After the excitement of Saturday nite's Notable Books event, it seemed appropriate to find where Michigan and the Civil War stands among prior winners. I'm awed to be in the company of such great works as these previous winners (and recommend heartily the '05-'10 selections, which I've read; I also have the anthology but regret not the others):
2010: Orlando M. Poe: Civil War General and Great Lakes Engineer, by Paul Taylor (Kent State University Press). A comprehensive biography of General Sherman's right-hand man, Orlando M. Poe, who served in the Civil War, commanded the 2nd Michigan Infantry and led brigades at Second Bull Run and Fredericksburg. This influential man was much praised for his bravery and service. He went on to lead an illustrious career as the supervisor for the design and construction of numerous Great Lakes lighthouses and then designed and constructed the largest shipping lock in the world at Sault Ste. Marie.
2008: "My Brave Mechanics:" The First Michigan Engineers and Their Civil War, by Mark Hoffman (Wayne State University Press). Letters, diaries, regimental records, and local newspapers enrich this compelling history of the 1st Michigan Engineers and Mechanics. The state's only such Civil War unit, the regiment was largely composed of skilled craftsmen and artisans. After training at Camp Owen in Marshall in 1861, the unit moved south and fought to maintain and support the Union supply lines in the Civil War's Western Theater, building and repairing bridges, railroads, and telegraph lines.
2005: A Distant Thunder: Michigan in the Civil War, by Richard Bak (Huron River Press). Together with dozens of newly published historic photographs, this book offers a fresh look at Michigan's role in the Civil War and the experiences of its citizens both on the home front and the battlefield, complete with stories of Sarah Emma Edmonds, a woman who enlisted and fought as a man, General George Custer, and the 102nd U.S. Colored Infantry.
2002: Custer and the Little Bighorn: The Man, the Mystery, the Myth, by Jim Donovan (Voyageur Press). A plethora of photographs, paintings, and maps complement this new biography of the famous Michigan Civil War general.
2002: Girl in Blue, by Ann Rinaldi (Scholastic). A fictitious Civil War adventure in which 16- year old Sarah Wheelock enlists in the 2nd Michigan Infantry regiment disguised as Neddy Compton. She serves as a male nurse and later works as a Union spy.
2000: Michigan and the Civil War: An Anthology. A Michigan History Magazine Heritage Publication. Through diaries and letters, and research of some of Michigan's most respected historians, readers discover the service and sacrifice of Michiganians during America's greatest conflict.
