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Sevenpagesinlength,thearticleonEspionagebyPeterKrossseemstodojusticeonthetopic.It
focusesontheConfederateSpyRing,which,surprisingly,wasstationedinCanada,andsomeof
theactionsthatsaidspyringdid,suchasliberatingPOWs,helpingprovideinformationin
preparationsforattacks,andseveralotherthings.
Iwasalittlehesitant,ofcourse.Afterall,thearticlehadspecialisedonthe
Confederation,whichI,likemanyothers,wastaughttoresent.Evenso,afterIreadit,Icouldnt
seeanybias.Itstatedthefacts,bothgoodandbad,indetail.Thearticleitselfwasntwrittenin
suchablandwaythatboredme,butinawaythatmotivatedmetokeeponreading.Thearticle
alsohelpedmeacknowledgethattheConfederateSpyRingwassuccessfulinmanyways.The
authoralsogavethestoryanarrative,followingthetimelineoftheevents,easingusintothe
timeinwhichconflictslowlygrewintothedisarrayoftheSpyRingtoJohnWilkesBooth.
Booth,themanweallknowasLincolnsassassination,mayhavealsohadtiestothe
ConfederateSpyRing.This,ofcourse,seemedtomakesensetome,butastheauthorsaid,no
truecertaintywasevermade,endingthearticleinsuspense,fittingtoanarticleaboutespionage.
Onthedownside,theamountofinformationgiveninasinglearticleisoverwhelming.It
mentionsvariouspeople,explaininghowtheycontributedtotheEspionageRing.Itisdifficultto
retainallofthatinformationinonesitin,requiringmetoreaditatleastsfourtimestogetthe
mainpoints.Theauthoralsousesseveralwordsthatahistorianmaynotknow.Onesuchterm
wastheOrderoftheAmericanKnights.Theauthoronlymentionedthattheirpurposewasto
dragstateswhichborderedCanadaintotheWar,andnothingmore.Theyshouldhavementioned
thattheywereasecretsocietythatwasproslavery,andwerealsoknownasSonsofLiberty,
whichconfusesmemuchmore.

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Overall,thearticleseemstobeveryusefultothosewhohavehadpriorknowledgeonthe
subject,butisalsoentertainingtoreadwithouthavingknownabouttheConfederateEspionage
Ringbeforehand,withpatienceofcourse.

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Alcoholabusewasrampantduringthecivilwar.Althoughgeneralsandotherofficials
triedtopryalcoholoutoftheirranks,soldierscontinuedtosneakthedrinkintocamps,with
harmfuloutcomes.Thearticle,AlcoholAbuseintheCivilWarbyDavidA.Norrisdwellsinto
thisculturethatdevelopedaroundalcoholintheCivilWar,givingexamplesofwhenthedrink
wouldbecometroublesome,andevenlifethreatening,toboththeConfederateandUnion
militaryandmarines.
Eightpageslong,withninepictures,thearticlemadesuretoshowhowprominent
alcoholwasamongsoldiers.Thepicturesmadeitevenmorecrediblethatalcoholhadbecome
ingrainedintotheculturebackintheCivilWar,imagesincludingthoseofmenrelaxingwhile
drinkingtheirchoiceofalcohol.Ofcourse,theamountofinformationinitwasabittoomuch,
butthemainpointdidgetacrossfairlyeasily:asobersoldierisbetterthanadrunk.
Itisalsointerestinghowthewriterwasabletoshowhowsimilarbotharmieswerewhen
itcametoalcohol.Botharmiessufferedfromthelackofsobersoldiersanddoctors,bothlost
battlesduetoleadersbeingdrunk.Thearticleevenmadeitclearthatwhilebeingonthe
battlefieldwasharsh,thehospitalmayendupkillingyouthanhealingyou,asseeninthe
unfortunatecaseofamanhavingthewronglegset,causingtheinjuredonetogrowinto
infection.
Thedownsideisthatthearticledidntreallyfocusononesideortheother.Yes,itletthe
readerseehoweachsidehaditssimilarities,butIbelievethathaditfocusedononeside,the
authorcouldhavepreventedtheconfusioncausedbyhavingtwo.Thisisbecausethearticlekept
onflippingfromtheconfederatestotheunionwithoutmuchwarning,andsincesomereadersare

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notfamiliarwitheitherside,theywouldjustbeconfused.Evenso,thearticlewasvery
informative,andwoulddefinitelybehelpfulinresearch.

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TheKansasNebraskaActendedupcausingmoregoodthanharm.Kansas,whichatthe
momentwasstilldebatingonbeingafreeorslavestate,soonbecameknownasBleeding
Kansas.Kansaswasplaguedbyraidsledbyproslaverymembers,includingapastMissouri
senator,DavidRiceAtchison.Theseraidsincludedlooting,murder,rate,andvandalism.This
fightoverwhetherthestatewouldbefreeorslavewasntsomethingthatwasexplainedindetail
inourlectures,sothearticlewasworththeread.
Itheldmanyfactsthattheaveragetextbookwouldhavetorefrainfromincludingdueto
howlengthythetopicreallyis.ExamplescouldbeheroicSarahYoung,whomwastakenbythe
ConfederatesledbygeneralQuantrill.Shehadrodeouttowarnthetownofanupcomingraid,
butwassooncapturedandforcedtotravelwiththeConfederates,beingusedtoidentityvictims.
Shesavedseveralmenwhichtheconfederatesmetbybeggingforthemtobespared.
ThearticledoesdojusticetopoorKansas,whichwasaffectedgreatlyduetothe
illadviseddecisiontoletthestatedecideonsuchanimportantmatterwhichwasclearlygoingto
divideKansas.Theartworkespeciallyhelped,givingthereaderavisualastowhatthesepeople
hadtoendure.OneofthepaintingsincludedwasGeorgeBinghamspaintingofConfederate
civiliansbeingremovedfromtheirland.TheimagedarkensUnionsoldierswhiledressingthe
Confederateciviliansinlightcoloredclothing.Slaveswerealsoshowntobevisiblyupset...while
thismaybetrueamongthoseslaveswhoheldendearmenttotheirmasters,itcannotbesureif
thiswasatruereactioninthattime.
Beingastoryofpowerandidentityfueledbyrevenge,IcansaythatIgreatlyenjoyedthe
articleandeverythingthatitprovided.Itgavethosementionedcharacterwiththeenglishused
throughoutthearticle,andwasabletoimplementmuchdetailwithoutcausingonetobebored.

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Theformatwassomewhatdifficulttohandle.Ifthewordswerebiggerandhadmorespace
betweenthecolumns,itmayhavebeeneasier.Otherthanthat,itwasagoodread.

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MilitariabyDonTroianiwasfairlyinteresting.Itprovidedinformationontheidentification
methodsusedduringthecivilwar,givingimagesofseveralidentificationbadges.Thiswas
importantduetothefactthatitprovidedaneasywaytoidentifythebodiesofthosewhodied
duringbattle,especiallywhenthebodycouldnotberecoveredandembalmedquickly,leadingto
decaythatwouldcausephysicalfeaturestobehardtorecognize.
Thearticleitselfwasasimpleread.Itonlyconsistedoftwopages,yetgaveanadequate
amountofinformation.Thetextwasthesameastherest,smallinsizeandcloseinproximity,
butwasbearableduetohowshortitwas.
Itprovideddetailsonthethreedifferenttypesofidentifyingbadges:identificationdisks
withdiestampedinformation,identificationbadgeswithengravedinscriptions,andcorpsbadges
thatheldthesameinformationbutinsideofanarmycorpssymbol.Itwentintodetailonhow
thedesignwasdifferentforeach,andwhileitmayinitiallybedifficult,thepicturesprovided
madeitmucheasier.
Thearticlealsowentintodetailonhowtheuseofsuchbadgesbenefitedjewelers,whom
wouldconstantlypromotetheircraft,knowingfullywellthatsoldierswouldneedoneand/or
wouldwanttobebetterthantherestinthatrespect.
ThearticlemakesitclearthattherewasadifferencebetweentheUnionandConfederates
whenitcametoidentificationbadges.Whiletheunionsoldiersusedtheabove,thearticlesays
thatConfederateidentificationbadgeswerelowquality,makingitdifficultformanyofthemto
survivethroughouttheyears.Itgivestheaveragecollectorfairwarningthatthesebadgesarerare
tofind,thusmostaroundarefake.

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Overall,thearticlewaswellmade,specificallyduetothefactthatthewriterhashad
experienceinthecollectingofCivilWarmemorabiliafor40years,accordingtothesmallblurb
attheendofthearticle.

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BlackSoldiers,BlueUniformsisthetitleofasmallblurbbyJohnWalker.Here,weare
providedwithinformationonhowafricanamericansbecamepartofthecivilwarmilitaries.
Whilethismayseemasanaturaloccurrencetous,(afterall,slaverywastheissueathandduring
thecivilwar,whyshouldntAfricanAmericansbeincludedinthefight?)butthearticledoes
explainhowcontroversialthetopichadbeenatthetime.
Thewriterexplainsthatalthoughtheunionwasagainstslavery,racismwasstill
prevalent,especiallyinthemilitary.Thiswasexplainedasbeingduetothehonorthatcomes
withenteringthemilitaryforces,andthebeliefthatAfricanAmericansinuniformwouldsoilthe
imageoftheUnion.
Althoughthiswastrue,thearticledoesexplainthatthesecoloredsoldiersheldtheirown
prideandincentives,givingthemasenseofbeingtheunderdog,ultimatelybeingavitalpartof
theUnionforces.Itprovidedstoriesoftheirvictories,suchastheoccurrenceinMillikensBend,
Louisiana.Here,wearetoldthat,whilebeingoutnumberedandwithoutmuchtraining,they
prevailed,winningoneofthemostbloodiestbattlesinthecivilwar.
Ofcourse,thearticledoesntsugarcoatthem.Itdoesmentionthelackofpromotionfor
coloredsoldiers,andinrealityitwassomewhatlikethestartofsegregationfromwhatIgotfrom
thearticle.Thisisduetothelowerqualityofeverythingtheyreceived,fromequipmentto
medicalattentionandpay.
AlthoughthisshowsAfricanAmericansoldierswerentsowelcomed,theimagesshow
thatmanyofthem,ifnotall,stillheldastrongwillpower.Inthefirstimage,weseeseveral
AfricanAmericansoldiersinformation.Therearesomesoldierswhoseemtobeuncertain,yet
thereareseveralwhoholdpositionsoftruesoldiers,eyesforwardwiththelightofatruefighter.

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Thearticleitselfwasveryaestheticallyappealing,havingaredbackground,whiteand
blackfont,andblackandwhiteimages.Whilethetextwassmall,thecontrastbetweenthered
andwhitedidhelpmyeyesadjustsomewhat.Itwasanextremelyinterestingread.

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WomenintheCivilWar,publishedontheHistoryChannel'swebsite,History.com,delves
withintheusuallyunmentionedroleofwomenduringtheCivilWar.Itgoesfromexplaining
howwomencrossdressedtoenterthemilitary,totakingupjobsasnurses,andprovidingfor
theirsoldiers.
Thearticledoeslackmanyindividualwomen.WhilethearticledoesmentionDorothea
Dixamongotherwomenwhoheldcivilianjobs,Iwouldhavegreatlyappreciatedtohavehada
femalesoldiermentioned.Forexample,whileIfinditabsolutelyfascinatingthatmorethan400
womencrossdressedandenteredthemilitary,Icannotfeelmuchmoreduetothefactthatthere
wasntastorytoseehowtheymanagedtodothis.Itwouldhavebeeninterestingiftheycould
havefoundaccountsonaspecificfemalesoldierandhowshemanagedtopassasaman.
Thearticledoesalsomentioncoloredwomen.Thisofcoursewasgreat.Afterall,there
wouldobviouslybeadifferencebetweenhowwhitewomenandblackwomenchangedinthat
time.Asthearticlementioned,coloredwomenstillmaintainedalowstatusinthesouthwhile
somecoloredwomenwereabletohelpinthenorth.
Thearticlewasntsoappealingtotheeye.Itwasblandtolookat,havingonlyoneimage
atthetop.Itwouldhavebeenbettertohaveplacedpicturesorpaintingsofwomenfromthis
time,evenscansoflettersfromwomen.Ialsofeelthatitcouldhavebeenlongerinlength.This
isbecauseIfeelthattheremustbemoreinformationouttherethanthatwhichwasprovided
here,manydetailsworthmentioning.Becauseofthis,Icouldnottrulyrecommendthisspecific
article.NotwhatIexpectedfromtheHistoryChannel.

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MovieReview:TheImitationGame
Thismoviewasverywellmade.Thesetting,actors,andwaythatitwaspresentedwere
allverygood,althoughitdidhavesomehollywoodadditionshereandthere.Examplesofthese
HollywoodadditionscouldbethathedidgetengagedtoJoan,butquicklytoldherthathehad
homosexualtendencies,notjustbecausehewantedtoprotectherfrombeinginvolvedwiththe
spyinthegroupinthemovie.EspionagewasntactuallyapartofAlanTuringslifeatall,soI
finditsomewhatharshthatthemakersofthefilmincludedthat.Afterall,ifhehadbeen
protectingaspy,hewouldhavebeenseenasatraitorregardlessofthereasonsbehindit.
AnotherproblemIhadwerethelittlecaptionsattheendofthemovie.WhileIdo
appreciatethattheyaddfacts,theyshouldhaveatleasthadanotethatnoteverythinginthis
movieisentirelyaccurate.Bygivingthecaptions,itgivesitasenseofithavingbeenbased
entirelyonfactwhentheyreallyaddedtheirownthings.
Evenso,Ibelievethattheydidagoodjobatfilmingit.Thesettingstheyusedwere
gorgeousandwereeverythingthatIwouldenvisionthattimeperiodtobelike.Itwasmostly
grey,darkcolorsshowingthefactthattheywereatwar,thenonchalantexpressionstheextras
hadafteranairraid...itgaveitasensethatthewarhadbeengoingonlongenoughthateveryone
wasgettingaccustomedtoit.Themainactorsalsodidawonderfuljob.BenedictCumberbatch,
althoughnotentirelyasAlanTuringwas,washisowncharacterthroughtheentirething.Hewas
hisownperson,withhisownpersonalityandwayofthinkingthatseemedtoremainthesame
throughoutthemovie.ItwasalsolovelytoseeKeiraKnightleyplayJoan,whomweallsawasa
supportivefriendofAlantotheveryend.Alltheactorsplayedtheirrolesperfectly,eventhough

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theymayhavenotbeenhistoricallyaccurate.Theydidwhatwasaskedofthemastheirjobs
requirethemtodo.
ItwasalsointerestingtoseehowthemoviechangedbetweenAlanschildhood,histime
breakingEnigma,andtheaftermathofitall.Whileitwasinitiallydifficulttotellwhenitwas
duringthewarandafterthewar,Ibecameaccustomedtoitaftersometime.Themoviediddoa
goodjobatusingthesetotheiradvantage,slowlybringingustorealizeandunderstandhow
importantChristopherwastotheprocessofAlancreatinghismachineandhowhischildhood
andfuturedemisewouldtietogether,thesebeingduetohisrealizinghishomosexualityandhis
relationshipswithmeninthefuture,leadingtohisarrest,chemicalcastrationandeventual
suicide.
Overall,Ihighlyrecommendthismovieintermsofentertainment,althoughIwouldbe
hesitanttorecommenditduetoitshistoricalcontent.Itisntexactlyaccurate,butno
historicalmoviemadeforentertainmentwouldbe.Ofcourse,thiswouldonlybe
recommendedtothosewhomareopentotheideaofthemaincharacterbeinghomosexual.Yes,
therearentanyscenesofsexualbehavior,butitissuchanimportantaspectofTuringthatmust
beaddressedwhenspeakingofhisarrestandpunishment(chemicalcastration).Itwasagreatly
enjoyablemovie,althoughitlackssomeaccuracy.Iwouldrateitpoints.