Marc Ramsey’s Favorite Books

Originally published November 2020 · p. 8

Marc Ramsey’s Favorite Books I have been reading books on the American Civil War since I was 10 years old, when my Aunt Connie gave me my first one for Christmas, Robert E. Lee and the Road of Honor, by Hodding Carter, in the Landmark series for young readers. I was immediately hooked, and over the years since then, while taking a break from time to time to read about another era, usually military history or the odd work of historical fiction, it is still Civil War history that I turn to for my study and recreational reading. Now we have a bookstore that specializes in Civil War books, as well as other periods of military history; we generate a direct mail catalog once a month, containing about 200 titles, the best books that we have picked up in recent weeks. On a particularly good month, you will see one or more of my personal favorites, usually marked by a little post scrip comment, such as One of My Favorite CW

Books, or One of my very favorite Confederate Navy Books, or the like. So when asked to prepare a list of my ten favorite Civil War reads, the only challenge was to keep the list down to ten, which I couldn’t do, for there are so many that I have loved over the years. At any rate, here goes, a succinct list of Marc Ramsey’s eleven favorite Civil War Books in no particular order. 1. Lee’s Lieutenants, a Study in Command by Douglas Southall Freeman. Charles Scribners Sons, 1942–1945. This is an unforgettable read and still the best source for Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia. When you sit down in your favorite chair with these books, you forget you’re reading; you are literally transported back in time, thanks to the writing skills of its great author. 2. Fighting For the Confederacy, The Personal Recollections of General Edward Porter Alexander edited by Gary Gallagher. University of North Carolina Press, 1989. I love this well-crafted volume for its objective look at each of the battles and campaigns of the Army of Northern Virginia. Over the years I have advised many times that it is required reading for anyone wanting to learn more about Lee’s army and his men. 3. Lone Star Preacher by John W. Thomason. Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1941. In spite of the fact that this is historical fiction, it is still true to the history, while adding some unforgettable characters to the story, especially Praxeteles Swan. The author was a noted Marine Corps officer and talented illustrator, and the author of Ed Bearss’ favorite book as a young person, JEB Stuart. 4. One of Jackson’s Foot Cavalry, His Experiences and What He Saw During the War 1861–1865 by John Worsham. The Neale Publishing Co., 1912. One of the best written of all personal narratives, and a great source for details and anecdotes of army life and equipment. We actually built F Company, our reenacting unit, around this book. 5. Berry Benson’s Civil War Book, Memoirs of a Confederate Scout and Sharpshooter by Berry Benson. University of Georgia Press, 1962. This is an astonishing but factual memoir. Benson really was at all the places and did all the things that he describes. His saddest moment in the war was when he took his last shot at a Yankee and missed just before Appomattox. 6. Running the Blockade by Tom Taylor. J. Murray, 1897. These are the exciting reminiscences of a bright, young Englishmen and his partners, who risked all to make a profit running cargoes through the Yankee blockade into Southern ports. 7. Rags and Hope, The Recollections of Val C. Giles, Four Years With Hood’s Brigade, Fourth Texas Infantry, 1861–1865 by Val Giles. Coward-McCann, 1961. Another superbly written account about one of the most captivating subjects of the war, the exploits and experiences of Hood’s Texas Brigade in the Army of Northern Virginia. 8. “Company AYTCH,” Maury Grays, First Tennessee Regiment: or, A Side Show of the Big Show by Sam Watkins. Cumberland Presbyterian Publishing House, 1882. You don’t read this book, you listen to it. You listen to an old Southern veteran as he shares with you his stories and memories, most of which are probably mostly true. It’s a delight! 9. Ghost Ship of the Confederacy by Edward Boykin. Funk & Wagnall’s Company, 1957. There are few sea stories as compelling as the adventures of the CSS Alabama, and of all the books written on this subject, this is by far and away my favorite. 10. Recollections Grave and Gay by Mrs. Burton Harrison, (Constance Cary). Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1911. The author, a novelist, and one of the “Cary Invincibles,” tells of life in the Confederate capital during the war from the perspective of a fervent young Confederate woman at the heart of Richmond’s governing and social circles, and of life afterwards as she becomes the wife of Jefferson Davis’ chief aid, Burton Harrison. 11. To the Gates of Richmond, The Peninsula Campaign by Stephen Sears. Ticknor & Fields, 1992. My favorite campaign of the war is the Seven Days around Richmond; this is the best book on that series of battles, by one of the best military historians I have ever encountered. These books all have personality and are captivating reads. They are filled with individual experiences, anecdotes, irony, and even at times, humor. On a final note—as I get older, I have found great pleasure in occasionally picking up one of these, my old friends, from my library, and reading it again. I find myself transported back in time, to a familiar place, where all cares for the present are, for a little while, suspended. Enjoy! Marc Ramsey is co-owner of Owens and Ramsey Historical Booksellers with his lovely wife Jill, who, for the past 25 plus years, have specialized in the buying, selling and trading of rare and collectible Civil War books, artifacts and paper items. They provide appraisals for estate planning, charitable deductions, or insurance purposes. They also love making recommendations to readers looking to expand their Civil War knowledge as well as providing customers with very rare and collectible volumes for their libraries.