UNITED STATES AUTHOR
James Harrison Wilson
James Harrison Wilson was born in Shawneetown, Illinois. In 1860, he graduated from the United States Military Academy and became a brevet second lieutenant in the Topographical Engineers in the Department of Oregon at Fort Vancouver. During the Civil War, Wilson served as a topographical engineer, and in 1863 he was promoted to become Ulysses Grant's brigadier general of volunteers. In 1864, he switched from engineering to the cavalry, was promoted to brevet major general, and commanded a division of cavalry before becoming chief of cavalry for the Military Division of the Mississippi under Sherman. He trained Sherman's cavalry, then led the raids through Alabama and Georgia. In 1865, he was promoted major general. At the end of the war, Wilson served in the Corps of Engineers until 1870, when he retired from the Army. He worked as a railroad construction engineer and executive. In 1883, he moved to Wilmington, Delaware, and worked, traveled, and wrote. In 1898, the Spanish-American war began, and Wilson returned to the Army. He served as a major general in Cuba and Puerto Rico, and was in China during the Boxer Rebellion in 1901. In 1902 he retired from the Army.
This is a map of China.
— from China
Most acclaimed
The Life of Ulysses S. Grant
Book digitized by Google from the library of Harvard University and uploaded to the Internet Archive by user tpb.
China
"Edward Rutherfurd has enthralled millions of people with his grand, sweeping historical sagas that tell the history of an iconic place over multiple generations. Now, in China: The Novel, Rutherfurd takes readers into the rich and fascinating milieu of the Middle Kingdom. The story begins in 1839, at the dawn of the first Opium War. An English merchant arrives in the restricted port of Canton (Guangzhou), seeking to make his fortune trading opium. But the tide of addiction is decimating the Chinese population--a young scholar accompanies his Mandarin master on a mission from the emperor to shut down the trade. Thus begins an epic tale chronicling China's struggle to regain their ancient land and culture from the domination of the Western powers, which culminates in the revolution of 1911, and the ultimate rise of the Communist regime. We meet a young village wife struggling with the rigid traditions of her people, Manchu empresses and warriors, the powerful eunuchs of the Forbidden City, rapacious English opium dealers and savvy Chinese pirates, artists, concubines, scoundrel's and heroes. Rutherfurd chronicles the rising and falling fortunes of members of Chinese, British, and American families, as they negotiate the tides of history. Along the way, in his signature style, Rutherfurd provides a deeply researched portrait of Chinese history and society, its ancient traditions and great upheavals, and China's emergence as a rising global power. We are treated to romance and adventure, battles and intrigues, grinding struggle and incredible fortune. China: The Novel brings to life the rich terrain of this vast and constantly evolving country. From Shanghai to Beijing to the Great Wall, Rutherfurd chronicles the turbulent rise and fall of empires as the colonial West meets the opulent and complex East in a dramatic struggle between cultures and people. Extraordinarily researched and majestically told, Rutherfurd paints a thrilling portrait of one of the most singular and remarkable countries in the world"-- 1839, at the dawn of the first Opium War. An English merchant arrives in the restricted port of Canton (seeking to make his fortune trading opium. But the tide of addiction is decimating the Chinese population, and a young scholar accompanies his Mandarin master on a mission from the emperor to shut down the trade. Over the centuries China struggles to regain their ancient land and culture from the domination of the Western powers; the fortunes of members of Chinese, British, and American families rise and fall, and the tides of history bring to life the rich terrain of this vast and constantly evolving country. -- condensed from publisher info