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America's Buried History: Landmines in the Civil War Kindle Edition
Modern landmines were used for the first time in history on a widespread basis during the Civil War when the Confederacy, in desperate need of an innovative technology to overcome significant deficits in materiel and manpower, employed them. The first American to die from a victim-activated landmine was on the Virginia Peninsula in early 1862 during the siege of Yorktown. Their use set off explosive debates inside the Confederate government and within the ranks of the army over the ethics of using “weapons that wait.” As Confederate fortunes dimmed, leveraging low-cost weapons like landmines became acceptable and even desirable.
The controversial weapon was the brainchild of Confederate General Gabriel J. Rains (who had experimented with explosive booby traps in Florida two decades earlier during the Seminole Wars, and other Confederates soldiers developed a sundry of landmine varieties, including command-controlled and victim-activated. The devices saw extensive use in Virginia, at Port Hudson in Louisiana, in Georgia, the Trans-Mississippi Theater, during the closing weeks of the war in the Carolinas, and in harbors and rivers in multiple states. Debates over the ethics of using mine warfare did not end in 1865, and are still being waged to this day.
Dr. Rutherford, who is known worldwide for his work in the landmine discipline, and who himself lost his legs to a mine in Africa, relies on a host of primary and secondary research to demonstrate how and why the mines were built, how and where they were deployed, the effects of their use, and the reactions of those who suffered from their deadly blasts. America’s Buried History is an important contribution to the literature on one of the most fundamental, contentious, and significant modern conventional weapons. According to some estimates, by the early 1990s landmines were responsible for more than 26,000 deaths each year worldwide.
Landmines, argues Dr. Rutherford, transitioned from “tools of cowards” and “offenses against democracy and civilized warfare” to an accepted form of warfare until the early 1990s. The genesis of this acceptance began during the American Civil War.
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherSavas Beatie
- Publication dateApril 21, 2020
- File size42458 KB
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Editorial Reviews
Review
StrategyPage
“Masterfully researched and eloquently written, Rutherford’s volume is destined to become a classic study of one of the most horrific weapons ever utilized during the Civil War—landmines. From technological discussions, to employment in combat, and examination of the physical and emotional toll land mines took on soldiers victimized by them, this book provides the most comprehensive analysis ever produced on the topic. Rutherford’s splendid study is critical reading for those seeking a deeper understanding of the manner in which technology impacted our nation’s most tumultuous moment and the men who fought in it.”
Jonathan A. Noyalas, Director, Shenandoah University’s McCormick Civil War Institute
"This lucidly written short study covers the Confederacy's use of mines both on land and at sea. This book is effective in the way it integrates the use of mines with the broader military history of the war. Rutherford describes many battles simply and clearly in a way that added to my broader understanding as well as to my understanding about mines."
Midwest Book Review
"Well researched, full of case studies from all theaters, and written in a manner that can attract a wide audience, America's Buried History is the new standard overview history of the Confederate use of landmines on the Civil War battlefield. It is highly recommended reading for all."
Civil War Books and Authors
"In my experience with landmines, underwater mines, and demining, when it comes to technical information, there are two types of people. The majority are those content to know enough about this topic to stay safe, but who depend heavily on technical support when confronted by an unknown mine or situation. Then there are those rare types, the people who love the intricate details of history, development, design variations, inventors, and tactics; those who can name the most obscure bits of landmine, sea mine, or demining trivia, and happily debate incessantly over details. America’s Buried History: Landmines in the Civil War, is a book for all types of people... You cannot do better than this book and the tremendous amount of citations provided.”
The Artilleryman Magazine
“America’s Buried History is a compelling and exhaustive exploration of a deadly weapon—the anti-personal landmine—introduced for the first time on a broad scale in the American Civil War. Landmines would eventually cost the lives and limbs of hundreds of thousands of people around the world, which ultimately resulted in the prohibition by most countries. This book is an absorbing eye-opening history that combines insightful political decisions, military history, technical details, and biographies.”
Jody Williams, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate (1997) and Chair, Nobel Women’s Initiative
“By combining his love of learning, fascination with history, dedication to helping innocent victims of war, and near-death in Somalia from a landmine explosion that ultimately claimed both legs, Ken Rutherford has written a riveting account of the use of these indiscriminate weapons during our own Civil War. Like today, landmines were an inexpensive weapon used to terrorize the enemy and inflicted terrible injuries and death. Usually triggered by the victim, they can remain active long after a war ends, and today’s casualties are often civilians, like Ken. America’s Buried History: Landmines in the Civil War reminds us of the immeasurable sacrifice of those who fought a century and a half ago, and of how, despite all the technological advances, much of what made war hell back then remains true today.”
U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy
“Ken Rutherford…a professor, champion of human rights, and landmine survivor . . . explores an important subject for the first time. This book is a MUST for military history buffs! A thrilling and chilling read. I highly recommend it.”
His Royal Highness Prince Mired Raad Al-Hussein, UN Special Envoy for Landmine Prohibition Treaty
"The author makes a substantial contribution to understanding this interesting and relevant topic, including facts related to his personal life and what has occurred in the more than 150 years since the Civil War throughout the world. Rutherford has provided fresh insights that help us understand the motivation, strategies, tensions, controversies, and triumphs that characterized the work and lives of the people found in his interesting work."
The NYMAS Review
"America’s Buried History explains clearly to even a novice war buff how the American Civil War developed mined weapons. Rutherford’s excellent book explores a rarely-examined aspect of the Civil War, bringing the reader out from the past and into modern times and today’s debates."
Meg Groeling, Emerging Civil War
"A novel new study of an important topic rarely discussed in depth while at the same time reframing interpretation of some very familiar Civil War campaigns and strategic thinking."
The Historian's Manifesto
About the Author
Product details
- ASIN : B0861G3F27
- Publisher : Savas Beatie (April 21, 2020)
- Publication date : April 21, 2020
- Language : English
- File size : 42458 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 200 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #546,008 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Ken Rutherford is a Professor in the Department of Political Science at James Madison University. He served as Director of the Center for International Stabilization and Recovery at JMU, Peace Corps Volunteer in Mauritania, UNHCR Emergency Refugee Coordinator in Senegal, humanitarian emergency relief officer in northern Kenya and Somalia, and as Fulbright Scholar in Jordan (University of Jordan, Amman. 2005) and Vietnam (Hue University, Foreign Languages and International Studies. Hue. 2024). He is included among the "one hundred most influential people in armed violence reduction" by the London-based organization Action on Armed Violence, and the recipient of numerous awards, including the Leadership in International Rehabilitation Award (Northwestern University), the Humanitarian Award presented by Sir Paul McCartney (UNA-USA) and the Human Security Person of the Year Award (University of California-Irvine). Rutherford co-founded the Landmine Survivors Network and escorted Princess Diana on her last humanitarian mission to visit landmine survivors in Bosnia-Herzegovina. He was a prominent leader in the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, which won the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize. Appointed by the Governor of Virginia, he currently serves on the Virginia Board of Historic Resources. He is a former board member of the following charities: Friendship Industries (focused on employment of people with disabilities), Landmine Survivors Network, Legacies of War, and the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation. He holds a Ph.D. in Government from Georgetown University, and B.A. and MBA degrees from the University of Colorado, where he lettered in football and inducted into its Hall for Distinguished alumni.
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Customers find the book's historical context fascinating and well-researched. They describe it as an engaging, educational read with clear terminology and prose. The writing quality is also praised, with concise writing and exciting prose.
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Customers find the book's historical context fascinating and well-researched. They describe it as informative and entertaining, providing a full picture of the strategic and operational aspects of landmine use in the Civil War. Readers recommend it as an important work for Civil War scholars and those interested in the history of technology.
"...does succeed in laying out an under-appreciated, novel aspect of the American Civil War - the use of landmines - in a chronological, well-researched..." Read more
"...The book also contains an exhaustive analysis of the strategic deployment of landmines in battles and sieges, with original maps showing how..." Read more
"...This book on land mines is well-written! My imagination was constantly triggered by the facts, maps, pictures, events and stories that took me to..." Read more
"...The book is an outstanding reference that provides a full picture of the strategic and operational aspects of landmine deployment during the Civil..." Read more
Customers find the book engaging and educational. They describe it as a compelling read about an obscure Civil War technology that portends future events. Readers appreciate the first-class research and consider it one of the most exciting and historically rich reads.
"The amazing chronological order of how the Confederate Army used land mines to ward off and supress Union advances in the Civil War...." Read more
"...Civil War, but this book had really stood out to me as one of the most exciting and historically rich reads that depict how and why mines were used..." Read more
"...Fascinating reading and well researched!" Read more
"An excellent book with first-class factual research...." Read more
Customers find the book's writing quality excellent. They appreciate the clear terminology and explanations of the mechanics. The exciting prose and carefully chosen Civil War quotes make the book engaging and accessible. Readers also mention that the book is more than a simple reference, providing rich portrayals of key people and making it accessible to all.
"...as much as I expected, but it appears to come through in their clear terminology, explanation of the mechanics of the mines, and provision of clear..." Read more
"...This book on land mines is well-written!..." Read more
"...Beyond a simple reference, however, it is rich in portrayals of key people and their thinking at the time...." Read more
"With exciting prose and perfectly chosen Civil War quotes, America's Buried History weaves an unknown thread through a well-known story...." Read more
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A compelling read that makes history come alive.
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2020There's been a lot written on the American Civil War, so I will admit to being skeptical when Buried History came out that it would either have anything novel to say, or that the novel claims it was making would actually have enough evidence to be more than a fun theory. That's ultimately what makes Buried History unique though, as the author does succeed in laying out an under-appreciated, novel aspect of the American Civil War - the use of landmines - in a chronological, well-researched way.
The book can be read as an analysis of the battles they were used at, a biography of Gabriel Rains (the man who ran the secretive Torpedo Bureau for the Confederacy), or as a cataloging of early ethical and normative debates over landmine use. Reading how Sherman justified the use of Confederate prisoners to clear landmines with the rationalization that "mercy is not a legitimate attitude of war...[men] should expect no tenderness" is just one example of the kind of interesting insights the book provides into how their use in America was approached.
The author doesn't directly draw on their own experience in the modern landmine removal movement as much as I expected, but it appears to come through in their clear terminology, explanation of the mechanics of the mines, and provision of clear frameworks to categorize the contexts for their use. If anything, I do wish the final chapter on their lasting legacy had more explicit comparisons of their use to modern day times, but in some ways I think this shows restraint on the author's part and keeps the book more concise.
Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about America's own surprising connection to the use of landmines in history or about the American Civil War more broadly. I will probably be recommending this book to a Civil War aficionado in my own family actually.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2020The amazing chronological order of how the Confederate Army used land mines to ward off and supress Union advances in the Civil War. Since resources ultimately were the decisive differences between the two sides, the Confederate Army strategically utilized the various torpedoes (Land Mines original name) to protect their various Forts from being over taken by the Union Army. In the book,Mr. Rutherford, a land mine survivor himself, recounts how new technologies were introduced to slow, protect and inhumanely kill and main Union and Confederate soldiers during many Union advances. The terms that were not used during the Civil War to describe the torpedoes were command-detonated and victim activiated. They were used to protect roads, waterways and even cities. Perhaps one of the more interesting aspects of the book is the dilemma Mr. Rutherford points out regarding the inhumane and innocent loss of life to soldiers and civilians. Leaders of the Confederate Army disputed the use that was widespread during the war! This book provides a huge revealing of this issue, never told at this level before!
- Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2020Every book or article that covers the history of landmines refers to their origins during the US Civil War under Brigadier-General Gabriel Rains and his younger brother George. Until now, however, very little research had been done on the development of these “infernal machines.” In this book, Professor Ken Rutherford provides a careful examination of the emergence of what was, at the time, a technological innovation: the invention of an explosive device hidden underground and activated by the victim; an unseen but lethal weapon that allowed armies to control territory and prevent enemy troops from moving. Once landmines came into common use, the fear of them made soldiers wary of each step, dreading an explosion that could kill or maim dozens at a time. Rutherford lays out the setting and the process through which the landmine evolved from its crude origins as a booby-trap cobbled together from repurposed artillery shells to a sophisticated device in which a pressure-sensitive chemical detonator was enclosed in a weatherproof bomb powerful enough to stop a column of advancing troops by spraying shrapnel for hundreds of feet. He also delves into the ethical question raised by several officers as to the morality of using such hidden explosives, which they considered “cowardly.”
Along the way, Rutherford introduces us to the many officers and civilians who refined and tested landmines and who supervised their production and deployment, often during sieges when their potential as weapons of defense became crucial for the beleaguered Confederacy in the final months of the war. Rutherford, himself a survivor of landmine injuries sustained in Somalia, does not shy away from the carnage inflicted by mines, excerpting numerous letters and reports describing the gruesome wounds Civil War soldiers suffered after encountering them. The book also contains an exhaustive analysis of the strategic deployment of landmines in battles and sieges, with original maps showing how engagements were transformed by the “force multiplier” effect of minefields, allowing for a more efficient use of infantry and cavalry. The author has included period engravings from Harper’s and other newspapers as well as his own photos of actual Civil War era mines from museums around the country. And although the book’s focus is on landmines, he also gives a glimpse of how naval mines were used and the impact they made on shipping on coasts and rivers. Altogether, this book is a tremendous contribution to our understanding of military technology during the Civil War, and a brilliant piece of historical research.
- Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2020Rarely do we hear about mines use in the Civil War, but this book had really stood out to me as one of the most exciting and historically rich reads that depict how and why mines were used in this war. If you would like to read a detailed history of military munitions and mine warfare, you will love this book. The controversial use of these indiscriminate and dreadful weapons in the Civil War will leave you with a chilling and exhilarating feeling. This book on land mines is well-written! My imagination was constantly triggered by the facts, maps, pictures, events and stories that took me to the world of places and people who were involved in and affected by such dangerous weapons during the Civil War. Thank you Dr. Rutherford for this gem!