Photos from The Civil War Lover’s Guide to New York City

Today, I wanted to share a few photos from my book:

One of New York City's most beautiful monuments was erected to Admiral David Farragut in 1881 in Madison Square park. The statue of Farragut is by Augustus Saint-Gaudens and sits on a base created by the noted architect Stanford White.

At one time, Grant's Tomb, on Riverside Drive at West 122nd Street was the most visited tourist site in New York City. Although its popularity has faded over the years, it is still worth a visit and is open daily.  It is the largest tomb in America and the base contains a small museum and gift shop.

This 20-inch Rodman Gun was the largest gun in the world when it was fabricated in 1864.  It stands in the park near the main entrance to Fort Hamilton.

Battery Weed is now part of the Fort Wadsworth Military Reservation on Staten Island. The fort is directly underneath the Verrazano Bridge and commands a beautiful view of the city and bay. During the Civil War it protected the Narrows with 116 guns.

August Saint-Gaudens' last major work was this statue of General William Tecumseh Sherman which stands on Fifth Avenue at 59th Street. The figure of Winged Victory with a palm branch in her hand representing peace, leads Sherman.

Welcome to my blog!

Thank you for visiting my blog! As a kick-start to my page, I would like to share the description of my book which will be available in early 2013!

Few Americans associate New York City with the Civil War, but the most populated metropolitan area in the nation, then and now, is filled with scores of monuments, historical sites, and resources directly related to those four turbulent years. The Civil War Lover’s Guide to New York City examines more than 150 of these largely overlooked and often forgotten historical gems.

New York City has always been full of surprises. Not only was it largely sympathetic to the South, but its citizens twice voted overwhelmingly against Abraham Lincoln and the mayor refused to fly the American flag over city hall on the day of his inauguration. The USS Monitor, the country’s first ironclad, was designed and built here, and General Meade sent troops to the city straight from the Gettysburg battlefield to put down the bloodiest civil rebellion in our history. By the time the war ended, New York had provided more men, equipment, and supplies for the Union than any other city in the North.

This book takes readers on a nearly endless journey of historical discovery. Walk inside the church where Stonewall Jackson was baptized (which still holds services), visit the building where Lincoln delivered his famous “Cooper Union Speech,” and marvel that the church built by the great abolitionist Henry Ward Beecher is still used for worship. A dozen Civil War era forts still stand (the star-shaped bastion upon which the Statue of Liberty rests was a giant supply depot), and one of them sent relief supplies to besieged Fort Sumter in Charleston. Visit the theater where “Dixie” was first performed and the house where Stephen Crane wrote The Red Badge of Courage.

After the war, New York honored the brave men who fought by erecting some of the nation’s most beautiful memorials in honor of William T. Sherman, Admiral David Farragut, and Abraham Lincoln. These and many others still grace parks and plazas around the city. Ulysses S. Grant adopted New York as his home and is buried here in the largest mausoleum in America (which was also the most-visited monument in the country). See the homes where many generals, including Winfield Scott, George McClellan, Daniel Sickles, and even Robert E. Lee, once lived.

Complete with full-color photos and maps, lavishly illustrated and designed The Civil War Lover’s Guide to New York City is a must-have book for every student of the Civil War and for every visitor to New York City.