The bloody two-week siege of Spanish Fort, Alabama (March 26–April 8, 1865) was one of the final battles of the Civil War. Despite its importance and fascinating history, surprisingly little has been written about it. Many considered the fort as the key to holding the important seaport of Mobile, which surrendered to Maj. Gen. Edward R. S. Canby on April 12, 1865. Paul Brueske’s “Digging All Night and Fighting All Day”: The Civil War Siege of Spanish Fort and the Mobile Campaign, 1865 is the first full-length study of this subject. General U. S. Grant had long set his eyes on capturing Mobile. Its fall would eliminate the vital logistical center and put one of the final nails in the coffin of the Confederacy. On January 18, 1865, Grant ordered General Canby to move against Mobile, Montgomery, and Selma and destroy anything useful to the enemy’s war effort. The reduction of Spanish Fort, along with Fort Blakeley—the primary obstacles to taking Mobile—was a prerequisite to capturing the city. After the devastating Tennessee battles of Franklin and Nashville in late 1864, many Federals believed Mobile’s garrison—which included a few battered brigades and most of the artillery units from the Army of Tennessee—did not have much fight left and would evacuate the city rather than fight. They did not. Despite being outnumbered about 10 to 1, 33-year-old Brig. Gen. Randall Lee Gibson mounted a skillful and spirited defense that “considerably astonished” his Union opponents. The siege and battle that unfolded on the rough and uneven bluffs of Mobile Bay’s eastern shore, fought mainly by veterans of the principal battles of the Western Theater, witnessed every offensive and defensive art known to war. Paul Brueske, a graduate student of history at the University of South Alabama, marshaled scores of primary source materials, including letters, diaries, reports, and newspaper accounts to produce an outstanding study of a little known but astonishingly important event rife with acts of heroism that rivaled any battle of the war. It will proudly occupy a space on the bookshelf of any serious student of the war.

In 1862 twenty-one-year-old Morris Brown Jr. left his studies at Hamilton College to take up the Union cause. He quickly rose in rank from sergeant major to captain and acting regimental commander for the 126th New York Volunteers. In letters written to his family in Penn Yan, New York, Brown describes his experiences at war: the unseemly carping between fellow officers, the fear that gripped men facing battle, and the longing to return home. Brown's letters also reveal an ambitious young man who not only wanted recognition but also wanted to assure himself of a financial future. Above all, this is the story of a courageous young man, told mostly in his own words. Few Civil War soldiers were as articulate as Morris Brown Jr., fewer served in a regiment that saw so much combat, still fewer commanded a regiment at such a young age, and even fewer were recognized by the newly minted Medal of Honor.

This set was written by distinguished men of the South, producing a work which truly portrays the times and issues of the Confederacy. It was edited by Gen. Clement A. Evans of Georgia. Two volumes--the first and the last--comprise such subjects as the justification of the Southern States in seceding from the Union and the honorable conduct of the war by the Confederate States government; the history of the actions and concessions of the South in the formation of the Union. There are also individual volumes for each state: Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky Missouri, Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas & Florida. An additional volume covers the Confederate Navy.

In v. 1-11 each state has at end a "Biographical" section; "Additional sketches illustrating the services of officers and privates and patriotic citizens" are appended in v. 2 (Maryland, p. 185-447; West Virginia, p. 139-296) ; in v. 3 (Virginia) p. 693-1295 ; in v. 4 (North Carolina) p. 355-813; in v. 5 (South Carolina) p. 425-931. 1. Curry, J. L. M.; Legal justification of the South in secession. Garrett, W.R.; The South as a factor in the territorial expansion of the United States. Evans, C. A.; The Civil history of the Confederate States.--2. Johnson, B. T.; Maryland. White, Robert; West Virginia.--3. Hotchkiss, Jed; Virginia.--4. Hill, D. H. Jr.; North Carolina.--5. Capers, Ellison; South Carolina.--6. Derry, J. T.; Georgia.--7. Wheeler, Joseph; Alabama. Hooker, C. E.; Mississippi.--8. Porter, J. D.; Tennessee.--9. Johnston, J. S.; Kentucky. Moore, J. C.; Missouri.--10. Dimitry, John; Louisiana. Harrell, J. M.; Arkansas.--11. Roberts, O. M.; Texas. Dickinson, J. J.; Florida.--12. Parker, W. H.; The Confederate States navy. Jones, J. W.; The morale of the Confederate armies. Evans, C. A.; An outline of Confederate military history. Lee, S. D.; The South since the war. Documental and statistical appendix.