about the goats ~

[lookingland]

i really don't understand why "reading" isn't considered a full-time occupation with salary and benefits.

i'd even be willing to put in lots and lots of overtime!

: D

another for the 50bookchallenge that i forgot to record:

no. 28 ~ Last in Their Class: Custer, Pickett and the Goats of West Point by James S. Robbins. i mentioned this book a while back when i ordered it from innerliberry loan (which even now is working diligantly to get me Mr. Hanty's private letterbook from the pennsylvania historical archives ~ cross your fingers!).

anyway, robbins' book is brilliant. couldn't put it down. contains hilarious anecdotes of goat shenanigans and is just overall a wonderful, detailed history of west point. it contains a half dozen nicely constructed biographies of west point's most famous goats (and others), and is told with good humor as well as solid attention to the research. the stuff about custer goes a little long toward the end, but the whole thing about libby custer lobbying to have her husband's statue removed from the grounds is fascinating (she was certainly the yoko ono of her era).

anyway, a brilliant book. definitely a must-read for fans of military history.

major-general henry heth graduated bottom of his class in 1847
after four years of practical jokes, cutting up in class,
getting into fights, and generally disrespecting the educational system
(this was typical of southern boys, apparently).
a virginian, heth fought for the Confederacy through to appomattox. lee adored him, though he was sorta reckless and messy as an officer. he's prolly most famous for "accidentally" starting that little fight in pennsylvania at gettysburg.

a signed carte-de-visite of his recently sold on eBay for over $1,000.

Comments

[sparowe]

i really don't understand why "reading" isn't considered a full-time occupation with salary and benefits.

Someone, somewhere, somehow... would make it a Bad Job. It shouldn't be possible, but I am sure of this.

[lookingland.livejournal.com]

* gasp *

say it isn't so!

: D

on the other hand, i'm sure lots of peeps would manage to do the job badly as well. hahahahahaha ~

Fascinating!

[(Anonymous)]

I bet they'd all be shocked that being the bottom of your class would still have peeps talking about it 150 + years later.

Hey, I was being bad in eBay yesterday and came across an "excellent copy with dust jacket" of "Photographic Atlas of Civil War Injuries" by Bengtson and Kim. Opening bid $40.

Is that one you want? I can't remember what precisely you're pining for.

If you want to see it search category: Antiques (it doesn't come up under books so it may not be seen by as many people) I used the term "Civil War Injuries" for my search.

:-)

moo

Re: Fascinating!

[lookingland.livejournal.com]

that's the one i bought ~ what i'm still looking for is Orthopaedic Injuries by the same author (Kutz). They two look very similar. But thanks for looking!

as for the goats 150 years later, it's really interesting especially how many of the "valedictory" graduates have been completely forgotten, having lived quiet, unmomentous careers in the after.

: D

Correction (sorry)

[(Anonymous)]

Authors of "Photographic Atlas of Civil War Injuries" are Bradley Bengtson and Julian Kuz (not Kim).

m.

Re: Correction (sorry)

[lookingland.livejournal.com]

hahahaha ~ and i wrote "Kutz" ~ guess neither of us got it right.

: D