NEW BOOK ON THE BLACK HAWK WAR

[Cliff Krainik]

Just received this email announcement from a good friend, Tom Steinkamp and thought the members of the BHWMB might be interested -

"New book about the Black Hawk War; Original info from Tom Steinkamp 5th U.S. Regulars

I purchased a copy of Benjamin McLaughlin's book on the Black Hawk War entitled "In Black Hawk's Footsteps." yesterday. Here is a little synopsis if you are considering its purchase. It is 100 pages in length with an extensive bibliography of 2 pages. It includes a chart on site features of the war, several well-placed maps which are easy to read, a short sketch of several people in the war in one capacity or the other, an order of battle of U.S. forces as well as a listing of officers in the Michigan Mounted Militia, and a wealth of anecdotes of a variety of areas in the War itself. Also included are articles such as Lincoln in the Black Hawk War-1832, Mining Forts, etc.

The a book that, in Benjamin's own words helps: those interested in the Black Hawk War, on-site history enthusiasts, history teachers (ahem, that would be me and yes, I DO teach about the war) and professors, weekend sightseers, and libraries, I would also recommend it. At $18 its a real bargain, particularly if you are wanting a book to supplement ones you already have or you are beginning a library on the BHW.

If you are looking to purchase Benjamin's book, contact him at the following:

www.ben-mclaughlin.com

or:

[e-mail]


Tom
U.S. Regs"


Cliff Krainik

[Greg Carter]

After reviewing this book for Mr. McLaughlin, I ended up buying my $20 copy from Apple River Fort when the "autographed copy of the finished work" I was promised never arrived at my door.

While I am in debt to Mr. McLaughlin for recognizing some of my work, I am of the opinion that many remarks in the book are directly scalped from this discussion board and from the OLRHS website, without enough credit going to those who did the research that provided almost the entire contents of said book.

I think that the fact that Ellen Whitney's extensive research does not have a place in the bibliography, despite being a key source of information on the Black Hawk War is a point worth examining. Several items in the book that appear to have been quoted directly from one of her several volumes do not have a specific source from which they came. The only place I personally know of that has a large number of quotes from Whitney is this discussion board.

On the flip side of the coin, it does provide extensive directions and minimal background information on the sites from the conflict.

MHO.

Greg Carter

[Robert Braun]

Greg said:

After reviewing this book for Mr. McLaughlin, I ended up buying my $20 copy from Apple River Fort when the "autographed copy of the finished work" I was promised never arrived at my door.

While I am in debt to Mr. McLaughlin for recognizing some of my work, I am of the opinion that many remarks in the book are directly scalped from this discussion board and from the OLRHS website, without enough credit going to those who did the research that provided almost the entire contents of said book.

I think that the fact that Ellen Whitney's extensive research does not have a place in the bibliography, despite being a key source of information on the Black Hawk War is a point worth examining. Several items in the book that appear to have been quoted directly from one of her several volumes do not have a specific source from which they came. The only place I personally know of that has a large number of quotes from Whitney is this discussion board.

On the flip side of the coin, it does provide extensive directions and minimal background information on the sites from the conflict.

MHO.

Greg Carter

Greg... I hope Mr. McLaughlin does come through on his promise. My copy, unfortunately sans autograph , arrived only late last week (October 1).

Mr. McLaughlin was advised of many of the issues articulated by Greg in this thread by myself at Apple River Fort on May 1 of this year. At that time he did not disagree that additional source acknowledgement was appropriate.

While I stand by my written assessment of his book, it is dissappointing that information clearly gleaned from this discussion board and the OLRHS website was apparently not appropriately cited.

On the other hand, I am most pleased that Greg Carter finally recieved some long-overdue recognition for what must be regarding as groundbreaking research in advancing the knowledge of the BHW and Illinois' role in the conflict.

Bob Braun

[Robert Braun]

Hey Greg! You CAN get your book signed! Check this out!



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 7, 2004


BLACK HAWK WAR AUTHOR TO SIGN BOOKS DURING “INTO THE WOODS” EVENT OCTOBER 9 AND 10 AT APPLE RIVER FORT


ELIZABETH, IL – Ben McLaughlin, author of In Black Hawk’s Footsteps, which identifies the primary locations relating to the Black Hawk War, will be available to sign copies of his book and talk to history enthusiasts during the “Into the Woods” event October 9 and 10 at Apple River Fort State Historic Site in Elizabeth, Illinois.

McLaughlin will be at the Apple River Fort Interpretive Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day. In Black Hawk’s Footsteps features historical overviews, maps, illustrations, and cross references, making it the ideal companion for anyone interested in the Black Hawk War.

The “Into the Woods” special event that weekend invites adventurous visitors to literally go “into the woods” with persons portraying 1830s settlers to learn the fine arts of hide tanning, sausage making, meat jerky preparation, rail splitting, making lead bullets and blacksmithing. Recipes for the preparation of traditional “spirits” (beverages) will also be part of the event.

r.