Civil War Curiosities: Strange Stories, Oddities, Events, and Coincidences

by Webb B. Garrison

True stories of unusual happenings during the civil war. In 1861, Wilmer McLean, distressed that a cannon ball crashed through his home during the battle of Bull Run, moved to a farm where "the sound of battle would never again reach him and his family." Almost four years later, McLean's Appomattox Court House home was used for Lee's surrender to Grant. There wasn't damage from cannon balls, but souvenir-hunting Union officers left McLean's parlor bare of furniture. After the Confederacy was defeated, Jefferson Davis was stripped of his citizenship. He died as a man without a country. His citizenship was restored by Congress during the administration of Georgian Jimmy Carter. Three members of the Guillet family were killed while riding the same horse, which was then given to the Ohio Ninety-eighth regiment. Three officers were killed while riding the same horse. Lieutenant Milliner, the senior officer left on the field, then jumped on the jinxed horse. He escaped death, but suffered all his life from an arm shatterred by a minie ball while he was in the saddle. Civil War Curiosities uncovers those unusual persons, attitudes, and events that take you beyond a textbook understanding of the Civil War. A collection of fascinating anecdotes and colorful stories, this book covers a wide variety of subjects, including "newfangled" weapons that changed the nature of war, the press' outrageous inaccuracy in covering the conflict, the phenomenon of "silent battles, " and various disguises, atrocities, and mix-ups.

Genres: History, Civil War, Nonfiction, American Civil War, American History, War, Military Fiction

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Webb Garrison, formerly associate dean of Emory University and president of McKendree College, wrote more than 55 books. Before his death in 2000, Garrison lived in Lake Junaluska, North Carolina.

Reviews

[Keith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Of all the books, I've ever read on the Civil War, this book is one of them. Webb Garrison takes a collection of random facts that he found in primary and secondary sources that he had never heard before, categorized them into broad chapters and then made lists out of them. The entire book is almost entirely short blurbs that tend to get repetitive. Every once in a while there is a nugget that makes the reader want to know more - which s/he doesn't get because Garrison has already moved on. I finished this book out of sheer stubbornness. I seldom put a book aside after I have started it, but I was tempted.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me longer to read this than I expected it to. I think it's because Garrison hasn't written a straightforward, chronological history of odd and little-known events in the Civil War, but has divided it up into chapters with different themes. While interesting, I found that I had to read a chapter or two and then stop and think. Many of the tidbits and trivia here are about people and events no one has ever heard of, but, as Garrison says in the conclusion, "...it is hard to escape the conclusion that each event and every person was significant. So viewed, many of the 'curiosities' briefly treated in this volume loom to sudden and perhaps crucial importance." ( page 266).

Judging from the bibliography, Garrison found much of this information in primary sources, such as letters, diaries, and eyewitness accounts. I've read a lot about the Civil War; nevertheless I learned something here. I learned that, though black soldiers were eventually allowed to enlist in both armies, they generally were not allowed to fight, but instead were put to tasks around camp. I found the chapter on silent battles fascinating. People quite close to battles sometimes would be able to see the action in the distance but could not hear anything. Also, battles could sometimes be heard hundreds of miles away, but not seen. I'd love to know what modern physics/weather knowledge has to say about that. The chapter on how various people described Lincoln's physical appearance made me wish I could go back in time and see him for myself. There were chapters on the role of women and the clergy, on horses and regimental mascots, hostage-taking (new to me as a Civil War practice), weapons invented for the war, the significance of the flag in battle, and the sometimes humorous hatreds that existed between officers. Another chapter that intrigued me was the one about how, at the beginning of the war, soldiers on both sides were often ill-equipped for battle, with old, outmoded weapons and uniforms of all varieties of styles and colors. "...many analysts later concluded that had U.S. authorities purchased all available foreign-made [better working] rifles at the outbreak of hostilities, the Civil War would have been shortened by two or perhaps even three years." ( page 139).

Garrison has written a second book of this type which I'd now like to read. Recommended for Civil War buffs.

[Donovan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for Civil War buffs that know a lot about all the major and minor characters,battles,politics, etc..., of the war and still want to read more. There are hundreds of unusual and, mostly, interesting facts about the war ranging from animals used to women in battle. This is not a book that you want to sit down and read in a few sittings, it's best used like an encyclopedia or other fact book where you only visit it for short periods of time. I can't give it 5 stars because there are several items that I just really could not care less about. Luckily, those are relatively few and far between and I would recommend this to anyone that is well-versed in Civil War history but is always on the lookout for new and interesting facts surrounding the war.

[Jessica Sedgwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting little book. Parts were a bit long-winded and the writing made what should've been an interesting tidbit read more like a math book.
This is a good book to use as a way to start a conversation or to give a random fact instead of some small talk about the weather. I just wish it was written with a little more...pizzazz. All in all, this was a smart book, an interesting read, and a nice collection of anecdotes.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun collection of odd facts from the civil war. Took a long time to read in part because I almost needed to take breaks to keep it fresh. Even though the facts were grouped, I still would reach a point where I thought ‘Need a break.’ I am a history buff but still found facts included here that I didn’t know.

[Sheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

In one sense a collection of trivia organized by subject, but in another sense some of these rarely-discussed occurrences may've had a major impact on history, while others are fascinating mysteries (the "silent" battles chapter).

Not something I'd sit down and read cover-to-cover, but entertaining, and full of useful tidbits to annoy travel companions with.

[Margret · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun book to read. This book has interesting facts and one of my favorite chapter Civil War Critters talks about interesting facts with their mascots. I recommend this book if you like to know more about the Civil War.

[Dennis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of like history mcnuggets, all short bits, no more than a paragraph. Many of the items are just weird or interesting, but there are also some topics that aren't widely covered, but worth some thought and analysis (the use of hostages during the war, for example).

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the way the book was broken down into specific informational chapters.

There were some times when I was confused which unit was being discussed; Union or Confederate.

Overall, very interesting.

[Steve Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun collection of tales of the Civil War that informs to a point. Much of what the author writes strikes me as legendary, and he doesn’t take pains to point that out. It’s worth reading though.

[Nathan Woll · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice facts, but poorly portrayed. There are so many better books of this type that exist.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating tidbits that humanize and complicate how we understand the Civil War.

[Joseph Knowles · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this in high school (or maybe college), but don’t remember much about it other than that. Silent battles and phantom battles and bullets colliding in mid-air, but that’s about it.

[Milton Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent coverage of the “other” stories. The horrors of war are clearly seen in this volume - along with the minutia that is not generally newsworthy.

[Aaron Horton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting book. If you are into the Civil War. You might like this book.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recommend this book if you like to know more about the Civil War.

[Michelle Wyche · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book because I am a history fanatic and ya. I learned some things I didnt know and other facts were reiterated.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the sub title of the book states, this is a book of "Strange Stories, Oddities, Events, and Coincidences" during the Civil War. Examples include Sam and Keith Blalock who joined the 26th North Carolina Regiment telling others they were distantly related. It was many months of fighting before it was discovered that "Sam" was really Malinda, Keith's wife, who decided to go to war with her husband. Or that, 3 members of the Guillet family were killed riding the same horse as the horse was willed to the next family member, after 3 deaths, the horse was retired. And, in 1861, the battle of Bull Run was so close to Wilmer McLean's house that he vowed to move to where the war wouldn't reach his family. Then in 1865, McLean's Appomatox Court House home was taken over for Lee's surrender to Grant.

The book is well researched and very interesting but it doesn't have a continuity except for the chapter titles i.e"No Two Military Events Were Identical" or "Memorable Major Players". Within the chapters it bounces from one story that may be at Gettysburg to the next paragraph being at Shiloh which for me meant having to change mental gears as to where each event was, the dates, and circumstances of why it happened when it did.

[Christie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is estimated that 623,000 soldiers died during the Civil War.

Civil War Curiosities examines the strange, coincidental, and downright mind-boggling events of the American Civil War. Told through short vignettes and illustrated by sketches and photographs of the time, there will be much here that even the most informed Civil War scholar can learn from.

I enjoyed this book and learned quite a bit, especially about hostage taking on both sides of the conflict which I had never really read about anywhere else. The short vignette style of writing irritated me a bit in the beginning, as I felt like I was just reading a bunch of tiny paragraphs that did not relate to each other, but as the book went on things were more fleshed out than they were in the beginning and I enjoyed the book much more.

I would recommend this book to those already familiar with the basic facts of the conflict and the major battles. If this is your first introduction to Civil War history it can be very confusing and hard to keep everything straight. If you are a Civil War history buff like me though, you will probably find much in this book that is new and interesting.

[La Haynes · Rating 3 out of 5]

As titled, the book is full of curiosities. Because of the brevity of the snippets, and the number of people and places, it took several chapters before I committed to finish the book. I’m glad I did. I have a much better picture of the horrors and devastation of this war specifically, and all war in general. Also recognized many locations my family has been, but didn’t bother to study the Civil War history. So these oddities have piqued my curiosity to dig in and study a few. Either the #PeninsulaCampaign where we formerly lived, #Chickamauga, where my ggf was killed, or #sharpshooters since there were a couple in the family. Also reading about a Southern female spy in northern Mississippi (A Lost Heroine of the Confederacy: The Diaries and Letters of Belle Edmondson)

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a beginning Civil War history buff, I would rate this book as "ok". It contains some interesting bits of information that you can't get anywhere else, generally organized by topic. It was easy to start and stop reading since it was organized in small chunks within a topic. On the downside, a minor aggravation was that the organizing topics were so broad it was sometimes seemed disjointed when you moved from one item within a topic to the next. More concerning, only a selected bibliography was included, so it would be difficult to validate any particular bit of information by consulting the source.

[RJ Koch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Large print. Gave me an overview of the Civil War. divided country. Similar to today? Learning more about Lincoln since watching the Spielberg movie. Much to learn. Lots about slaves in here, much very disturbing. Why was it "strange" to be a radical like ___________ Stevens from Vermont, played by Tommy Lee Jones in the Lincoln movie. Wouldn't I have been an abolitionist back then? Why wasn't Abe? Not politically viable?

[Debra Jeakins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been a Civil War buff for many many moons and enjoy finding new facts and views about it. This book provided that. It's chocked full of interesting tidbits that you don't find out about unless you happen across a book like this. For example: Lincoln was shot then moved to an apartment near the theater. The very room in which he lay dying in was once used by John Wilkes Booth the man who killed him!

[Bev Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book to read following "In the Presence of Mine Enemies". It covers a wide variety of interesting oddities and facts of the Civil War such as: unusual people, events, attitudes, new weapons of the time, animals involvement and many more interesting bits of trivia. An easy and fun read for you readers that like history.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though this book offers many interesting stories that are great to share with students, friends, etc, I do not find it added to my knowledge of the civil war as I would have wanted. Perhaps I am more interested in longer, more fleshed out stories than quick tales. If this wasn't a gift, I wouldn't have bought it and might not have read it either.

[Rikelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoy reading about the civil war. This book was interesting and had lots of stories that I have never heard of. My only problem is that the author did not give enough details in each little story. Sometimes it was difficult to understand the little vignette of each story.

[Chandler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice summary of the war, not so much in the facts everyone knows from textbooks, but all the misc. facts you would never hear of outside a really intense game of Trivial Pursuit. Good read for those that have read it all already concerning the war between the states.

[Scott L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad little book. Some interesting stories; a serious student of the American Civil War would find some of the factual errors in the book to be disconcerting. Fortunately there are not many of these, and overall the book is well-written enough to keep the reader's interest.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thousands of small quotes and short stories on the characters, behavior, laws, prices, pay plans of the civil war era.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting.