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The Civil War: Strange & Fascinating Facts
Wonderfully entertaining look at some intriguing oddities, unusual incidents, and colorful personalities connected with the Civil War. Includes 25 names the war was known by, personal quirks of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, and more,
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1960
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
June 21, 2017
This book mostly lives up to its name. The anecdotes and comments in this book are certainly strange and fascinating, although they are not necessarily facts. The author passes along some old canards about the rebels looking for shoes in Gettysburg, for example [1], and the fact that the author gives false facts does not exactly inspire a great deal of confidence in his veracity, as does the fact that he declines to cite his sources. This is an entertaining book on the Civil War, and it is certainly odd, and contains a great deal of interest. However, it should be noted clearly that this book is not reliable and therefore must be considered as a lesser work. The fact that the author operates from a clear pro-Southern bias, which he is at least honest enough to admit, suggests that there may be some general reliability concerns based on the slant that the writer has. It is especially notable, for example, that the author praises both the gallantry of rebel soldiers as well as their inventive use of landmines, which would appear to be in tension with each other, and example of an a priori bias on the part of the author.
The oddities and curiosities of this book, which is between 200 and 250 pages and was published in 1960, are divided into various chapters according to the whim of the author. The chapters deal with firsts, with divided families, with areas of special interest to the writer--Abraham Lincoln's beard, the grammar of Nathan Bedford Forrest, the machine gun, riots, the Rains brothers, youth, the Albemarle, whether or not Stonewall Jackson was a hypochondriac, the widow Fritchie, submarines, sex and the Civil War, atrocities, the human side of Robert E. Lee, and so on. As a book this volume is wildly inconsistent in tone, as it shifts from a high-minded discussion about documentary evidence concerning the health of generals to a salacious discussion about the ubiquity of prostitutes and women of low virtue in the armies to a praise of military technology and its development. One does not really know where the author is going to go from one chapter to another, and whether the discussion will include often-forgotten sources of a high degree of historical value or whether they will include unsubstantiated rumors which are in fact inaccurate. There simply is no way to tell.
It should go without saying that this book is not a scholarly reference about the Civil War or the sort of book that a professor or even high school teacher would consider worthwhile as a reference material. If one is reading this book for entertainment and is not offended by the author's pro-rebel boosterism, then this book can be read with at least some enjoyment, but one should temper one's expectations and not demand too much from it. The lack of citations means that the quality of the author's sources is impossible to tell even when, as is sometimes the case, the author himself comments that he did a great deal of original research to find obscure and neglected areas of Civil War technology to recount. Since the book isn't too long and the bias is not nearly as offensive as is sometimes the case, I still found this book to be at least moderately amusing and slightly enjoyable, as I tend to be somewhat hostile to pro-Southern writings. Even so, most readers will probably be a good deal less picky about such matters than I am, and probably more interested in the author's fascination with prostitutes and dueling and people hiding out trying to escape capture.
[1] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...
The oddities and curiosities of this book, which is between 200 and 250 pages and was published in 1960, are divided into various chapters according to the whim of the author. The chapters deal with firsts, with divided families, with areas of special interest to the writer--Abraham Lincoln's beard, the grammar of Nathan Bedford Forrest, the machine gun, riots, the Rains brothers, youth, the Albemarle, whether or not Stonewall Jackson was a hypochondriac, the widow Fritchie, submarines, sex and the Civil War, atrocities, the human side of Robert E. Lee, and so on. As a book this volume is wildly inconsistent in tone, as it shifts from a high-minded discussion about documentary evidence concerning the health of generals to a salacious discussion about the ubiquity of prostitutes and women of low virtue in the armies to a praise of military technology and its development. One does not really know where the author is going to go from one chapter to another, and whether the discussion will include often-forgotten sources of a high degree of historical value or whether they will include unsubstantiated rumors which are in fact inaccurate. There simply is no way to tell.
It should go without saying that this book is not a scholarly reference about the Civil War or the sort of book that a professor or even high school teacher would consider worthwhile as a reference material. If one is reading this book for entertainment and is not offended by the author's pro-rebel boosterism, then this book can be read with at least some enjoyment, but one should temper one's expectations and not demand too much from it. The lack of citations means that the quality of the author's sources is impossible to tell even when, as is sometimes the case, the author himself comments that he did a great deal of original research to find obscure and neglected areas of Civil War technology to recount. Since the book isn't too long and the bias is not nearly as offensive as is sometimes the case, I still found this book to be at least moderately amusing and slightly enjoyable, as I tend to be somewhat hostile to pro-Southern writings. Even so, most readers will probably be a good deal less picky about such matters than I am, and probably more interested in the author's fascination with prostitutes and dueling and people hiding out trying to escape capture.
[1] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...
July 30, 2025
I guess it is just like the book suggests, strange and fascinating facts about the Civil War.
One of the many different things I learned was the true meaning of word Dixie, which is a bit of Franco-American slang. It had become a universal nickname for the South long before the war; and the origin came from money.
"Unlike many Southern banks, the prospering Creole financial houses of New Orleans dealt at par; their notes were traded at face value, and no deductions were made or asked in the brisk trade which came downriver into the gay Louisiana city.
The most popular of these bank notes was a ten-dollar bill. Its French heritage was clear in the cheery legend on each corner: "Dix." To unlettered tradesmen, stevedores and boatmen, these bills were only "Dixies," and as their soundness became known in the great river basin, the lower South became "Dixieland," and the term was familiar on the exotic landscape of the waterway and its commerce."
One of the many different things I learned was the true meaning of word Dixie, which is a bit of Franco-American slang. It had become a universal nickname for the South long before the war; and the origin came from money.
"Unlike many Southern banks, the prospering Creole financial houses of New Orleans dealt at par; their notes were traded at face value, and no deductions were made or asked in the brisk trade which came downriver into the gay Louisiana city.
The most popular of these bank notes was a ten-dollar bill. Its French heritage was clear in the cheery legend on each corner: "Dix." To unlettered tradesmen, stevedores and boatmen, these bills were only "Dixies," and as their soundness became known in the great river basin, the lower South became "Dixieland," and the term was familiar on the exotic landscape of the waterway and its commerce."
July 5, 2021
This sketchy book consists of short essays about odds and ends collected over the years by Davis. Some are mildly amusing, some merely lists of names or numbers. Having profitably read one of his histories and two of his biographies previously, I had expected a bit more polish.
Davis is an historian of the Civil War from a southern perspective. This particular collection appeared originally in 1960 and is notable for how it doesn't even mention slavery as an issue. Blacks appear occasionally, sometimes with the North, sometimes with the South, sometimes free, sometimes in bondage, but with no more notice than given the ethnic backgrounds of some of the white figures.
Being facts without context, this slight volume may offers a few amusements to the Civil War buff. Lacking documentation, however, it would be of little use to the serious student.
Davis is an historian of the Civil War from a southern perspective. This particular collection appeared originally in 1960 and is notable for how it doesn't even mention slavery as an issue. Blacks appear occasionally, sometimes with the North, sometimes with the South, sometimes free, sometimes in bondage, but with no more notice than given the ethnic backgrounds of some of the white figures.
Being facts without context, this slight volume may offers a few amusements to the Civil War buff. Lacking documentation, however, it would be of little use to the serious student.
December 11, 2024
This may have been among the first "strange facts of the Civil War" books written, by old-school historian Burke Davis. If readers are familiar with Davis' work, they know what to expect - loosely written narratives, slightly pro-Southern, on a conversational, not rigorously academic, level. One reviewer unkindly described this book as full of "mildly interesting" facts - I think that a little harsh. These short bite-sized narratives are interesting if not overwhelmingly shocking. Not every book on the Civil War has to be super serious and this one keeps the reader's attention sufficiently to make it work a quick scan.
July 21, 2022
The title says what this book is. Don't expect a narrative or point of view here. It was a collection of interesting facts and stories each lasting a short paragraph. Quick to get through. The conspiracy section at the end was a bit confusing. Nathan Bedford Forrest was a dick and should not be applauded under any conditions. There was nothing positive about that man.
June 5, 2019
Perhaps a more appropriate name for the book would be The Civil War: Strange & Fascinating but Only Sometimes Mildly Interesting Facts. Parts were good, and parts made me wonder why anyone would want to know that.
May 25, 2023
Strange, yes. Fascinating, not really, since most are unsubstantiated or disputed. For writers it may hold tidbits to stir the imagination, but to Civil War buffs, it is an odd collection that doesn’t add much verified information.
July 4, 2023
Parts of the book I knew to be true. Other parts I knew to be false. This left me not knowing how accurate the remainder of the book really is. The author even admits he made no efforts to document the stories told.
September 10, 2023
Book was filled with a lot of short stories and facts on topics relating to the war, but not much depth on any of them. The book didn’t seem to “flow” well from one subject to the other, and didn’t hold my interest; hence, it took a while for me to get the ogling the book.
April 10, 2018
was an entertaining read.
September 23, 2019
I got bogged down with the descriptions of the guns, submarines, etc.
August 28, 2020
Unique facts that no one thinks about pertaining to the civil war.
October 11, 2021
3.5 stars - fun book.
June 2, 2022
Enjoyed the book . I learned some things I haven’t read about before.
March 10, 2023
Very much enjoyed the more obscure facts of the civil war. Easy to read and interesting.
March 6, 2025
Interesting, but no rhyme or reason to the chapters.
March 31, 2025
Would be a good bathroom reader with some random
Facts
Facts
February 20, 2013
I bought a used copy of The Civil War: Strange & Fascinating Facts by Burke Davis, because it sounded like it had the potential of being a very interesting read. I was not disappointed. It was entertaining and a great source of Civil War trivia. The book consists of 38 chapters including Firsts, Mr. Lincoln’s Beard, The Machine Gun, Imported Warriors, Riots on the Home Front, Was Stonewall Jackson a Hypochondriac?, Spies at Work, and Sex in the Civil War. I found in the Sex in the Civil War chapter something that pertained to Steven Spielberg’s recent award winning “Lincoln.” Near the end of the movie Thaddeus Stevens is shown going home, taking off his wig, and climbing in bed with his black mistress. Well, I found a mention of this in Burke’s book. He wrote, “There was talk of the Abolitionist leader, Thaddeus Stevens, and his handsome quadroon housekeeper, Lydia Smith, or ‘Mrs. Stevens,’ the widow of a Negro barber from Gettysburg – a case in which an investigator finds no supporting documents.” Who was this investigator? Unfortunately Burke uses no footnotes. This is the book’s greatest fault. One can get a rough idea of his sources through his acknowledgements and bibliography, but will not be able to track down a specific fact. Equally frustrating is that the book does not contain an index.
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December 8, 2023I bought this book at some kind of book fair when I was a kid. I think quite possibly at a school library fair in elementary school. This was about the time I first read Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith and was reading a lot about the Civil War, especially novels where kids were the protagonists. I probably read this book a dozen times as a kid, and I am reading it again for the first time in 25 years probably.
Well, you can imagine then a book written by a North Carolina writer who is clearly not really holding himself accountable to any greater since of reflection about the Civil War, and basically I don't think this book gets published by a major press today (to be fair, it wasn't printed by a major press back then either). It's an artifact of a time, and it talks about the Civil War with no critical eye at all. It's a collection of facts about the war, presented with for casual reading and certainly hits at no depths. It's not explicitly offensive, it's not that kind of book, but, well for example, slavery is not mentioned for the first 100 pages at least. Imagine writing about the Civil War and not even mentioning slavery. It's fully drenched in Lost Cause nonsense, and well, this was likely the last reread.
Well, you can imagine then a book written by a North Carolina writer who is clearly not really holding himself accountable to any greater since of reflection about the Civil War, and basically I don't think this book gets published by a major press today (to be fair, it wasn't printed by a major press back then either). It's an artifact of a time, and it talks about the Civil War with no critical eye at all. It's a collection of facts about the war, presented with for casual reading and certainly hits at no depths. It's not explicitly offensive, it's not that kind of book, but, well for example, slavery is not mentioned for the first 100 pages at least. Imagine writing about the Civil War and not even mentioning slavery. It's fully drenched in Lost Cause nonsense, and well, this was likely the last reread.
July 21, 2012
Fun to read, but be warned...
...you had better be up on your Civil War basics before attempting to read this book. It assumes that the reader is well aware of the main battles, campaigns, personalities and relative strengths and weaknesses of both the North and the South.
As the title suggests, the book is primarily a collection of facts and oddball "did you know?" type of stories that are not really intended to re-tell the story of the Civil War but are mostly aimed at people who know the story fairly well and are looking for some new stories (in my case, these are new stories I can use to bore my wife in new and different ways with the Civil War).
There's bound to be something new in here for everyone but the hardest of the hard core Civil War aficionados. Well-written, breezy, although oftentimes disjointed and random.
This book is also published under the titles Our Incredible Civil War and The Incredible Civil War by the same author.
http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/
...you had better be up on your Civil War basics before attempting to read this book. It assumes that the reader is well aware of the main battles, campaigns, personalities and relative strengths and weaknesses of both the North and the South.
As the title suggests, the book is primarily a collection of facts and oddball "did you know?" type of stories that are not really intended to re-tell the story of the Civil War but are mostly aimed at people who know the story fairly well and are looking for some new stories (in my case, these are new stories I can use to bore my wife in new and different ways with the Civil War).
There's bound to be something new in here for everyone but the hardest of the hard core Civil War aficionados. Well-written, breezy, although oftentimes disjointed and random.
This book is also published under the titles Our Incredible Civil War and The Incredible Civil War by the same author.
http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/
August 15, 2013
The other book I was reading was soooooo ill-writen I picked this up to read as a quick "shot in the arm". As per the description/review cited "Wonderfully entertaining look at some intriguing oddities, unusual incidents, and colorful personalities connected with the Civil War"; that covers it very well. A great read when consistant interuption may occur as the each chapter deals with a topic, with near each paragraph a new or differing fact; perfect for "Stop and Go" reading.
As noted by another reader, you'd best have some knowledge of the Civil War as the author appears to write with this assumption. In general, good information is given however at times the numbers he references between the North and South are either not related and seem to be just filler. Overall, still a good read for the Civil War buff with good facts.
As noted by another reader, you'd best have some knowledge of the Civil War as the author appears to write with this assumption. In general, good information is given however at times the numbers he references between the North and South are either not related and seem to be just filler. Overall, still a good read for the Civil War buff with good facts.
November 14, 2008
This would be interesting to anyone who enjoys reading about history. It is mentioned that the Civil War begins in a gentleman's yard and then ends in the yard of his new house. Some soldiers might have brother-in-laws who fought for the other side.An Army private got $11 a month but a free slave in Virginia got $30 a month. A young Confederate officer was fatally shot on the same horse that his three brothers were killed on. These are but a few of the very interesting facts.
October 28, 2012
As someone who is interested in the Civil War but no means a Civil War buff, I found this book to be very interesting. It covers many stories and facts that I had not found anywhere else in my reading. Each chapter was a stand alone story so it was easy to pick up the book for a short read. I especially appreciated its focus on numerous technological innovations done at the time. Unfortunately the book has a very small bibliography and no footnotes.
July 19, 2013
An interesting collection of anecdotes about the Civil War. I liked the section about the bystanders (including Louisa May Alcott). There were a ton of names which may not be many other places easily accessible to the public at large. This book is a few years out of date, so some of the edge may have been lost, but I felt there was a lot of research behind this story an I enjoyed the personal touches in this work.
December 1, 2013
A collection of trivia, mostly outdated at that.
The most useful thing about the book is that it confirmed that I've read a lot about the Civil War and can now spot omissions and mistakes.
I guess I got some useful factoids, but the view of history in this book is not holding up to modern scrutiny very well.
The most useful thing about the book is that it confirmed that I've read a lot about the Civil War and can now spot omissions and mistakes.
I guess I got some useful factoids, but the view of history in this book is not holding up to modern scrutiny very well.
June 30, 2014
The book is exactly what it says, short stories of the civil war. For me, this wasn't a book to read in one sitting but rather off and on when one has 10-15 minutes to kill. The stories were interested and easy to follow. I really enjoyed the one of the submarine and wondered how the caption kept finding new crews to sink.
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April 20, 2016This is one of those books wherein I read a chapter and put it down and come back to it later. It took a few weeks to finish. Almost anything written about the Civil War is worth reading. Interesting information and some fact correcting. For example, Grant's alleged alcohol consumption was exaggerated but he did have a problem with alcohol. I enjoyed the book for the most part.
April 11, 2010
It's a great book for anyone interested in the Civil War. There are plenty of stories that you might have heard, and even more of those that you might not have (for example, 'The Machine Gun', 'Imported Warriors', or 'Lincoln's Subs').
June 15, 2012
This book presents a number of chapters which focus on several pinnacle events and people of the Civil War. Burke Davis grants readers an enjoyable experience as they learn about some lesser known points concerning the Union and Confederates.
Currently reading
June 20, 2008The cival war..some new facts and some obscure ones too.
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