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When are people willing to sacrifice for the common good? What are the benefits of friendship? How do communities deal with betrayal? And what are the costs and benefits of being in a diverse community? Using the life histories of more than forty thousand Civil War soldiers, Dora Costa and Matthew Kahn answer these questions and uncover the vivid stories, social influences, and crucial networks that influenced soldiers' lives both during and after the war. Drawing information from government documents, soldiers' journals, and one of the most extensive research projects about Union Army soldiers ever undertaken, Heroes and Cowards demonstrates the role that social capital plays in people's decisions. The makeup of various companies--whether soldiers were of the same ethnicity, age, and occupation--influenced whether soldiers remained loyal or whether they deserted. Costa and Kahn discuss how the soldiers benefited from friendships, what social factors allowed some to survive the POW camps while others died, and how punishments meted out for breaking codes of conduct affected men after the war. The book also examines the experience of African-American soldiers and makes important observations about how their comrades shaped their lives. Heroes and Cowards highlights the inherent tensions between the costs and benefits of community diversity, shedding light on how groups and societies behave and providing valuable lessons for the present day.

Johnston took up the ninth fortified position his army constructed during the Atlanta campaign on the night of June 19–20. He placed Loring’s Army of Mississippi squarely on the twin-peaked mountain called Kennesaw. Hood’s Corps aligned to Loring’s right, crossing the vital Western and Atlantic Railroad to the northeast, while Hardee’s Corps stretched the position southward from Loring across Noyes Creek.¹ Kennesaw was a ridge two miles long. Big Kennesaw rose 691 feet from the level of the surrounding area, while Little Kennesaw stood at 400 feet. The much smaller Pigeon Hill, which was connected to the south side

In Virginia, once the main theater of the war, stalemate has settled in. Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, no longer invincible and missing its best generals, has been beaten back to Petersburg, where it hunkers down in trenches—half-starved, uniforms in tatters, and running out of bullets, powder, and hope. The army is melting away: hordes of deserters drift south, infesting the western counties of North Carolina, finding refuge in the woods and rugged country, living off the land and preying on civilians. The Shenandoah Valley of Virginia has been ravaged by Gen. Phil Sheridan’s demolishing army

Sherman’s massive army streams across the Cape Fear River at Fayetteville on pontoon bridges and surges in two muscular columns northeast, threatening Raleigh to the north and the Goldsboro railroad junction to the east. Sherman’s force of 4,400 cavalry and nearly 56,000 infantry seems unstoppable. It falls to Gen. Joseph E. Johnston to stop it. He is fifty-eight years old, of slight stature, his high forehead crowned with thinning silver hair. He favors side whiskers and a goatee. He is naturally reticent, even aloof, but his gray eyes can suddenly light up with humor. He pursues any objective with single-minded

The unthinkable has become the inevitable. On April 6, 1865, Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman, encamped near Goldsboro with his entire army of nearly 90,000 troops, receives the stunning news: Richmond has fallen. Jefferson Davis and his cabinet are fleeing south and west toward Greensboro. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia also is pushing west toward the supply depot at Amelia Courthouse—with the combined armies of the Potomac and the James under Grant in relentless pursuit. With Richmond fallen, Sherman’s mission to aid in its capture becomes moot, and now he turns to a new and pressing objective. He writes

Despite its long recognized importance in the outcome of the Civil War, historians largely neglected the Atlanta Campaign until the 1990s. Since then, superb overviews by Albert Castel, Richard McMurry, and Steven Davis have rectified this oversight. Furthermore, the classic study of the Army of Tennessee by Thomas Connelly, along with more recent army studies by Larry Daniel and Steven Woodworth add further nuance to the campaign. Biographical treatments of the principal commanders by McMurry, Craig Symonds, John Marszalek, and Michael Fellman have provided further insight into William Sherman, Joseph Johnston, and John Bell Hood. Lastly, while there is still work to be done, Lee Kennett and Russell Bonds have provided narratives of the civilian experience during the campaign.

The Civil War in Virginia in 1861 is generally remembered for the First Battle of Bull Run or Manassas fought in July. But events in western Virginia had a longer lasing impact on the war and the nation. Union forces invaded the state in May, and a Confederate attempt to regain control of the region later in the year failed miserably. Bull Run continues to be studied as a major battle while the events in western Virginia have been largely forgotten, considered minor skirmishes by many historians. However, West Virginia became a state in 1863 as a direct result of the Union occupation in 1861. George B. McClellan and Robert E. Lee, received their first test of high command in western Virginia. As a result of his successful campaign, McClellan attained national prominence while Lee's failures forced him into temporary exile.

Jefferson Davis (1808–1889) of Mississippi had a career that spanned the crucial middle decades of the nineteenth century, culminating in his service as president of the Confederate States of America. With Robert E. Lee and their counterparts Abraham Lincoln and U.S. Grant, he is most recognized for his leadership in the Civil War. He was a dedicated public servant in the United States House of Representatives and in the Senate, was secretary of war under Franklin Pierce, and was a nationally known hero of the Mexican War. After the Civil War he became a symbol of the Lost Cause and was a revered figure in the South.

The two parcels in question, the 676-acre DeMaria property and the 225-acre Bell Fruit Co. property, have already passed the first of two City Council annexation votes. Last week, County Commission Chair Diane Rowden sent a letter to Brooksville Mayor Joseph E. Johnston III asking the council to hold off its vote on annexation until there's time for another joint planning meeting. The Brooksville City Council meets at 7 p.m. today at City Hall. Included on the agenda is the annexation of 900 acres of land south of Brooksville.

[Davis]' plant would be unusual, however, in that most cogeneration plants are founded primarily for industrial processes and the electricity is only incidental; his would be designed primarily to generate electricity. The cogeneration label, he said, was a way to take advantage of the law. He has yet to decide which businesses in Brooksville could be potential partners with the plant. Davis owns and runs Cecil Davis Enterprises, a metal fabrication company on Dr. M.L. King Jr. Boulevard in Brooksville. Before that, he worked as manager of Hungry Howie's Pizza and Subs in Brooksville and Sbarro in St. Augustine. Davis said he was inspired to talk about the cogeneration plant when Mayor Joseph E. Johnston III came out with his own plan for industrial growth in south Brooksville. In May, Johnston suggested relocating 500 or so mostly black residents of south Brooksville and putting a 100-acre industrial park in their neighborhood.