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The true story of one man's reluctant but relentless war against the invaders of his country.

Winner of the General Nathan Bedford Forrest Southern History Award 

Finalist, History, National Best Books Awards, USA Book News

Jack Hinson never planned to become a deadly sniper.

A quiet, wealthy plantation owner, Jack Hinson watched the start of the Civil War with disinterest. Opposed to secession and a friend to Union and Confederate commanders alike, he did not want a war. After Union soldiers seized and murdered his sons, placing their decapitated heads on the gateposts of his estate, Hinson could remain indifferent no longer. He commissioned a special rifle for long-range accuracy, he took to the woods, and he set out for revenge.

This remarkable biography presents the story of Jack Hinson, a lone Confederate sniper who, at the age of 57, waged a personal war on Grant's army and navy. By the end of the Civil War, the Union had committed infantry and cavalry from nine regiments and a specially equipped amphibious task force of marines to capture Hinson, who was by that time nearly sixty years old. They never caught him. Since then, the story of Jack Hinson has evaded astute historians, and until now, he has remained invisible in the history of sniper warfare.

The result of 15 years of scholarship, this meticulously researched and beautifully written work is the only account of Hinson's life ever recorded and involves an unbelievable cast of characters, including the Earp brothers, Jesse James, and Nathan Bedford Forrest.

In this unprecedented and incredible biography, Lt. Col. Tom C. McKenney masterfully recounts Hinson’s extraordinary feats as a lone Confederate sniper.

Lincoln’s Call for Freedom, in an Elegant Gift Edition, Proudly Printed in America

This hardcover edition contains President Abraham Lincoln’s landmark January 1, 1863 executive order, the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared the freedom of over three million of the nation’s slaves. Including the draft, preliminary, and final versions of the text, this lovely version is a perfect gift for any reader.

One of the Most Important Speeches in American History, in an Elegant Hardback Gift Edition

The Gettysburg Address was delivered on the afternoon of November 19, 1863 by Abraham Lincoln at the dedication of the battlefield of the Civil War's bloodiest battle. Included in this edition is the Bliss text of the address, contemporary reactions, and other important documents relating to this moving speech by one of America's most beloved Presidents.

Lincoln's Call for Freedom, in an Elegant Gift Edition Stamped in Celebration of America 250, Proudly Printed in America

This hardcover edition contains President Abraham Lincoln’s landmark January 1, 1863 executive order, the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared the freedom of over three million of the nation’s slaves. Including the draft, preliminary, and final versions of the text, this lovely version is a perfect gift for any reader.

The America250™️ word mark and logo are trademarks owned by the United States Semiquincentennial Commission and any use of such marks by Applewood Books is under license.

"There is enough detail to give the reader a clear understanding of the war in the far west, which tends to be a forgotten subject."--Civil War Courier

Did you know that eleven days before Fort Sumter, South Carolina, was fired upon, the Civil War had already begun in Texas?

The Civil War in the West has not been the focus of much attention, but it was the location of fierce fighting and stormy conflicts. Not everyone wanted to secede from the Union, although between sixty and seventy thousand Texans volunteered to take up arms. Sam Houston, governor of the territory in 1861, opposed secession and was forced out after the legislature approved it. Texas troops proceeded to conquer the New Mexico Territory (all of the present-day states of New Mexico and Arizona) for the Confederacy.

The war was all the more difficult in the West, because they had a unique problem: defending themselves from hostile Native Americans and Mexican bandits while also fighting the Federal forces. Many skirmishes were fought against those enemies.

This exciting volume tells all about the war in Texas and New Mexico Territory: the intense combat, the brilliant strategies, and the heroic soldiers who fought for their homeland.

Harrowing Accounts of the Civil War from the Beloved Author of Little Women

When the Civil War broke out in 1861 Louisa May Alcott was disappointed that she was not able to join the men of her town in battle, and she began to volunteer to provide supplies for the war effort. On her 30th birthday, the age required at the time to become an Army nurse, Alcott became a nurse and was assigned to Union Hotel Hospital in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. While serving, she wrote several letters to her family back in Concord describing the difficult conditions and life healing the wounded. Alcott altered the letters slightly, fictionalized them, and published them to wide acclaim. The sketches lifted Alcott into the national discourse and her fame solidified a few years later with the publication of her timeless novel Little Women. Discover harrowing first hand experiences of war within the early writings of an icon of American literature.

Follow your faith each day alongside Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln carried in his pocket a spiritual book of days titled A Believer’s Daily Treasure, which was originally published in the mid-1800s. There is speculation that the devotional may have been given to Lincoln by his wife Mary. Applewood’s 2015 edition of the book includes an introduction by Carl Sandburg, which was first published in a 1957 edition. Elegantly stamped in a hardback edition, this title is perfect for any person of faith, Lincoln lover or history buff.

Discover the history of Vicksburg, Mississippi through the voices of a society long past and the land long left scarred by war.

Nestled along the mighty Mississippi River, Vicksburg is among Mississippi’s most historic towns. The site of one of the most important and brutal battles of the Civil War, it is perhaps ?tting that voices from the past still echo in the humid climes. As the home of beautiful antebellum homesteads, storied wartime quarters and ports essential for the steamers and barges of the river trade, Vicksburg today serves as home to an abundance of spirits from years past. Lurking just beneath Vickburg’s scenic beauty, ghostly apparitions from bygone eras continue to haunt this historic community. Join Alan Brown, seasoned Mississippi author and authority on the spirits that haunt the Magnolia State, on a chilling journey through Vicksburg’s most historic haunts, uncovering history that refuses to die.

Renowned activist and orator Frederick Douglass delivered his “Composite Nation” speech throughout the country from 1869-1875, sharing his ardent vision of a future America that would draw strength from diversity.

Central to the speech is Douglass’s unambiguous support for Chinese immigration and citizenship. Other then-radical ideas examined in “Composite Nation”—universal human rights, religious liberty, and more—continue to resonate with modern activists.

Frederick Douglass (c. 1818-1895) was an abolitionist, social reformer, orator, and writer. One of the most influential Americans of the nineteenth century, Douglass was known for his rhetorical brilliance. Douglass's speeches drew large audiences nationwide, and his first autobiography is considered the most famous narrative by a former slave.

David W. Blight is the author or editor of over a dozen books, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom and annotated editions of Douglass’s first two autobiographies. At Yale University, Blight is Sterling Professor of History and Director of the Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition.

“The voice of civilization speaks an unmistakable language against the isolation of families, nations and races, and pleads for composite nationality as essential to her triumphs.” —Frederick Douglass

Published in 1866, this handbook was a key guide to social customs in the post-Civil War era. Martine's Handbook of Etiquette is a 19th-century manual to social conduct that provides clear directions on manners, dress, and conversation for a variety of social situations. Including advice on topics such as dinner parties, ballroom etiquette, and general deportment, as well as specific skills like the art of carving. Its purpose was to teach true politeness and help readers avoid vulgar habits to navigate society with grace and refinement. Discover a lost classic of a dying art and polish up on your etiquette with this American classic.

Discover the horses of the Civil War!

]Never before has there been such a comprehensive look at Confederate military horses in the Civil War and their lives before, during, and after battle. Why particular breeds or colors were chosen for specific tasks, what the life expectancy of military horses was and why they died, and the distinct challenges of caring for horses in wartime conditions are all covered. Chapters focus on how they were acquired by their owners, their lineages, the stories behind their names, and the ways in which they were immortalized. Robert E. Lee’s Traveller, Stonewall Jackson’s Little Sorrel, Forrest’s thirty horses, Ashby’s Tom Telegraph, and many more are included in this must-read history.

Haunting stories of the bloodiest single day in American history.

In 1862, the Antietam Battlefield ran red with blood. Spanning the fields, ridges, lanes, and bridge crossings of Sharpsburg, Maryland—from the East Woods and West Woods to Bloody Lane, Burnside Bridge, and the Antietam National Cemetery—more than 160 years of eyewitness accounts, folklore, and unexplained encounters have emerged from that deadly day.

Nearly twenty-three thousand soldiers were recorded as killed, wounded, or missing, and there are many whose spirits reportedly still linger. One is reportedly a spectral drummer boy, often identified as Private Charlie King of the 49th Pennsylvania Volunteers, who was just thirteen years old when he died. General Mansfield is rumored to eternally travel up Smoketown Road, re-creating his final ride before he succumbed to a mortal wound. A ghostly woman in black haunts the Bloody Lane, and shadowy figures can sometimes be seen around Burnside Bridge and the old Piper farm.

Author Mark P. Brugh explores the powerful intersection of history, memory, and the supernatural across one of America’s most storied landscapes.

“Lee Surrenders!” “President Murdered!” “Booth Killed!” screamed the headlines of American newspapers in April 1865, leaving little room for mention of a maritime disaster that to this day stands as America's worst. On April 27, 1865, the Sultana, a 260-foot, wooden-hulled steamboat—smaller than the Titanic but carrying more passengers—exploded on the Mississippi River near Memphis, Tennessee.

More than 1,169 men, mostly Union soldiers on their way home from Confederate prison camps, died. On board were over 2,400 passengers—six times the ship's legal capacity. Although jubilant about the war's end, most of the men were weakened by malnutrition and disease from their imprisonment at Andersonville and Cahaba. Hundreds who were not killed in the explosion drowned in the cold, swift waters of the muddy Mississippi River.

Because of the timing of the sinking, coverage of the Sultana’s demise was scant, and the tragedy has passed almost unnoticed in the pages of American history. A bitter survivor would write:

“The men who had endured the torments of a hell on earth, starved, famished from thirst, eaten with vermin, having endured all the indignities, insults and abuses possible for an armed bully to bestow upon them, to be so soon forgotten does not speak well for our government or the American people.”

In this highly documented book, author Jerry O. Potter focuses on how greed, indifference, gross stupidity, and criminal misconduct reaching as far as the White House led to the overloading of the Sultana at Vicksburg. Such irresponsible conduct characterized the actions of an entire chain of army command, President Lincoln, and several profit-hungry civilians. This authoritative work contains abundant photographs and illustrations, as well as the most complete list of the ship's passengers available.

Politics and power in Gold Rush California

At the north end of a quiet neighborhood in Daly City lies a historical marker noting the site of California's most infamous—and deadly—duel. The San Francisco of 1859 had grown rapidly, with treasure seekers from all corners of the globe converging to find their own fortune, either through prospecting or, more lucratively, catering to the needs of those prospectors. 

Out of the muddy streets and the chaos, two leaders emerged whose actions would have an outsized influence on the course of American politics for decades. David S. Terry, the chief justice of the California Supreme Court, and U.S. Senator David Broderick were both determined to steer the fate of the new state, but in very different directions. At the heart of their rivalry lay the fight against slavery, with Senator Broderick advocating for California to remain a free state. 

On September 13, 1859, their arguments came to a head in a duel that ended with Senator Broderick shot and mortally wounded. He died three days later, but the outcome would haunt David Terry for another thirty years. 

Author William E. Hammonds explores the twists and turns of the duel for the future of Gold Rush California.

"Shines the harsh light of truth on a forgotten--and whitewashed--chapter of American history. Graphic and sometimesappalling, James R. Hall's account of conditions at Indianapolis's Camp Morton is necessary reading for anyone who prefers genuine history to the sanitized version."--Brian D. Smith, member, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporting team, Fort Wayne News-Sentinel , 1983

The term"prison abuse scandal" has become a familiar phrase in our lifetime. But long before this phrase was used on the nightly news, truths about the treatment of enemy prisoners were defiantly denied, and the media-whose primary sources (much like today) were politicians and military officials-inevitably distorted the facts.

In the case of Camp Morton, however, records exist from the firsthand accounts of prisoners, who were extremely vocal about their experiences after the Civil War ended. Confederate veterans who had been held at Camp Morton and heard that prominent Union officials were calling it a"model" Civil War prison were enraged and inspired to proclaim the truth about their suffering. Their experiences first were revealed publicly by former Morton prisoner, prominent physician, and medical researcher Dr. John A. Wyeth. James R. Hall has picked up where Dr. Wyeth left off, making the Camp Morton controversy known to a new generation.

Den of Misery: Indiana's Civil War Prison details the cover-ups and denials as well as the cruel realities of the prison camp and chronicles the efforts by Confederate veterans to make known the truth about their experiences. The author includes a full list of prisoners who died at Camp Morton and are buried in a mass grave in Indianapolis.