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BOOK NOTES Abraham Lincoln and His Mailbag: Two Documents by Edward D. Neill, One of Lincoln's Secretaries. Edited by Theodore C. Biegen. (St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society, 1964. Pp. 50. $3.00 cloth; $1.75 paper. ) Two essays written in the postwar years by a man who served on Lincoln 's secretarial staff comprise the bulk of this slim volume. The first monograph, "Reminiscences of the Last Year of President Lincoln's Life," appeared previously in two separate publications and is more eulogistic than factual. The second essay, though heretofore unpublished, spans only five pages and gives but a taste of some of the ludicrous and/or ridiculous letters that the sixteenth President received. Editor Blegen's introduction makes up almost half the text of this book. Documentation is adequate, but an index is lacking. For all but Lincoln specialists, this work will be merely an historical footnote. Johnny Cobb: Confederate Aristocrat. By Horace Montgomery. (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1964. Pp. viii, 104. $3.00.) Young John Cobb enlisted in the 2nd Georgia Battalion at the age of twenty-two. One of the first Georgians to reach the Virginia defenses, he campaigned with the main Confederate army in the East through Antietam. Thereafter, by special permission, he returned to Georgia, married the young Athens girl with whom he had been corresponding, and for the remainder of die war managed several of the Cobb plantations scattered over the state. On the basis of letters exchanged between Cobb and his sweetheart-wife, Professor Montgomery has put together a limited but poignant biography of a Confederate aristocrat. The study spans only the war years; yet it reflects all the pathos and patriotism of the generation of which Cobb was a member. Full notes and index enhance a study deserving of more length. The Confederate Hundred: A Bibliophilie Selection of Confederate Books. By Richard Harwell. (Urbana, Illinois: Beta Phi Mu, 1964. Pp. xxiii, 58. $5.00.) "This selection," the author writes, "of one collector's choice of the 110 hundred most intriguing, interesting, and important Confederate books . . . [is] representative of the life of a beleaguered nation during the fiftytwo months of its existence." No one is more qualified to make such a selection than Mr. Harwell, whom one writer has termed without peer "in the art of unearthing lost treasures of Civil War literature for both specialized and general readers." Each of the Confederate imprints listed carries a full annotation (generally a contemporary review). This volume doubtless will become a standard reference guide. In any event, Mr. Harwell 's introduction is more than worth the book's price. A Guide to Virginia Military Organizations, 1861-1865. Compiled by Lee A. Wallace, Jr. (Richmond: Virginia Civil War Commission, 1964. Pp. 348. $3.00.) This badly needed compilation, produced by one of the nation's most active Centennial commissions, may ultimately prove to be a giant step toward a complete roster of Old Dominions troops in the Civil War. National Park Service historian Lee Wallace has meticulously assimilated the basic data on all artillery, cavalry, and infantry units from Virginia. He has thoroughly covered all official sources and pertinent contemporary materials. Wherever possible, date of muster, summary of service, and commanding officers are given not only for regiments and battalions but for companies as well. An alphabetical listing of unit nicknames is appended . A proper-name index would have doubled the usefulness of the guide. This omission notwithstanding, Wallace's labors will gready facilitate research on Confederate Virginia. The Lone Star Defenders: A Chronicle of the Third Texas Cavalry, Ross Brigade. By S. B. Barron. (Waco: W. M. Morrison, 1964. Pp. 276. $10.00.) Four hundred copies of the extremely scarce 1908 original of this publication were reprinted without changes or additions. The lack of such editorial trappings as introduction, footnotes, and index restrict the value of this reproduction. Lieutenant Barron wrote one of the two basic sources for Ross's brigade of Texans. The unit was in the action at Wilson's Creek, campaigned through Missouri and Mississippi, and took part in the fighting for Adanta. Baron penned his recollections forty years after the war. Although he relied somewhat on extant documents, hindsight...

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