Paul Birkhead, a librarian in Salisbury, North Carolina at the Rowan Public Library, wrote an interesting column in the Salisbury Post on recent books he has read that helped him understand the Civil War better. Birkhead started studying the war as a boy and has been reading about it ever since. Here are a few of the books Birkhead says that these are some of the books he likes:
“An Environmental History of the Civil War” by Judkin Browning gives insight on a fresh topic: the Civil War’s impact on Americans and the surrounding natural world. Weather, topography and animals not only influenced individual battles and perhaps the entire outcome of the war, but the understanding of those subjects was also affected.
“A Holy Baptism of Fire and Blood: The Bible and the American Civil War” by James P. Byrd examines the relationship between the Bible and participants on both sides of the conflict. With North and South each claiming God and the Bible were on their side, soldiers and citizens used scripture for warmongering, justification, inspiration and comfort.
“Salmon P. Chase: Lincoln’s Vital Rival” by Walter Stahr is one of the newest biographies of a member of Abraham Lincoln’s inner circle. Salmon P. Chase was an American abolitionist and politician who helped established the Republican Party but was passed over being nominated to represent them in 1860. The party’s nominee, Lincoln, respected Chase and asked him to serve as his secretary of the treasury. Chase’s talents ensured the Union stayed financially solvent during the first four years of the Civil War before he eventually resigned.
These books and others have added to my understanding of the American Civil War. Until I reached adulthood, I could rattle off statistics of famous battles, but knew very little about the horrors of Civil War prisons. Who could have guessed that I would come to work for a library just blocks away from one of the deadliest prisons for Union captives — Salisbury Prison. If you are interested in learning more about this piece of Civil War history in our back yard, check out “The Salisbury Prison: A Case Study of Confederate Military Prisons, 1861-1865” by Louis A. Brown or “Junius and Albert’s Adventures in the Confederacy: A Civil War Odyssey” by Peter Carlson.
On Saturday, Nov. 19, at 10 a.m., join me as Rowan Public Library hosts a photowalk at the Historic National Cemetery at 202 Government Road in Salisbury. This free program lasts an hour and includes walking the beautiful grounds together, taking photos and learning basic photography principles. Registration is requested. Visit the registration link at bit.ly/Photowalk-NationalCemetery.
Note: illustration shows the Salisbury, North Carolina prisoner of war camp.
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