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Articles by Tim Tow

Posted on Dec 13, 2013 in Books and Movies

Confederate General William Dorsey Pender – Book Review

Confederate General William Dorsey Pender: The Hope of Glory. Brian Steel Wills. Louisiana State University Press, 2013. 304 pages, 8 maps, 9 photographs, hardcover $39.95, ebook $29.95. In September 1863 Robert E. Lee wrote to Confederate President Jefferson Davis that the war was costing him his best men:  “Jackson, Pender, Hood.” Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, John Bell Hood—but who was this man, Pender, who figured so prominently in Lee’s estimation that he listed him between two of his famous subordinates? William Dorsey Pender, a North Carolinian, was the youngest major general in the Confederate Army. Brian Steel Wills, in a new biography based on contemporary accounts, historical records, and Pender’s own correspondences, tells an in-depth and fascinating narrative of the life of Lee’s Fighting Carolinian, delving deeply into the thoughts, beliefs, and motivations of this man. The book is aptly subtitled “The Hope of Glory”; this phrase captures the essence of Pender, who felt his duty on earth was to do his best and receive what Providence would provide him—and...

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Posted on Aug 23, 2013 in Books and Movies

The Guns at Last Light – Book Review

“The Guns at Last Light” concludes Rick Atkinson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning World War II trilogy. It will appeal to anyone looking to understand not just the grand advances of the Allied forces, but the human side of war.

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Posted on Mar 18, 2013 in Books and Movies

Soldier Dogs, the Untold Story of America’s Canine Heroes – Book Review

Soldier Dogs, the Untold Story of America’s Canine Heroes. Maria Goodavage. New American Library (division of Penguin Books), 2012. 293 pages, 28 photographs, Softcover. $16.00 Soldier Dogs, the Untold Story of America’s Canine Heroes, provides an insightful look at the dogs serving in today’s US military. The author, Maria Goodavage, provides background on the history of military working dogs (MWDs), their selection, training, war service, and postwar fates. Although dogs are the main characters in the book, the human handlers are equally important. Individual vignettes of dogs and handlers highlight the strong bonds between men and women and their furred charges. Soldier Dogs, the Untold Story of America’s Canine Heroes, shows how these dogs are recruited and trained, and what they face today on the modern battlefield. Cairo, the Navy Seal dog that was on the mission NEPTUNE SPEAR (the raid that killed Osama bin Laden in 2011) merits a brief paragraph that clears up some misconceptions about his exact role—but also leaves much shrouded, as special-operation dog roles...

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Posted on Oct 24, 2012 in Boardgames

Reds! – Boardgame Review

The ‘Reds!’ boardgame about Russia’s civil war, 1918 – 1921, uses variable turn sequences and special events effectively to create tension, and there are a plethora of unit types including armored trains and early tanks.

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