{"title":"James H Bruns","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"crosshairs-on-the-capital-book-james-h-bruns-9781636240114","title":"Crosshairs on the Capital","description":"In an era of battlefield one-upmanship, the raid on the Nation's capital in July 1864 was prompted by an earlier failed Union attempt to destroy Richmond and free the Union prisoners held there. Jubal Early's mission was in part to let the North have a taste of its own medicine by attacking Washington and freeing the Confederate prisoners at Point Lookout in southern Maryland. He was also to fill the South's larder from unmolested Union fields, mills and barns. By 1864 such southern food raids had become annual wartime events. And he was to threaten and, if possible, capture Washington. This latter task was unrealistic in an age when the success of rifle fire was judged to be successful not by accuracy, but by the amount of lead that was shot into the air. Initially, the Union defenders of the city were largely former slaves, freemen, mechanic, shopkeepers and government clerks, as well as invalids. They might not have known much about riflery and accuracy, but they were capable of putting ample lead on the long until Regular Union regiments arrived. Jubal Early hesitated in attacking Washington, but he held the City at bay while his troops pillaged the countryside for the food Lee's Army needed to survive.This new account focuses on the reasons, reactions and results of Jubul Early's raid of 1864. History has judged it to have been a serious threat to the capital, but James H. Bruns examines how the nature of the Confederate raid on Washington in 1864 has been greatly misinterpreted - Jubal Early's maneuvers were in fact only the latest in a series of annual southern food raids. It also corrects some of the thinking about Early's raid, including the reason behind his orders from General Lee to cross the Potomac and the thoughts behind the proposed raid on Point Lookout and the role of the Confederate Navy in that failed effort. It presents a new prospective in explaining Jubal Early's raid on Washington by focusing on why things happened as they did in 1864. It identifies the cause-and-effect connections that are truly the stuff of history, forging some of the critical background links that oftentimes are ignored or overlooked in books dominated by battles and leaders.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49742547190033,"sku":"NGR9781636240114","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50262518530321,"sku":"CIN1636240119VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51873182515473,"sku":"GOR014438665","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":52107182571793,"sku":"CIN1636240119G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1636240119.jpg?v=1750896014"},{"product_id":"motorized-mail-book-james-h-bruns-9780873414852","title":"Motorized Mail","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":49921234665745,"sku":"CIN0873414853G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50823150862609,"sku":"CIN0873414853VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51121863557393,"sku":"GOR014180500","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0873414853.jpg?v=1751011972"},{"product_id":"razzle-dazzle-book-james-h-bruns-9781476687636","title":"Razzle Dazzle","description":"During World War I, American merchant ships were given oddly colored paint jobs to distort their profiles at sea. Dubbed Razzle-Dazzle, these camouflage patterns were believed responsible for dramatic decreases in Allied shipping losses. This book examines the real (and more compelling) factors that made a difference in the survivability of merchant shipping: the various measures taken principally by the U.S. Navy, including the use of convoys and destroyer escorts, along with some innovative naval technologies. At the same time, advances in America's shipbuilding industry and the development of the nation's first major on-the-job training program enabled mass production of merchant ships at a record pace.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50384731570449,"sku":"CIN1476687633G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52598322528529,"sku":"NLS9781476687636","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1476687633.jpg?v=1750923569"},{"product_id":"great-american-post-offices-book-james-h-bruns-9780471143888","title":"Great American Post Offices","description":"This text comprises an architectural history of American post offices and an account of the expansion of the US postal system, 1640 to the present. It includes an in-depth state-by-state architectural guide to 250 historic post offices nationwide and features the post office designs and architectural influence of prominent US supervising architects, such as Robert Mills, Ammi B. Young, Isaiah Rogers, Alfred B. Mullett, William A. Pofter, James Hill and James Knox Taylor.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50404724867345,"sku":"CIN047114388XVG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50789731500305,"sku":"CIN047114388XG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/047114388X.jpg?v=1751007640"},{"product_id":"delivering-for-america-book-james-h-bruns-9781595911537","title":"Delivering for America","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe first official book to chronicle the rich, 250-year history of the United States Postal Service, told through captivating stories and stunning visuals.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e The United States Postal Service (USPS), founded on July 26, 1775, has been a vital thread in the fabric of American history since before the nation even existed. As the country expanded--from the early colonial days to the frontiers of the West--the postal service made it possible for citizens to stay connected, exchanging letters and ideas that helped define the nation. Today, the USPS boasts a remarkable 77% approval rating, making it the most admired federal agency in the country, even outpacing NASA.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e In celebration of its 250th anniversary, this book chronicles the rich history of the USPS, from its colonial origins to its modern-day innovations. As the nation grew, the mail system grew with it, evolving from horseback riders to rail, air, and even space. Readers will learn how early colonists created their own postal system to challenge British censorship, how post roads helped unify a diverse country, and how postal workers braved dangers--like driving a gold-filled train back East during a financial crisis or flying mail across treacherous skies in the early days of aviation.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e The book also delves into how the postal service was a lifeline during the Great Depression and continues to shape our lives today, through cutting-edge advancements like electric vehicles, automation, and email. It offers fascinating stories of how the USPS has adapted and innovated throughout history to meet the needs of an ever-changing nation.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Expertly guided by author James H. Bruns, the former director of the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum, this book is filled with rare photographs, documents, and artifacts--many never before seen in print. Captions, sidebars, and visual breakouts offer deeper insights into everything from postal uniforms and hand stamps to pneumatic mail systems and even post office-themed music. Through these captivating stories and stunning visuals, readers will gain a deeper understanding of not just the history of the mail, but of America itself--where we've been, who we are, and where we're headed.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52515824763153,"sku":"NIN9781595911537","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":53024975978769,"sku":"CIN1595911537G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}]},{"product_id":"black-sailors-in-the-civil-war-book-james-h-bruns-9781476690544","title":"Black Sailors in the Civil War","description":"Thousands of Black sailors served with valor during the Civil War. Yet few histories have highlighted their contributions to the Union's impressive naval victories throughout the war, which prompted Lincoln's Secretary of the Navy, Gideon Welles, to declare that if the army could not win the war, the navy would have to. Drawing on official naval records, personal letters and journals, and oral histories of formerly enslaved Americans, this volume documents the service of fugitive, freemen and freed Black sailors, 1861-1865.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52663398433041,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52663399350545,"sku":"NLS9781476690544","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781476690544.jpg?v=1762271929"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/collections\/author-books-by-james-h-bruns.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}