An in-depth biography of the Confederate cavalry commander who fought in the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the Civil War.

When the Confederacy collapsed, Gen. Joseph Orville Shelby refused to surrender. In 1861 he had started a Missouri company that grew into the greatest Confederate cavalry brigade west of the Mississippi. This book follows the triumphs of the Brigade of the Confederate States Army all the way to the crossing of a contingent of the brigade into Mexico at the end of the war.

A planter and rope manufacturer from Kentucky, Shelby operated entirely in the trans-Mississippi West. He served in the Missouri State Guard as a company commander at Carthage, Wilson’s Creek, and Pea Ridge. He then returned to Missouri to raise a regiment. A daring raid to the Missouri River in the fall of 1863 earned him a promotion to brigadier general. Shelby's Brigade fought valiantly at the Battle of Westport, the Gettysburg of the West, and repeatedly saved Gen. Sterling Price's army from capture on the retreat south.

A descendant of a Shelby’s Brigade member, Deryl P. Sellmeyer offers an evenhanded view of this impressive military leader and his men. The author’s decades-long research of Shelby’s life and his principal officers is evident as he details the history of the famous brigade.

The “charming” story behind one of the best-loved poems in the English language was written as a gift by a father to his family (Cleveland Daily Banner Book Review).

In 1822, when Wall Street was still adjacent to rolling farmland, a devoted and deeply spiritual man named Clement Clarke Moore first shared his poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” with his family. Moore’s gift not only delighted his loved ones; it went on to enchant millions of people everywhere, and still does to this day.

With this book about the life and times of the Moore family in nineteenth-century New York and how the famous poem came into being, readers can make this timeless gift of yuletide their own beloved tradition. Beautifully designed with twenty drawings, The Story of “’Twas the Night Before Christmas” also features a facsimile of the poem in Moore’s own handwriting.

Previously published under the title ’Twas the Night Before Christmas

“A popularly written glimpse of history along the Grand Strand . . . Eminently readable and varied”—from the award-winning historian and author (The State).
 
From Little River to Georgetown, the South Carolina Grand Strand—popularly known as the Myrtle Beach region—is only fifty-five miles long, yet few coastlines have a richer, more colorful history. Numbered among its parade of colorful characters are hardened explorers, seasoned woodsmen, remarkable women, famous soldiers, powerful politicians, men of violence, rich men, poor men, and gifted visionaries.
 
Planters, Pirates, and Patriots offers historical vignettes of the Grand Strand’s diverse array of heroes, smugglers, and settlers that “have the resonance of real life. Truth is stranger than fiction; it’s also more entertaining” (The Charlotte Observer).
 
“An enthralling and engrossing history with the pace and vividness of a good novel.” —Charles Joyner, author of Down by the Riverside

The classic account of moving from slavery to freedom, by the celebrated African-American educator and university founder.

Booker T. Washington believed that every man and woman deserved a chance, regardless of their skin color. This classic work of literature, originally published in 1901, relays the story of a man born into slavery who, once freed, pursued education and racial equality. This new edition of Booker T. Washington’s autobiography features a foreword from media personality and advocate for the advancement of African Americans Mychal Massie.

In his story, Washington details his childhood and recounts his often-tumultuous transition from slavery to free life. His unwavering efforts eventually led to the founding and evolution of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, a college created to further the education of African Americans. The distinguished author and educator remembers such notable speeches as the Atlanta Compromise in 1895 and recognitions from Samuel C. Armstrong and President McKinley.

Booker T. Washington (1856-1915) was born into slavery and freed after the Civil War in 1865. After completing his education and teaching at Hampton Institute, he headed the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. Upon giving his famous Atlanta Compromise Speech, Washington became a national figure and received an honorary master’s degree from Harvard University and an honorary doctorate from Dartmouth College. The publication of Up from Slavery garnered Washington an invitation from Theodore Roosevelt to visit the White House, the first given to an African American. Mychal Massie, in addition to appearing on national television programs such as The O’Reilly Factor, is a syndicated columnist for WorldNetDaily and the former host of Rightalk Radio’s “Straight Talk.” The outspoken media personality is the chairman of the National Leadership Network of Black Conservatives, Project 21. The Conservative Party of New York State recognized him as the Conservative Man of the Year in 2008. Massie lives in Zion Hill, Pennsylvania.

This beautifully illustrated biography of the renowned Southern folk artist includes nearly 100 images, plus commentary from the artist herself.

Exuberant colors, bold strokes, and everyday images of rural Southern life typify Clementine Hunter’s folk art. Born in Louisiana in 1887, Hunter spent most of her life working in cotton fields at Melrose Plantation. She only began painting in her fifties, and it was several more years before her talent was recognized.

Nearly 100 images of Hunter’s art are presented in this extensive biography, drawn from the many public and private collections of her work. Several paintings are accompanied by Hunter’s own commentary on a variety of subjects, including marriage, baptism, money, and death.

François Mignon, her close friend and the librarian of Melrose, was instrumental in the promotion of Hunter’s paintings. Excerpts of his letters to James Register, an art collector and dealer who specialized in Hunter’s works, chronicle her growth and development as a major contemporary artist.

“Roberson has done her research well, compiling what she found about the four-foot eleven-inch parachutist into an interesting, often inspiring biography.” —Booklist
 
North Carolina was the site of the first powered airplane flight by the Wright brothers in 1903. Only ten years later, the state could also claim the first parachute jump from an airplane by a woman affectionately known as “Tiny.”
 
At just over four feet tall and weighing a mere eighty pounds, Tiny married at the age of twelve and was abandoned by her husband one year later. As a result, she worked fourteen-hour shifts at a local cotton mill for forty cents a day and walked home three times daily to feed her baby.
 
In 1903, she saw a parachute descent from a hot-air balloon for the first time at the Johnny J. Jones Carnival in Raleigh. Charles Broadwick’s thrilling feat inspired her to join the carnival, and after her first jump from a hot-air balloon, she was hooked.
 
This story of Tiny’s life follows the history of aviation from the early novelty of flight, through the tremendous developments in air travel during World War II, all the way to the Apollo 13 launch in 1970. Tiny was inducted into the Aviation Hall of Fame alongside such aviation pioneers as Charles Lindbergh and the Wright brothers in 1976.
 
Little has been written about this pioneer in aviation history, whose contributions, through improvements to the design of parachutes and demonstrations for soldiers, made flying airplanes safer for pilots during World War II.