Best of
History

1904

The Defence of Duffer's Drift


Ernest Dunlop Swinton - 1904
    But what have not changed very much are the concepts of small unit tactics: Ground is held, buildings are searched, and individual enemy combatants are killed or captured by men with rifles. And those men are led by NCOs and junior officers.The Defence of Duffers Drift is a fictional account of a young, inexperienced British officer, who is tasked with holding a river crossing with 50 troops against a larger enemy force. His initial failures and eventual victory serve as an entertaining and instructive vehicle to convey the principles of small unit tactics. Because it deals with principles, this definitive work has endured to this day and is still on some of the required reading lists of the U.S. Army and Marine Corps

Life of Tom Horn: Government Scout and Interpreter


Tom Horn - 1904
     Tom Horn awaits execution for the murder of fourteen-year-old boy. He writes this memoir. Tom Horn was born in Missouri, in 1860. His parents, who were deeply religious, regularly beat him – on one occasion leaving him laid up in the family barn, where he needed a week to recover. Their attempts to beat him into submission soon ended when aged just fourteen years old, he left home and headed West. With $11 in his pocket after selling his rifle, and nothing to stay for after his beloved dog had been shot, young farm boy Tom Horn travelled through Kansas and reached Santa Fe in 1874. Horn went on to become many things. He was to become a pivotal figure in the cattle business, making a name for himself amid growing hostility between cattle barons and settlers as a government scout and interpreter for Generals Wilcox, Crook and Miles in the Apache wars. He was assistant to the infamous Al Sieber, Chief of Scouts, and was known as the ‘King of Cowboys’. He was a Pinkerton, a cowboy, a range detective and a gunman with potentially lethal ability – yet he was well respected and known as a gentleman who was true to his word. In this account of his life, he recounts the shocking events that led to his imprisonment for the murder a fourteen year old boy. It was a crime for which he was hanged in 1904, and many think he was wrongly accused. Life of Tom Horn is a compelling western and a story of guilt, innocence and justice amongst the Apache Wars. Tom Horn (1860-1903) was a US Army Scout, Pinkerton, cowboy, detective and assassin. He wrote his memoirs whilst in jail for a murder. His innocence is still debated.

The Recollections and Letters of General Robert E. Lee (Civil War Library)


Robert E. Lee - 1904
    His letters reveal his personal warmth, bravery and concern for the South during and after the war. No other collection of source materials gives such a whole and rewarding picture of one of the South's greatest sons and heroes.

Three Years in the Klondike (1904)


Jeremiah Lynch - 1904
    He had, therefore, full opportunities of seeing the country and its life from various points of view. He has utilized his observations in an entertaining book. It is not — and does not pretend lo be — a scientific work, or technical in any sense. It gives, however, an excellent idea of conditions and ways of living in the Klondike at all seasons, and of the hardships which the pioneers had to undergo. Nothing but gold — the prospect of wealth — could induce men to live in such a climate, and to combat the many difficulties which it entails. Mr. Lynch, a Californian of means and position, arrived at Dawson in the summer of 1898. As the first discoveries of gold in the Klondike valley were made in August of 1896, Mr. Lynch found a mining town not two years old, unpaved and insanitary, crowded with adventurers of every nation, in fact still a typical “ tough" mining-camp, except that lawlessness and crime were sternly repressed by the vigilant Mounted Police. He spent the following winter in the town, making expeditions to the gold-bearing creeks, examining mines and studying the methods of working them. Early in the spring of 1899 he bought a claim which he believed would repay him and set himself at once to develop it thoroughly. During his stay he had seen Dawson transformed into a paved, sewaged, well built, well lighted city, and the streets, no longer thronged with rough-mannered miners and adventurers, had become the promenade of well dressed business men and ladies (real ladies !) intent on shopping. As one of the earliest of the new species of Klondike miner, he is able to give an account of the transition that took place, largely owing to the enterprise of men of his own stamp, and the book is an interesting addition to Klondike literature. Mr. Lynch's narrative is plainly written, in a way which leads one to believe in its substantial truth. It reads well, and brings out many points which will interest the miner, as well as the casual reader. He had confidence in the future of the country, and believed that it would hold a large population for many years, in spite of the drawbacks of climate.

The Confederate Cause and Conduct in the War Between the States


Hunter H. McGuire - 1904
    It exposes the misrepresentations of authors who write textbooks castigating the South, and recommends that these and such like books be vigorously and universally excluded from all schools and institutions of learning in all the states of the South. This work of defense for the South, begun with such ability by Dr. McGuire (Stonewall Jackson's personal physician) was devolved upon Judge George L. Christian, an honored soldier of the Confederacy, a lawyer of notable ability at the Richmond bar, and a writer of clearness, courage, and strength. Through seven years, from 1900 to 1907, he gave patient and faithful labor to painstaking research and most elaborate preparation of the five papers which are included in this volume. Beginning in 1900 with the right of secession as shown upon the testimony of Northern Statesmen and other authors, Judge Christian discusses in 1901 the war as conducted by the Federal and Confederate armies, again upon the testimony of Northern witnesses. In 1902 he reviews the treatment of prisoners of war, and the history of the exchange of prisoners. In 1907 he reverts to the serious question of where the responsibility rested for bringing on the sectional strife, with all its loss of life and wealth and all the unhappiness it spread over the broad land. One who went himself to battle so promptly and then suffered so much in all the years since, has had the fidelity to truth and the courage of heart to do his duty in the defense of his people and of the generations to come. To these official reports from the History Committee of the Grand Camp of Virginia are added two papers of similar force and value from the pen of Dr. McGuire. One is the magnificent address on Stonewall Jackson, delivered at the V. M. I. in 1897, an appreciation and study of the character and career of Jackson which no one else in the world was so well fitted to make. With this also is the paper of Dr. McGuire on the “Wounding and Death of Stonewall Jackson,” which has preserved for all time the story of which the author was himself a part and a witness, such a narrative as the great surgeon and friend could only himself give to the world. The publication of these papers had a wide-spread and powerful effect. They not only caused the exclusion of certain books from schools and colleges, and the preparation of truthful history for the use of the young. They corrected the mistaken views of many of our own people, and they went far and wide in every section of the land and to other lands. In large degree they have produced a better understanding of the great issues at stake, and have brought men of fair and large minds to recognize the fundamental justice of the cause of the South and the unselfish patriotism and lofty devotion of the men who filled the ranks, and the high character and great ability of many who led them.

The Geographical Pivot of History: Illustrated


Halford John Mackinder - 1904
    Mackinder, the founder of the school of geopolitics, called The Geographical Pivot of History was published in the Geographical Journal of the Royal Geographical Society. Mackinder's thesis argued that the coming of steam power, electricity and the railways was at last permitting continental nations to overcome the physical obstacles that had hampered their development in the past. In particular, the railway was enabling tsarist Russia to exploit its vast internal resources and to make strategic inroads in the far east and towards India that its imperial rival Great Britain could not counter. Land power was thus eroding the geopolitical advantages that had been enjoyed by the western sea powers. The rest of the 20th century bore witness to Mackinder's treatise.Formatted for Kindle readers and faithful to the 1904 publication, this primer in geopolitics is a spellbinding read. Have a "Look Inside".

War from the Inside The Story of the 132nd Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry in the War for the Suppression of the Rebellion, 1862-1863


Frederick Lyman Hitchcock - 1904
    You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

Walking Paris: Thirty Original Walks in and Around Paris


Gilles Desmons - 1904
    The French capital grew outward over the ages in concentric circles from the Ile de la Cite. Follow the author along the boulevards and avenues as he points out famous sights as well as unusual corners and hidden delights en route. His tour is rich in historical background, intriguing anecdotes, and tips on cafes and places to rest weary feet.

An American Primer: With Facsimiles of the Original Manuscript


Walt Whitman - 1904
    In these notes to a lecture never given, Whitman exhorts his readers to explore the potential of an original American language, to practice a great democracy of words: "words that would be welcomed by the nation, being of the national blood--words that would give that taste of identity and locality which is so dear to literature."

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back


Vladimir Lenin - 1904
    Lenin, Vol. 7, Fourth Russian Edition, prepared by the Institute of Marxism-Leninism of the C.C. C.P.S.U.Corrections have been made in accordance with the Fifth Russian Edition of the "Collected Works."

My Airships: The Story of My Life


Alberto Santos-Dumont - 1904
    He was the first man to succeed, not once but time after time, in leaving the ground, flying through the air to a place of his own choosing, and landing safely. Around the turn of the century he was the most prominent of all the early aviators, and his balloons, dirigibles and (later in his career) heavier-than-air craft were frequently to be seen in the air around his beloved city of Paris. His early experiments were in dirigible airships of his own design. After many failures, he built a dirigible that in 1901 won the Deutsch Prize, as well as a prize from the Brazilian government, for being the first to fly in a given time from Saint-Cloud to the Eiffel Tower and return. He wrote My Airships when he was 30 years old, in 1904. In it he tells of his childhood in Brazil, his early fascination with machinery and passion for the novels of Jules Verne, his early success in France as an enthusiastic automobilist, his first balloon ascent in 1893, his famous balloon Brazil, and the joys and trials of his first ten dirigibles (1898-1904). Referring to himself as "inventor, patron, manufacturer, amateur, mechanician and airship captain all united," he describes numerous hair-raising scrapes with death while navigating the air. Santos' reputation as an airplane designer was solidified by a machine he produced in 1909. The famous "Demoiselle" or "Grasshopper" monoplane, was the forerunner of the modern light plane. Santos eventually returned to Brazil where, depressed overthe use of aircraft in war, he committed suicide.

Through Flood and Flame


Henry Charles Moore - 1904
    

Caesar A Sketch


James Anthony Froude - 1904
    This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

The Dark Ages


W.P. Ker - 1904
    We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

Defending the Island A story of Bar Harbor in 1758


James Otis - 1904
    You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

Tequila: A Natural and Cultural History


Ana Guadalupe Valenzuela Zapata - 1904
    But they all share the same roots in Mesoamerica's natural bounty and human culture. The drink is tequila—more properly, mescal de tequila, the first mescal to be codified and recognized by its geographic origin and the only one known internationally by that name. In ¡Tequila! A Natural and Cultural History, Ana G. Valenzuela-Zapata, the leading agronomist in Mexico's tequila industry, and Gary Paul Nabhan, one of America's most respected ethnobotanists, plumb the myth of tequila as they introduce the natural history, economics, and cultural significance of the plants cultivated for its production. Valenzuela-Zapata and Nabhan take you into the agave fields of Mexico to convey their passion for the century plant and its popular by-product. In the labor-intensive business of producing quality mescal, the cultivation of tequila azul is maintained through traditional techniques passed down over generations. They tell how jimadores seek out the mature agaves, strip the leaves, and remove the heavy heads from the field; then they reveal how the roasting and fermentation process brings out the flavors that cosmopolitan palates crave. Today in Oaxaca it's not unusual to find small-scale mescal-makers vending their wares in the market plaza, while in Jalisco the scale of distillation facilities found near the town of Tequila would be unrecognizable to old José Cuervo. Valenzuela-Zapata and Nabhan trace tequila's progress from its modest beginnings to one of the world's favored spirits, tell how innovations from cross-cultural exchanges made fortunes for Cuervo and other distillers, and explain how the meteoric rise in tequila prices is due to an epidemic—one they predicted would occur—linked to the industry's cultivation of just one type of agave. The tequila industry today markets more than four hundred distinct products through a variety of strategies that heighten the liquor's mystique, and this book will educate readers about the grades of tequila, from blanco to añejo, and marks of distinction for connoisseurs who pay up to two thousand dollars for a bottle. ¡Tequila! A Natural and Cultural History will feed anyone's passion for the gift of the blue agave as it heightens their appreciation for its rich heritage.

A Queen of Tears, Caroline Matilda, Queen of Denmark and Norway and Princess of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. 1 of 2 (Classic Reprint)


W.H. Wilkins - 1904
    1 of 2 Some years ago, when visiting Celle in connection with a book I was writing on Sophie Dorothea, The Love of an Uncrowned Queen, I found, in an unfrequented garden outside the town, a grey marble monument of unusual beauty. Around the base ran an inscription to the effect that it was erected in loving memory of Caroline Matilda, Queen of Denmark and Norway, Princess of Great Britain and Ireland, who died at Celle in 1775, at the age of twenty-three years. To this may be traced the origin of this book, for until I saw the monument I had not heard of this English Princess - a sister of George III. The only excuse to be offered for this ignorance is that it is shared by the great majority of Englishmen. For though the romantic story of Caroline Matilda is known to every Dane - she is the Mary Stuart of Danish history - her name is almost forgotten in the land of her birth, and this despite the fact that little more than a century ago her imprisonment nearly led to a war between England and Denmark. Inquiry soon revealed the full measure of my ignorance. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Paradosis; or, in the Night in which he was Betrayed


Edwin A. Abbott - 1904
    This term describes the Passion of Jesus. Abbott reads it in the context of the Hebrew Isaiah prophecies to mean "was given up" not "betrayed". This has implications for what Jesus intended. By extension, Judas' act in "betraying" Jesus was part of a Divine master plan and not the wicked betrayal it has been assumed to be for two thousand years by Christians who read neither Greek nor Hebrew. Abbott argues, in effect, that had there not been a Judas, he would have been invented in order to carry out a pre-ordained role in a Divinely designed scenario. Therefore the Christian contempt for Jews (Judas was Jewish) is wrong.