"Hatfields and McCoys" with Kevin Costner (2012)

I don’t think that there is anyone born in America who has not heard of the infamous feud between the Hatfields and the McCoys; the iconic clan which had been fighting since the Civil War and well beyond into the last years of the 19^th century. But, what most folks don’t know about; including me; is the history of the feud; that is, what started it all in the first place?

In this film; starring Kevin Costner as Devil Anse Hatfield; and Bill Paxton as Randall McCoy; will explain it all. In a three part series that is part truth and part drama, the cause is fixed at that point in the Civil War when Anse Hatfield decides to quit the battlefield and return home to the West Virginia border near Kentucky. He just can’t see the sense in fighting any longer. Little did he realize at the time that this decision would affect him, and his family, for decades to come.

The action begins on the battlefield when Anse leaves, infuriating Randall, who maintains that they have sworn an oath to fight to the death for the cause which is dying all around them. Anse wishes him luck, and at the point of a pistol, gallops off for home under the cover of night. When the war finally ends Randall comes home and rebuffs the entreaties of Anse, who has been making money selling timber. A simple encounter in the local bar between ignites the simmering feud, when two members of one clan murder the member of the other family over a slight stemming from that encounter.

Judge Valentine 'Wall' Hatfield, played by Powers Boothe, is the law in the hill country, and the feud between the two families begins to draw him into a confrontation which he knows will bring nothing but more heartbreak to an area which has suffered greatly during the War Between the States. The West Virginia border with Kentucky was a hotbed of disagreement over which side to support in the war, and of course, is why the Western part of Virginia broke away from Virginia when she seceded from the Union. A secessionist state within a secessionist state is never an easy place to live.

Thrown in with the history and fighting between the two families are the two young lovers, Johnse Hatfield, played by Matt Barr; and Roseanna McCoy, played with extra sweetness by Lindsay Pulsipher. Just as in Romeo and Juliet, these two youngsters are in love with one another and want to be married, against all the wishes of their respective families.

Tersely written and keenly directed, this film delivers on several fronts, including set design and costumes. Everything is in perfect order, with the characters all cast in a believable fashion.  At times it can be a bit confusing sorting out who is fighting whom, and for what, but overall that only adds to the insanity of a blood feud in the first place. And, for those who find this type of film unbelievable, just pick up the newspaper sometime and read about some of the “honor killings” which still go on today. It will make you scratch your head in bewilderment at how such things can still be in the 21^st century.

"Libby Prison Breakout" by Joseph Wheelan

The Civil War was anything but "civil." It was fought with cruelty on both sides. This book concerns the notorious "Libby" Prison in Richmond. The prison was located in a series of three adjoining warehouses that had been the home to a ship chandler by the name of Luther Libby. He had purchased it prior to the war from the original owner, John Enders, in 1852. When the Confederacy commandeered the buildings for use as a prison, the sign Mr. Libby had hung above the entrance with the name "Libby and Son", would cement his name into history forever, through no fault of his own.

The book tells three intertwined stories, each of great interest and each dependent upon the other.

The first part of the story is an examination of the state of affairs in Richmond, the Capitol of the Confederacy during the days leading up to the war. In this phase we are introduced to Elizabeth Van Lew, a Southern, aristocratic woman, born in the North and with deep Union sympathies. She is also a woman of courage and action. She uses her social position to assist the Union in espionage concerning troop strengths and positions. She also organizes an "underground railway" for Union prisoners who manage to escape the deplorable conditions within the walls of Libby Prison.

The authors' description of Richmond and the food shortages coupled with the lack of clothing and building materials conjure up the scenes of Atlanta in "Gone With the Wind". They are simply that vivid.

At the same time as Ms. Van Lew is working outside the prison, the men inside are anything but idle. They are stealing, buying and otherwise engaged in any way that they can to stay alive. They even manage to buy civilian clothing with money smuggled in to them and some are able to simply walk out in this manner. But these are rare exceptions.

While all this is happening, two Union officers, Colonel Rose and Major Hamilton, have begun their own separate attempts at escaping the worst prison since the British prison ship Jersey, located in Brooklyn, New York. After seperate failures they team up to dig a tunnel beneath the walls and into the sewer system in an attempt to escape. They try three times before they succeed.

The book also examines the principles of war, if there are any. Which allegiance is stronger? The duty to one's country, or to humanity? The author compares some of the atrocities of the British during the Revoutonary War with the actions of both the North and the South against one another in the Civil War. You will be surprised at who was doing what to whom, and how little that war has changed in the intervening years. Only the technology is different. The brutality is not.

Finally it is the story of a mass prison escape in which 109 Union officers made their way to freedom. Once they were out of the prison, Ms. Van Lew and her group of activists (which included some of the slaves) manage to hide, supply and transport these men back to Union lines. Some of the means they employ are ingenious, some are simply daring and required nerves of steel.

One further aspect to this book, that makes it more than just another escape story, is the authors use of the subject to explore the policy of "unrestricted warfare". Is it just to use prisoners as bargaining chips? Must we stand on principle when dealing with enemies that abuse and torture our own captives? These were some of the questions faced by President Lincoln and his Generals in dealing with the Confederacy. While we officially rejected the policies of "unrestricted warfare" we cannot ignore Andersonville, the notorious Union hell hole along the Kansas-Missouri border, where "unrestricted warfare" was the norm. General Shermans "March to the Sea" also comes to mind as an example of Northern abuse.

A vividly written book, you will look forward to each chapter as the author takes you through the paces. And you will be surprised, or maybe not, at the relevance of the issues raised here, to the events of today as they pertain to war.

Losing Everything by David Lozell Martin

This book has opened up more insights into my own past than even I could have imagined.

The author was raised in West Virginia by a mother who is mentally ill and a father who is abusive enough to have at least contributed to that illness.

This is the story of one mans battle with his own inner demons while acknowledging the demons that stalk us all.

A compelling read, Mr. Martin takes you on a journey of his own life up to and including the point where past meets present and he finds himself in, and reacting in the same way to, all the things that happened in his family as a child.

Together with his brother and sister he retraces the events and the shadows that hung over him while growing up. While reading it I became aware that I had not addressed some of my own childhood demons in my writing.

An accomplished author of fiction, Mr. Martin has written a very telling book, one that must have taken some courage to write. That he faces his demons and takes from them some very valuable insights make this book the gem that it is.