![]() This project, to the best of my knowledge was undertaken at roughly the same time as Saving Private Ryan, using many of the same locations and also employing DreamWorks special effects, giving it a very familiar feel for anyone that has seen Private Ryan. These commentaries also help to move the character development along quite a bit, as it lets us into their own personal thoughts on the situations they faced. The commentary from the actual soldiers that were in those situations is touching, to say the very least. Davis, a professor of history at Virginia Tech, is the author of more than 50 books on Civil War and Southern history, including Three Roads to the Alamo: The Lives and Fortunes of David Crockett, James Bowie, and William Barret Travis (HarperCollins).Band of Brothers finds us following the exploits of Easy Company throughout their campaign in Europe, from their inception all the way to the end of the war. ![]() The Alamo story is not over, and likely it never will be. Every year a few more clues emerge, and still we have no sure idea of all that may lurk in those wonderful archives of the Mexican military at Defensa Nacional in Mexico City. A relentless band of students continues the search for new sources. Of one thing we may be certain: The Blood of Heroes will only be the last word on the subject for a time. In particular, his analysis of the probable Mexican casualties-he estimates losses at 150 dead and 300 wounded-seems very much on the mark, correcting old chauvinism-driven exaggerations of 1,000 or more casualties, and even more conservative recent tallies, including my count of 200 killed. This reviewer’s own Three Roads to the Alamo comes in for some thoughtful reappraisal, and it is hard to argue with Donovan’s insights. Anyone who skips the notes misses the chance to observe the creation of historical narrative. Donovan takes the reader along as he thoughtfully analyzes his sources, sifts through conflicting accounts, and explains his choices-a valuable lesson in the pitfalls of even primary sources, especially presumed or claimed eyewitnesses. The endnotes are among the best things about The Blood of Heroes. ![]() Donovan combines that vital blend of authoritative scholarship with the vivid writing necessary to make an oft-told tale seem fresh-the greatest challenge to anyone writing about the Alamo, as virtually everyone in Western culture knows how the story is going to end. I won’t retell the Alamo saga-the story of William Travis, David Crockett, James Bowie, and the hardy band of Americans who died in defense of Texas-in this review anyone would be better served by reading the book, which is indispensable. The result is surely the best account to date, one that presents plenty of new insights while acting as a corrective-or at least an alternative viewpoint-to previous accounts. Now James Donovan’s The Blood of Heroes provides not only a synthesis of previous work but also excellent new material from the byways and nuances of Alamo history. And in the half century since Walter Lord’s 1961 A Time to Stand appeared to present the last word on the Texas epic, more than enough new sources have emerged to justify many-though not all-of the subsequent retellings of the story. THERE SEEMS TO BE no end of books on the Alamo, and how could there be? Few other stories in the American narrative are so filled with drama, heroism, sacrifice, and symbolism. ![]() The 13-Day Struggle for the Alamo-and the Sacrifice That Forged a Nationīy James Donovan. Book Review: The Blood of Heroes at the Alamo | HistoryNet Close
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