Benton Rain Patterson

Lincoln's most controversial generals--his so-called "political generals"--were appointed, promoted or kept in service for political purposes without regard for their competence. "It seems but little better than murder," the Army's general in chief, Henry Halleck, protested, "to give important commands to such men." The book shows these seven generals--Butler, Banks, Sigel, Fremont, McClernand, Hurlbut and Wallace--in action, allowing readers to decide for themselves if Halleck was right in his withering assessment of Lincoln's political generals.

Dramatically and authentically, using eyewitness accounts where possible, this book recounts the final 13 months of the Civil War, a year in which a new U.S. Army general in chief was appointed, a new course for the war was charted, a massive new campaign was begun, the abolition of slavery was confirmed by the re-election of Abraham Lincoln, and the course of history was altered by the assassination of America's most revered president. It was the year that the United States won the final battle and the year that the sundered nation was reunited. The book describes those events and the key figures in them.

Telling the story of the Civil War's Mississippi River Campaign through the experiences of leading officers, ordinary soldiers, and civilians, this book explains how the river campaign came to be one of the key tenets of the Union's strategy and a fundamental contributor to the war's ultimate outcome. It describes the Union's drive down the Mississippi River from Cairo, Illinois, the drive up the river from the Gulf of Mexico, and the capturing of key cities and rebel fortifications along the way, including New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Memphis, Vicksburg, and finally, Port Hudson, Louisiana. The text is supplemented with 24 historical photographs from the Library of Congress and the National Archives.

Running from New Orleans to St. Louis in the summer of 1870, the race between the Robert E. Lee and the Natchez remains the world's most famous steamboat race. This book tells the story of the dramatic contest, which was won by the stripped-down, cargoless Robert E. Lee after three days, 18 hours, and 14 minutes of steaming through day, night and fog. The Natchez finished the race only hours later, having been delayed by carrying her normal load and tying up overnight because of the intense fog. Providing details on not only the race narrative but also on the boats themselves, the book gives an intimate look at the majestic vessels that conquered the country's greatest waterway and defined the bravado of 19th-century America.

In December of 1814, American forces led by Major General Andrew Jackson moved into the city of New Orleans. For the next six weeks, Jackson's ragtag troops of militiamen, free blacks, Indians, and pirates furiously defended the city against Britain's elite army, led by Lieutenant General Sir Edward Pakenham. In the bloody confrontation of the two armies, the American underdog army decisively defeated Sir Edward Pakenham's British troops. The Generals tells the dramatic story of the battle between Andrew Jackson and Sir Edward Pakenham for the "booty and beauty" of New Orleans in the winter of 1814-1815. The Battle of New Orleans was the last battle in the War of 1812, which cost Pakenham his life and propelled Andrew Jackson into the national prominence that would eventually lead to his presidency. The Generals provides a detailed and intimate look at both the personal and professional lives of Jackson and Pakenham, demonstrating how their paths twisted and turned until they inevitably met each other on the battlefield outside of New Orleans.Benton Rain Patterson leads readers through the captivating tale of a central battle in American military history and subsequently brings the biographies of these two great generals into full light.

Washington and Cornwallis is a gripping narrative of the defeats and narrow victories that won the States' independence from the English crown. Patterson chronicles the battles waged between General George Washington and Lieutenant General Charles Lord Cornwallis, and examines their methods of command and their controversial military decisions, and ultimately brings into focus the personalities of these two pivotal Revolutionary War generals.

Harold and William is a dramatic reconstruction of the story of two rivals-Harold, Earl of Wessex and William, Duke of Normandy- in their bitter and bloody battle for control and destiny of the English crown.

Packed with specific how-tos, examples and illustrations, The Editor in Chief vividly presents the guiding principles of editorial management. Authors Patterson and Patterson combine their extensive publishing and management expertise to update and enrich this best selling text, providing help and insight to future and present journalists working in the editorial department of a magazine. New to this edition is a chapter on one of the most popular and fastest growing areas of magazine publishing - online publishing. Readers will learn about e-zines, and online editions of printing magazines: Launching Funding Organizing a staff Increasing readership Aimed at students interested in careers as magazine editors and at novice working editors seeking to produce better magazines, The Editor in Chief, 2nd Edition prepares budding professionals for the arduous, but rewarding, task of magazine management

Adramatic reconstruction of the story of two rivalsHarold Godwinson (c.10221066), Earl of Wessex, and William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy (10271087)in their bitter and bloody battle for the crown and the destiny of England."