A Dark and Bloody Ground: The Hurtgen Forest and the Roer River Dams, 1944-1945

Customer Reviews:

Top Rate Professional Job.......2006-05-16

I echo what others have said about this book. It is not a fun or easy book to read but it is an excellent study of one of the most useless wastes of American soldiers in the ETO. How 28th Division CG Coda, one of the heros of D-Day, could turn into such a poor operational commander is sobering. I was also struck by how the author pointed out the weakness of the US policy (continued thru Vietnam) of plugging individual replacements into front line units with predictable disastrous results. Our current rotation of units is 100% more effective. He does all this in about a page and a half. This is indicative of the insights the author brings to the work.

Attrition warfare at its worse, chronicled at its best.......2004-11-25

Edward G. Miller's "A Dark and Bloody Ground" is a tour de force piece of academic-grade conflict history. Miller's research is solid and thorough and he covers a lot of ground in 200 or so pages, taking us from the initial commitment of American troops to the forest so oft referred to simply as "Hell" (by both sides!), through nearly three months of attrition fighting involving parts or all of TEN US Army divisions, to the final capture of the Roer River dams that lie on the other side of that seventy-odd square miles of Hell. Miller states up front that he wishes to provide a clear and concise overview of the Battles for the Hurtgen in a way previously not done. In this he is quite successful.

With respect to readability, Miller's writing style is quite easy to follow but it is made a bit choppy and (at least initially) hard to follow because he switches between American and German units frequently and unless/until the reader is familiar with which side of the line what unit numbers belong this can make the going tough. A simple use of italics to refer to German units (for example) would have gone a long way towards providing clarity for the reader. Robert Rush (or his publisher) used this tactic in his book on the Hurtgen (see comparison to Miller's book below) with great success.

The final chapter of Miller's book, entitled "Analysis" is worth the price of admission for its insights. Miller provides testimony from commanders who were there and can, looking back, see where problems arose and successes were achieved. The biggest "problem" with the battles of the Hurtgen forest, as Miller and his supporting players see it, was the lack of proper tactical goals, namely the Roer River dams. The dams were not in fact objectives until late in the game after many thousands of casualties were sustained on both sides. Until these proper objectives were articulated the US Army goal in the Hurtgen was to drive the enemy back and capture roads and settlements, as had been the case in Normandy and Brittany. Breaching the Westwall was important and laudable but the casualties were not. Hindsight is always clearer than foresight.

"A Dark and Bloody Ground" is, in the end, a solid piece of historical work worthy of a read. Despite some potential "readability" problems Miller has crafted a four star gem. Anyone interested in learning more about the Hurtgen Forest battles should check out Robert Rush's "Hell in the Hurtgen" which, unlike Miller's book which deals broadly with the whole campaign, focuses on a single 4th Division Regiment, the 22nd, and its time spent dying in the Hurtgen. In a literary sense Rush's book is superior, although both hold their own against each other on content!

Same Sad Song: Miller Covers MacDonald's First Hit.......2004-11-11

If _ A Dark and Bloody Ground: The Hurtgen Forest and the Roer River Dams 1944-1945_ (1995) were a song, it would be a cover tune first recorded by Charles B. MacDonald in 1963 (see my review of MacDonald's _The Battle of the Huertgen Forest_). Like Elvis Presley's rendition of Frank Sinatra's standard "My Way," opinion would vary as to who performed the song better. A younger generation might even hold that Presley was the original artist, while older fans would stand by Sinatra's as the better performance. The song has not changed, only the artist's style and delivery has. Such is the case with Edward G. Miller's contribution to the Huertgen Forest canon. Miller emphatically echoes MacDonald's original thesis that the American planners chose road junctions and towns as primary objectives when in fact they should have concentrated their efforts on two Roer River dams. Miller contends that the dams should have been the main objective from the onset of the campaign. If this had been the case, he argues, there would have been no need to enter the Huertgen Forest, thus eliminating the chance of becoming embroiled in a bitter contest there. In addition, Miller supports the claim that in order for the Americans to cross the Roer River successfully they first had to secure the dams to prevent the Germans from destroying them, flooding the entire region, and causing substantial delay. This last point is just the type of 20/20 hindsight that Miller and others cannot resist when supporting this argument. This is exactly what happened in February 1945, delaying the American attack crossing of the Roer River by two weeks.Miller also rehashes other criticisms such as the Americans had sacrificed mobility and firepower by entering the forest; the American planner's failure to consider the harsh weather conditions and terrain favorable to the defense, and the forest should have been by-passed altogether. As narrative history, Miller is top-notch. The author skillfully retells the sequence of events that made up the Huertgen Forest Campaign. From the VII Corps's first encounter with the forest in September 1944; the failed October attacks of the 9th Division; the tragedy of the 28th Division efforts in and around heavily fortified town of Schmidt in early November; to the renewed two-corps offensive that finally broke out of the forest. Miller covers the complete campaign with thoroughness and efficiency.Along the way, Miller conducted an enormous amount of research that includes the standard primary and secondary sources, as well as a substantial amount of correspondence and personal interviews from both American and German veterans of the fighting. The author has certainly succeeded in blending thorough analysis with readable narrative, however, he got a little careless at one point. To support a contention that Eisenhower and the high command were obsessed with reaching the Rhine River in favor of destroying German forces, Miller paraphrased Martin Blumenson in the official history. Upon checking this source, it clearly showed Blumenson was referring to Germans trapped within the Falaise Pocket in August 1944, not at the German border as Miller had hinted. The biggest question with all these notions is "how? How should the Huertgen Forest have been avoided? The author admits that it would probably been dangerous for the Americans to by-pass the forest initially, but that this does not mean First Army should have committed units time and time again in a fruitless battle of attrition. I agree! Miller states that the area north of the city of Aachen presented the best avenue of approach into Germany, yet he stops there without substantiating this claim or offering a suggestion of how this maneuver could have been carried out. How could the dams have been captured earlier? Miller implies that had there not been an American manpower shortage, they "might have succeeded" in taking the Roer River Dams in September or October. Again, the author offers no clear plan on how this would have been performed. He then goes on to state that had V Corps been reinforced with one or two regiments, it "would likely have" taken the two dams in November. "Ifs," "might haves" and "would likely haves" are not concrete enough in this unending controversy. Miller has written a fine book, equal to MacDonalds first study. That is an impressive achievement in itself. Whether you like the cover tune or the original is a matter of taste. They are both the same sad song.

A closely detailed study of the brutal fighting.......2003-06-19

A Dark And Bloody Ground: The Hurtgen Forest And The Roer River Dams, 1944-1945 by Edward G. Miller (an active-duty army ordnance officer) is a closely detailed study of the brutal fighting which took place in the Hurtgen Forest near the end of World War II. Those deadly battles in the Hurtgen Forest have been overshadowed in military history and popular imagination by the more famous "Battle of the Bulge", and yet the gripping depictions of combat, terror, and the revelations of lethal blunders in A Dark And Bloody Ground make it a truly recommended resource for avid students of Military History in general and World War II Studies in particular.

A Dark and Bloody Ground.......2002-07-02

I purchased this book as part of research I am doing. I found it to be very informative and interesting reading. The author does a wonderful job putting names of men with places throughout the book. I was even able to find reference to my Dad, Capt. Gilbert H. Fuller, 2nd Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment.

This book will prove very helpful in my writing of a WWII memorial of my parents and their contributions to the effort.

Book Description

From the terrifying day the sun vanished over Memphis, to the time it rained foot-long snakes, to Andrew Jackson's brush with the Bell Witch, Tennesseans have a rich heritage of strange and scary tales that have been collected in this book.

Customer Reviews:

Ghosts of Hank, Sr. and Elvis. What could be better?.......2004-03-02

I buy and read books about ghosts on a fairly regular basis and have found that there is seldom a proper balance between the ghost story itself and the history of the possible haunt. Some authors breeze along with one ghost story after another never quite giving the reader any real idea of what may have caused the haunting. Other authors spend most of their time telling the reader why the place might be haunted and then spend only a paragraph or two on actual sightings of the ghost. It is rare indeed to find a book that seems to have the mix just about right and Christopher Coleman has given us one of those rare books.

As Coleman glides from one area of Tennessee to another he lays just the right groundwork and then tells us a good ghost story. His writing style is great and I actually found myself a little spooked while reading some of the stories. It didn't help my state of mind when I found that two of his stories were about ghosts in my home county. Coleman of course covers the well known ghosts of Tennessee, like the Bell Witch and the Chapel Hill lights while at the same time giving a lot of space to some obscure ghost stories that were completely new to me. Also, anyone who plans to visit the Volunteer State would do well to read this book whether they are interested in ghosts or not for Coleman does a good job of catching the spirit (no pun intended) of the state. After all, what's a trip to Tennessee without some exposure to Elvis, country music, Confederate soldiers, and of course Jack Daniel.

I was about to deduct a star because Coleman has included some UFO, Spontaneous Human Combustion, and other tales that have nothing to do with ghosts. I noticed however that the title gave the author wiggle room there and since the book is so good I decided five stars were indeed deserved. I don't know how I missed reading this book for so long but I am glad I finally got around to it and recommend that you give it a try also.

A great book.......2000-01-27

I really enjoyed this book. Being from Tennessee I have been to many of the places in the book inluding Adams Tennessee home of the Bell Witch. This was a well researched and facinating book. I would recommend this book to any one interested in this subject.

A good "country" scare.......1999-12-07

This book was really well researched and presented. I did not find it particularly scary, only interesting. A lot of the information was presented in historical perspective and then "oh by the way, there may be a ghost there now". Being from the North I found the terminology and quaint sayings peppered thoughout the book a little irritating. So if you are looking for some Tennessee history with a dash of legend and ghost stories then this book might be for you. Otherwise, read Haunted Homeland.

Dark and Bloody Ground: The Battle of Mansfield and the Forgotten Civil War in Louisiana

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A southern perspective
Dark and Bloody Ground: The Battle of Mansfield and the Forgotten Civil War in Louisiana
A Great Civil War History of Louisiana
Good book, bad title
NOT WHAT THE TITLE IMPLIES

Dark and Bloody Ground: The Battle of Mansfield and the Forgotten Civil War in Louisiana
Thomas Ayres
Manufacturer: Cooper Square Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0878331808

Book Description

This book chronicles not only the remarkable military victory at Mansfield but the subsequent engagements that forced Union forces into an ignominious withdrawal.

Customer Reviews:

A southern perspective.......2006-04-30

Thomas Ayers treated the subject matter as if he were raised in the south. It's refreshing to know that reseach has been done and facts published proving that many of those yankee produced history textbooks were more proproganda than factual. Charles Anderson, Abilene, TX, wrote a great book (with maps) on the Mansfield battle.

Dark and Bloody Ground: The Battle of Mansfield and the Forgotten Civil War in Louisiana.......2006-02-22

Excellent reading, very informative and interesting. Mr. Ayres is a top notch storyteller. Nothing dry or boreing about this little book. My only objection to the book is the small print.

A Great Civil War History of Louisiana.......2004-04-15

The book was an easy and interesting read that keeps you turning the pages and not wanting to put the book down. Though the title can be misleading, as the majority of the book focuses on the war in Louisiana, the Battle of Mansfield is the climax of the book. I would definately recommend this book for anyone who is looking for a good historical read on the impact of the Civil War on Louisniana. After finishing the book I became a Gen. Richard Taylor fan. Good reading!

Good book, bad title.......2004-01-10

I enjoyed the book very much and would highly recommend it. As another reviewer suggested, however, the book's subtitle is misleading. The focus of the book is one the Civil War in Louisiana generally and on the military career of Dick Taylor. Both subjects are very interesting. I have a peculiar interest in the Battle of Mansfield. The treatment of that battle is relatively brief and not entirely clear, to me at least, perhaps because of the absence of maps. If you're not disappointed by what the book isn't, you'll probably enjoy what it is.

NOT WHAT THE TITLE IMPLIES.......2002-11-10

First: This is one great book. For someone not wanting to spend lots of money and time reading the WBTS in Louisiana, this book is one stop shopping. Second: two problems. Where are the maps! No maps, no battlefield dispositions, nada. The Battle of Sabine Crossroads (a.k.a.Mansfield) is covered in one chapter. I thought this was what the book was to be about. Still waiting for the one great book about this little explored battle. BUT, I loved the book. The author's style is excellent, his anecdotes were wonderful. BUY THIS BOOK.

Average customer rating:

Best book I've ever read
Long Weeks' Journey Into Night
Colorful characters & 1st rate author = 5+ star tale!
Friends til the End
WELL WORTH THE TIME

A Dark and Bloody Ground
Darcy O'Brien
Manufacturer: HarperCollins Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Criminology | Crime & Criminals | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Murder & Mayhem | True Accounts | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

True Crime | True Accounts | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0060179589

Customer Reviews:

Best book I've ever read.......2006-07-18

I know Benny Hodge personally and know that he is innocent. He is a wonderful Christian now, and did not commit murder. He admits he did wrong, but he did not kill anyone!!! God be with him.

Long Weeks' Journey Into Night.......2004-08-13

O'Brien's Opus on murky Kentucky death, politics, and corruption starts out like a well-written episode of A & E's "City Confidential" only in this case encompassing a whole region: So rich was the soil, so plentiful were the fish and game and various the beauties of Kentucky, that its original inhabitants, including Shawnee and Cherokee, fought continuously over tribal boundaries and called it 'the dark and bloody ground,' the phrase from which the name Kentucky derives."

This true and bloody crime trail meanders through murders, trials, states, stings, judicial removals, attorney disbarments and money jars buried out back. The reader needs an index to recognize all the bit players when the tale wends back around the mountain to them. /TundraVision, Amazon Reviewer

Colorful characters & 1st rate author = 5+ star tale!.......2004-05-11

Darcy O'Brien is among an elite group of the very best authors the true crime genre has to offer. Rest assured that in this riveting book he proves it once again!

Unique among true crime writers, O'Brien actually manages to inject very humorous asides in the midst of his riveting recounting of deadly murder cases. Rather than pigeonhole people into one dimensional categories like "victim" or "murderer," O'Brien rounds out the portraits of key players, and gives you insight into their quirks, hopes, dreams, strengths, and only too human flaws. Thanks to O'Brien's skilled ability to get inside their heads, the people involved become three dimensional and the reader is able to better understand what led up to their crimes. Fascinating reading to be sure!

In this case, a fiction writer could not have devised a more colorful cast of characters than Sherry & Benny Hodges, Roger & Carol Epperson, and Donald Bartley, yet this gang is only too real. In their various attempts to grab the brass ring through largely ill gotten gains, they ultimately end up doing the unthinkable. The male contingent of the gang embarks on their mission to relieve Dr. Roscoe Acker, a beloved local physician, of the reported millions tucked away in his home safe. Tragically, things go too far. Daughter Tammy, home by chance from college, is stabbed repeatedly, and left to die at her sobbing father's feet.

Meanwhile, Epperson, Hodge, and Bartley make off with approx. $1.9 million in moldy old bills amassed over the doctor's long career. Despite advice from Sherry, the brains of the outfit, to lay low and not draw attention to themselves, the rest of the gang is unable to resist flashing their cash and shopping like there is no tomorrow. Inevitably, their lack of discretion leads to their capture.

By convincing larger-than-life local attorney Lester Burns to represent them, yet another fascinating "story within the story" is relayed when he succumbs to temptation and falls from grace. Unwisely deciding to accept a fee in cash that he undoubtedly must know was part of the proceeds from the robbery, Burns drowns in an ethical quagmire of his own making that deprives him of his very liberty.

True crime tends to have loose ends--rarely is a case tied up in a neat package by the end--and this one is no exception. Although it was clear that these people were reponsible for the Acker robbery and murder, I was not at all convinced that Benny Hodge killed Dr. Acker's daughter, Tammy. It seemed far more likely that Donnie Bartley was responsible for this senseless homicide, yet he managed to place blame on the others to save his own skin. Bartley's ability to dodge responsibility was not the most satisfactory outcome, but the unanswered questions about the sequence of events made the story that much more compelling for the reader.

I highly recommend this book, and this author. Darcy O'Brien does not disappoint!

Friends til the End.......2003-02-10

I have been a friend of Benny's since the early '70's. This book does not portray HIM as the killer, it tells how he couldn't have been the killer. There's more to this story than what has been printed, but being the man that he is, he will not incriminate others by telling the whole story.
Before the Ky killing, when Sherry was involved, she seemed like an ignorant female trying to keep up with 'her man'. Benny may have been a crook, but never a killer. He may have led a life of crime, but he also has a heart. I have bought this book twice & loaned it out, so I am ordering it again. It is based on some facts & news clippings & case files, but no interviews from Benny himself. Crooked sheriff's, judges, DA's, jurors... I have family in Ky, I know how crooked it is. Since this book has been written there has been more evidence unfolded against Lecter Co judicial system. Blame the real murderer.

WELL WORTH THE TIME.......2003-01-01

Darcy O'Brien did a exhausive amount of research on the subject, which provides the foundation for a well written book. It doesn't hurt that the main players in the robbery-murder crime are perfect for a TV movie.

O'Brien does not paint the gang members as good or [bad], rather he simply tells the individual stories woven into the collective plot about the crime and provides the reader insight into the personal motives of the main players.

You actually can't develop negative feelings toward the criminals because O'Brien is able to outline their human misconceptions and mistakes that brought about their downfall.

The book is worth reading to anyone but I would imagine anyone from the Kentucky area where the crime took place would really enjoy the book.

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Appalachia: A tale of mountains, moonshine and misery

The Dark and Bloody Ground: Where cat's eyes can see best

From An Author's Heart!

Solid praise for "The Dark and Bloody Ground"

Great Read!

The Dark And Bloody Ground
Roberta Webb
Manufacturer: Turnkey Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1933538082

Book Description

A sweeping saga of Kentucky history from early pioneer days to the mid 1900s, The Dark and Bloody Ground is the story of five generations who strive to create a paradise in the Big Sandy Valley that had been heralded as the worlds greatest, raw resource area.

The Edwards family loses two sons to the civil war and their beautiful daughter, Amy to Levi Cantrell, a rogue, philanderer and bootlegger. Levi creates a moonshine dynasty in a well-hidden, splendorous cave while two revenue agents mysteriously die in the vicinity. Levi and Amys second son, Ben, is Levis secret weapon, and they keep the secret even from Ben himself.

In 1911, eastern moguls sweep into the isolated area to mine a mammoth coalfield and bring with them a modern town that threatens Levis kingdom. Prohibition arrives and so does Judge Wesley Adams, a man attempting to atone for his one errant act of madness. Adams raises the ire of revenue agents when he becomes friends with Ben Cantrell.

Bens son, Thomas, inherits his fathers unique gift and survives World War II because of it.

Customer Reviews:

Appalachia: A tale of mountains, moonshine and misery.......2006-09-22

Reviewed by Lynn O'Connell for Reader Views (9/06)

Five generations of Kentuckians, their culture and thoughts on the times, are vividly explored in this 381-page work of historical fiction. The novel opens as Morgan Collier's mother entreats him to not leave home. Yet, living in a town in Ohio, Morgan has been fascinated by Kentucky and the tales of its abundance of land and wildlife since he was a small boy. Finally, in 1840, Morgan and his wife, Liddy, with their children, head to Kentucky.

The following chapters detail how the family adapts to mountain life in the wilderness and all the daily struggles the family encounters. Morgan's daughter, Sarah, marries the son of the family's neighbor. Much of the novel focuses on this couple and their four sons and one daughter, Amy. Amy marries the son of a neighbor, and the couple has seven sons. Her husband, Levi, establishes a booming moonshine business, which thrives during prohibition and thwarts all revenue agents. The story follows Levi's entire family, although focusing on Ben and then his wife and family. Ultimately, the book provides a detailed history of Kentucky through the mid-twentieth century.

There are two sub-plots of the book that add to the book's appeal. First, fourth-generation Ben has a special gift - the eyes of a cat. His mother had a near miss with a panther while she was pregnant, and Ben inherits the panther's eyes which also give him the cat's "nine lives" -- and the ability to survive. One of Ben's sons inherits this special gift as well. Second, Judge Wesley Adams, a friend of Ben's, spends his life dreading the curse that was placed on him as a young man by Lettie Mullins. As Wesley was acquitted for killing her son, Lettie screams in the courtroom: "I curse you, Wesley Adams, and I witch you. You will live to see any son you have dead at your feet." Wesley has three sons.....

Author Roberta Webb is able to draw the reader in with her detailed descriptions of many of the characters - including Amy and Wesley. It is also noticeable how the plot flows smoothly and all-encompassing, leaving no loose ends. The title of the book itself comes from the phrase which was used to describe Kentucky originally because it was a battleground for the different Indian tribes. A native-born Kentuckian, Webb provides detailed descriptions of the timber, mining and moonshine industries in Kentucky. She also touches on the struggle that has always existed in the state: economic advancement versus protection of resources.

The novel is a pleasant and relatively quick read for anyone who enjoys generational sagas. Keep reading, the ending will answer your questions and leave you with a smile on your face.

The Dark and Bloody Ground: Where cat's eyes can see best.......2006-03-08

Hailing from Jenkins in Southeastern Kentucky, Roberta Webb worked as a psychiatric nursing supervisor, continued her nursing at the University of Virginia, and worked for a short time on the first atomic bomb as a minute technician. Now, living in Texas, she has embarked on a writing career with her debut novel The Dark and Bloody Ground (TurnKey Press, Texas, 2006), a historical saga of a Kentucky family through its five generations.

The story starts with Morgan Collier's irresistible fascination with the wild highs of Kentucky. As he settles there with his family, a full-fledged adventure lived in the open ensues with all the richness of natural vitalism. Adaptation to the wild, action against enemies both natural and human, and the harmony of love and force all constitute the history of life lived in and with the wild. Morgan's progeny is fostered ahead in his daughter Sarah giving birth to Amy, she in turn becoming the mother of Ben Cantrell and the grandmother of Ben's son Thomas. Zooming in on characters across generations, the author skillfully pilots an omniscient voice.

Webb's experience of history contributes immensely to the realism of her novel's story: the Bessemer's Process for purifying steel, the Yamaha Pianos of the Japanese, details of mining and construction, and the craft of winemaking make an imagery of high appeal to evocation. Kentucky is slowly unmasked as the `dark and bloody ground' where a wild innocence sheltered its inhabitants as early as 1840 until the arrival of investment for mining and Levi Cantrell's obsession with making money and until after the Second World War. With the advent of capital and people, Levi's lust for wealth drags him into bootlegging, and murder while the town is ravaged by competitiveness, theft, and worthlessness of man. The care for one's family falls servile before satiating the masses' craving for moonshine. The cracks widen and the Cantrell family is torn between losing their blood to war and keeping their faith in Mother Nature. A plot of its kind!

To involve the reader head over heels, Webb hooks the reader up on the supernatural trait of Ben Cantrell and his son Thomas. Both have got cat eyes, and in the words of Levi Cantrell `...cats have nine lives.' Webb's symbolism certainly conveys the power of nature in human life. To side with the wild is to survive in the eternally fierce world no matter what form wildness assumes. And hence we find Thomas Cantrell breathing his life while his peers enter their graves. Crueler is the case of Wesley Adams who is on a curse by Lettie Mullins, whose son he killed, that haunts her mind as he fears for the lives of his own sons.

The Dark and Bloody Ground is tout in its plot. It outstrips tautology except in the reminders that the old mountain people still looked healthy and beautiful despite their age. A couple of chapters are overly descriptive, exceeding plot and character, and zooming in on labor employed to urbanize Kentucky. But most of the 24 chapters are beautifully written. And at the end of the book you cannot help asking, with a sigh, Sarah Collier's question, `How could a place so beautiful witness so many tragedies?'

From An Author's Heart!.......2006-01-20

I believe you can tell when an author's heart is in their work, and so is the case with author Roberta Webb and her creation, " The Dark And Bloody Ground."
This story set in Kentucky is one of family, spanning five generations and the saga of their lives. The author does an outstanding job of describing locals and characters, keeping them well in line as she moves through time, and craftily weaves them into a perfect flow of storyline, from one generation to the next, one event to another.
You are taken through wars, bootlegging, coal mining and all the birth pains that this family endures in this raw and growing land and in their growing family in the passing of life.This work is the story of a part of America, it is the story of an American family, their struggles, victories and losses; it is a story of battling the land, the times, it is one of love and life. It will grab your attention and your heart. Very well done.
Shirley Johnson
Senior Reviewer
MidWest Book Review

Solid praise for "The Dark and Bloody Ground".......2006-01-12

Roberta Webb has produced a fine piece of historical fiction in her first novel. "The Dark and Bloody Ground" has richly developed characters who struggle with the obstacles of their era. Ms. Webb captured the essence of the spirit of the people of Kentucky; allowing the reader a glimpse without the usual cliches. The novel is well researched with an overview of the history and resources of the area, but is especially informative with regard to the mining industry. Find a comfortable chair in a cozy corner and be prepared to read cover to cover! You won't want to put it down.

Great Read!.......2005-12-02

When Morgan Collier moved his family from Ohio to the untamed wilderness of Kentucky he had no idea of what would befall his family. The Dark and Bloody Ground travels the generations of this family thru Civil War, world wars, and prohibition, the passing of fathers and sons and the events that fortified them. . Based on fact with an interesting blend of fiction the book was impossible to put down. So grab a cup of coffee, get comfortable and enjoy!

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Arizona's Dark and Bloody Ground
Earle Robert Forrest
Manufacturer: Univ of Arizona Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Arizona's Dark and Bloody Ground
Earle R. Forrest
Manufacturer: Caxton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NZRRH6

Boone of the wilderness: A tale of pioneer adventure and achievement in "the dark and bloody ground"

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Boone of the wilderness: A tale of pioneer adventure and achievement in "the dark and bloody ground"
Daniel Henderson
Manufacturer: E.P. Dutton & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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Dark & Bloody Ground
Francis Perez Lopez
Manufacturer: UNSPECIFIED VENDOR
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UDRXM0

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