Books by Chris J. Hartley
The Lost Soldier The Ordeal of a World War II GI from the Homefront to the Hürtgen Forest |
The Lost Soldier offers a perspective on World War II we don’t always get from histories and memoirs. Based on the letters home of Pete Lynn, the diary of his wife, Ruth, and meticulous research in primary and secondary sources, this book recounts the war of a married couple who represent so many married couples, so many soldiers, in World War II. The book tells the story of this couple, starting with their life in North Carolina and recounting how the war increasingly insinuated itself into the fabric of their lives, until Pete Lynn was drafted, after which the war became the essential fact of their life. Author Chris J. Hartley intricately weaves together all threads—soldier and wife, home front and army life, combat, love and loss, individual and army division—into an intimate, engaging narrative that is at once gripping military history and engaging social history. Stackpole Books, 2018, Hardcover, 384 Pages, 6" x 9", 6 maps, 29 illustrations, notes, bibliography, index. Praise for The Lost Soldier "Chris Hartley succeeds mightily in penetrating through the heavy mist of time to tell the remarkable life-and-death story of one American soldier in World War II. Anyone who wants to know something of war's profound effect on soldiers and their families should read this book." (John C. McManus, author of The Dead and Those about to Die, D-Day: The Big Red One at Omaha Beach, and Grunts: Inside the American Infantry Combat Experience, World War II through Iraq) "This is an absorbing account of World War II's impact on one family and without a doubt shows us why this period will remain relevant to the American experience for generations to come. Chris Hartley masterfully blends military and social history to give the reader a wholly new take on one of the war's most bitter campaigns--the Hürtgen Forest--and its legacy seven decades later. Read it!" (Lt. Col. Edward G. Miller (Ret), author of A Dark and Bloody Ground: The Hürtgen Forest and the Roer River Dams, 1944-1945) "The Lost Soldier is a simply wonderful piece of work, a thoroughly researched study of one soldier’s life and that of his family. Meticulously researched, this is a moving story based primarily on letters between Pete Lynn and his wife, Ruth, from the time he was drafted to when the letters stopped. Additional to the letters, Hartley conducted exhaustive research to complete the record, including checking the company morning report listing the comings and goings of its members, unit journals and reports, correspondence between the army and family, and Ruth's diary." (Robert Sterling Rush, author of Hell in Hürtgen Forest: The Ordeal and Triumph of an American Infantry Regiment) Review: Naval Historical Foundation: The Lost Soldier, April 2021 Review: Michigan War Studies: The Lost Soldier, August 2021 National World War II Museum Program (Video), September 2019: https://www.c-span.org/video/?464309-1/battle-hrtgen-forest-75th-anniversary or https://livestream.com/nww2m/events/8798891 Author Interview: The Author's Voice, January 2019 Review: The Journal-Patriot, November 2018 Podcast: Carl White's Life in the Carolinas WW2TV Program, December 2022: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Iz1xcYWDgI |
Stoneman's Raid, 1865
In the spring of 1865, Federal major general George Stoneman launched a cavalry raid deep into the heart of the Confederacy. When the raid ended, Stoneman's troopers had brought the Civil War home to dozens of communities that had not seen it up close before. In the process, the cavalrymen pulled off one of the longest cavalry raids in U.S. military history. In their wake, the raiders left a legacy that resonates to this day, even in modern popular music such as The Band's ''The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.'' Based on exhaustive research in 34 repositories in 12 states and from more than 200 books and newspapers, Hartley's book tells the complete story of Stoneman's 1865 raid for the first time. John F. Blair, Publisher, 2010, Hardcover, 6.2" x 1.5" x 9.2", 464 Pages, 13 maps, 37 illustrations, notes, bibliography, index.
Praise for Stoneman's Raid, 1865
"Major General George Stoneman's unjustly neglected final raid has at last received the book length treatment it deserves. Author Chris Hartley does a masterful job recounting the events and placing the campaign in its proper context. Stoneman's Raid, 1865 is the definitive study of the raid and will likely remain so for many years to come. (Mark L. Bradley, author of This Astounding Close: The Road to Bennett Place)
"Chris Hartley's Civil War work is known for the depth and scope of his research, combined with a lively narrative. In Stoneman's Raid, 1865, a study of the last major cavalry raid of the war, he has provided just that. Hartley's deeply researched and eminently readable narrative brings George Stoneman's raid of the spring of 1865 to life. Made famous by the song 'The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,' this raid deep into Tennessee, North Carolina, and western Virginia devastated what little remained of the Confederacy's war-making capacity and helped bring the long war to an end. For anyone interested in the campaigns of 1865, this book is a must-have." (Eric J. Wittenberg, award-winning Civil War historian)
"Stoneman's Raid, 1865 fills a woeful gap in North Carolina's Civil War history. Chris Hartley's carefully researched account filled with personal anecdotes from that time period accurately details what Tar Heels were thinking and feeling as the war's losses hit home." (Clint Johnson, author of Touring the Carolinas' Civil War Sites and Touring Virginia's and West Virginia's Civil War Sites.)
Reviews:
Praise for Stoneman's Raid, 1865
"Major General George Stoneman's unjustly neglected final raid has at last received the book length treatment it deserves. Author Chris Hartley does a masterful job recounting the events and placing the campaign in its proper context. Stoneman's Raid, 1865 is the definitive study of the raid and will likely remain so for many years to come. (Mark L. Bradley, author of This Astounding Close: The Road to Bennett Place)
"Chris Hartley's Civil War work is known for the depth and scope of his research, combined with a lively narrative. In Stoneman's Raid, 1865, a study of the last major cavalry raid of the war, he has provided just that. Hartley's deeply researched and eminently readable narrative brings George Stoneman's raid of the spring of 1865 to life. Made famous by the song 'The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,' this raid deep into Tennessee, North Carolina, and western Virginia devastated what little remained of the Confederacy's war-making capacity and helped bring the long war to an end. For anyone interested in the campaigns of 1865, this book is a must-have." (Eric J. Wittenberg, award-winning Civil War historian)
"Stoneman's Raid, 1865 fills a woeful gap in North Carolina's Civil War history. Chris Hartley's carefully researched account filled with personal anecdotes from that time period accurately details what Tar Heels were thinking and feeling as the war's losses hit home." (Clint Johnson, author of Touring the Carolinas' Civil War Sites and Touring Virginia's and West Virginia's Civil War Sites.)
Reviews:
- Civil War Books & Authors
- Greensboro News & Record
- Charge! Civil Wargaming
- TOCWOC Civil War Blog
- The Journal-Patriot
Stuart's Tarheels
James B. Gordon and His North Carolina Cavalry (Second Edition)
James B. Gordon and His North Carolina Cavalry (Second Edition)
When the original edition of Stuart's Tarheels went out of print, and demand for the title continued, Hartley put together this revised second edition of Stuart's Tarheels. After all, the book was named by Hughes, Gallager and Krick's In Taller Cotton as one of the top 200 most important other books for Confederate researchers and collectors. Now, Stuart's Tarheels still provides a detailed chronicle of the life of Confederate cavalry Brigaider General James B. Gordon of North Carolina. But it includes much more, including additional source material about Gordon's cavalrymen that has come to light. There's also a complete roster of Gordon's 1st North Carolina Cavalry Regment, one of the best cavalry units in the Army of Northern Virginia. McFarland, 2011, Hardcover & Paperback, 435 Pages, 7" x 1" x 10.2", 14 maps, 20 illustrations, notes, bibliography, index.
Stuart's Tarheels
James B. Gordon and His North Carolina Cavalry
James B. Gordon and His North Carolina Cavalry
When Confederate Major General J.E.B. Stuart said "North Carolina has done nobly in this army," he had one of his own men to thank: Brigadier General James Byron Gordon. A protege of Stuart, Gordon was the consummate nineteenth-century landowner, politician, and businessman. Despite a lack of military training, he rose rapidly through the ranks and, as the commander of all North Carolina cavalrymen in the Army of Northern Virginia, he helped bring unparalleled success to Stuart's famed Confederate cavalry. This biography chronicles Gordon's early life and military career and, through his men, takes a fresh look at the vaunted Army of Northern Virginia--its battles, controversies, and troops. Butternut & Blue, 1996, Hardcover, 438 Pages, 6.2" x 1.2" x 9.5", 14 maps, 20 illustrations, notes, bibliography, index.