Sensationalized history can be credited with inspiring generations of truth-seeking experts and enthusiasts. The tragedy of the Johnstown Flood was an oft-exploited event as writers and publishers hawked hastily written articles in original form or pirated collections. Where many of the articles lacked fact, they were rife with exaggeration and imagination. James Herbert Walker published one of the very first of these books, The Johnstown Horror, a pamphlet of some 40 pages. Experts cite the book as being sold in New York within a week of the disaster. Though the structure suggests the stories were gathered at rail stations in an apparent journey to the site, there has been debate whether Walker ever traveled to Johnstown. Yet the collection features accounts that do not appear in other publications following the flood. Later, expanded editions swelled to over four hundred pages and included well-crafted woodcuts. As the flood occurred near the end of the nineteenth century, the engraved drawings are often generously labeled as remnants of Victorian art. It is not clear whether the inclusion of the cuts was an aesthetic or monetary decision, considering the period's developments in photography. The final, massive collection of individual stories makes the book memorable, ranging from the accusations levied against wealthy Pittsburgh industrialists to the emergence of the Red Cross. So many unique details and personal chronicles capture the frantic mentality of a town, state, and nation trying to make sense of natural and yet not-so-natural disaster.

The Johnstown Horror!!!: Or Valley of Death, Being a Complete and Thrilling Account of the Awful Floods and Their Appalling Ruin

Walker, James H.

Literature & Fiction

Metalmark

<p>383pp - Map - Illustrated - Full Name Index - The authors provide a thorough listing of 1,648 men who belonged to the 28th Alabama Confederate Infantry Regiment during the Civil War, and vividly describe the gallant men's lives before, during and after the conflict. The regiment was composed of ten companies of men, recruited from eight central Alabama counties: Blount, Dallas, Jefferson, Marshall, Perry, Shelby, Talladega and Walker. Some of the men were from plantations in the wealthy "black belt" region of Alabama, while others were from poor "one mule farms" from the hill country of the state. This work includes the diary of Captain Isaac McAdory, who recorded the day-by-day activities of the regiment and its participation in seven major battles and numerous skirmishes from the time of its organization in 1862 until its surrender in 1865. One of the strangest occurrences in modern military history was to fall upon the regiment when General Braxton Bragg had two of its members assassinated by firing squad for going AWOL. By the time the Civil War ended, 529 men from this regiment had been hospitalized, 395 had become prisoners of war, and 403 had lost their lives in battle. The first third of the book gives the background and organizational history of the regiment and a photograph of its battle flag of silk, designed by the renowned artist Nicola Marshall, who also designed the original Confederate battle flag. The bulk of the book is an appendix which summarizes the men's service records, and hospital and death records, and presents a glossary of medical terms, biographical sketches, and census records of many of their families. An everyname index completes the work. As a historian and genealogist, James Walker has presented a work from which researchers, historians and Civil War buffs will greatly benefit, while getting to know the remarkable men, those gallant men, of the 28th Alabama Confederate Infantry Regiment.</p>

Those Gallant Men of the Twenty-Eighth Alabama Confederate Infantry Regiment

History

Americas

Heritage Books, Inc.

<p>As Indians lands in Alabama became available to white settlers, thousands of land-hungry families poured in to the wilderness. This is the story about people who settled in Roupes Valley, A place often called "The Garden Spot of the World." It is the story of the Courageous Pioneer, the Timorous Outlaw, the Minister of the Gospel, the Doctor, the Poor Man who had nothing, & the Man of Wealth & Prosperity. This remarkable book contains the story of Daniel Hillman & his discovery of the rich iron ore deposits in the valley; the construction of historic Tannehill Iron Works & their destruction by Federal Forces during the Civil War. As the pioneer families came to settle in Roupes Valley, they brought their moral beliefs, their educational processes, & their skills which were characteristic of the culture they had left behind. With these they built an environment based upon a great devotion to their home, church, & school. In this order, they devoted time to each & in turn these became the social institutions which would lay the foundations for our way of life in America today. To order: Instant Heirloom Books, 5866 Hamilton Road, McCalla, AL 35111.</p>

Roupes Valley: A history of the pioneer settlement of Roupes Valley which is located in Tuscaloosa and Jefferson Counties, Alabama, from Along the Huntsville Road

Reference

Instant Heirloom Books

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Walker, James H.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Walker, James H.