophe, disease, and mental illness destroy his family. In the end, the reader is left wondering if the old adage is really true, that "no good deed goes unpunished."

This book is hillarious, and so far has not given my four year old son any ideas. I thought he might have a hard time following the story because it seemed better suited for older children especially since he's not a native speaker, but he loves it. This is a book with great teaching value if, like me, you want your child to know 2 languages.

This book had tons of new modern songs that were great to play on the piano. It has piano music, guitar chords, and words to sing with. It is fairly difficult, but it isn't anything that can't be learned. This is NOT a method book. It has great songs, but it does not teach you how to play them. You must know how to read the music. Ex. of songs: Angel Eyes, Butterfly Kisses, Quit Playing Games, Because You Loved Me, Macarena, Star Wars(Main Theme), Valentine, That Thing You Do, I Swear, How Do I Live, You are Not Alone, (Everything I Do)I Do It For You, Kiss From a Rose, Tears In Heaven, I Say A Little Prayer, All I Wanna Do, Dreaming of You, I Believe I Can Fly... etc. 413 pages; 82 songs; paperback. I really suggest this book.

What a book! What a woman (author), what a woman (heroine).... Aren't we all tired of feeling pitiful for the poor rapists, murderers, criminal elements? Here's the answer, gals!

Shirley! Keep it up, please. I love your work!

This book was purchased as a gift for my mother. She is an avid silhouette collector and was pleased when she opened her present! It is very informative and contains a great amount of pictures to help identify silhouettes from her collection. I would recommend this for anyone interested in learning more about silhouettes or anyone that has a collection. The book is separated into 3 sections: convex glass, flat glass, and miscellaneous. The final section contains a price guide to help inform collectors of the approximate value for their vintage silhouettes. Oh - finding this book in Amazon was great! We've been looking throughout various bookstores and haven't come across one with as much information!

The poetry in this book is absolutely outstanding. I laughed & cryed & just felt better about everything. When I got it I couldn't put it down until I had read all 262 pages of it. If you want a good read, this is it!!

Shirley Porter's Watercolor Basics: Drawing And Painting Birds tells how to paint birds in watercolor, providing a simple source of basics for beginning bird painters. From poses and backgrounds to bird-watching tips, this uses exercises to show how to create easy patterns.

I can't tell you how often I have reached for this littlejewel. Often enough that I am on my third edition. Puzzle workerswill love it. Letter writers need it. I rely on it. It has saved my ego many times. Just the right size for school or work, this speller/divider should be on everyones list of essential reference books.

A simple story of a girl and her grandfather and what they saw & did on the way to the park. Hughes' illustrations, as usual, are wonderful. My daughter just loves the interaction of the girl and her grandad. A great little treasure!

I thought that the book "where the heart is" was a great page turner, i couldent put it down!