Civil War authority Shelby Foote dead

AP via CNN.com ^ | 28 June 2005 | Unattributed

[Moose4]

MEMPHIS, Tennessee (AP) -- Novelist and Civil War historian Shelby Foote, whose appearances on a PBS-TV documentary series helped America better understand one of the most defining periods of its past, has died, his family said Tuesday.

Foote's widow, Gwen, said her husband, who was 88, died Monday night.

[bourbon]

BIG MS PING.

[PMCarey]

"his shorter Civil War books like "Stars in Their Courses: The Gettysburg Campaign."

I believe that book is an extended excerpt from Volume 2 of his Civil War trilogy.

[Non-Sequitur]

ACW Bump

[mware]

I fell in love the with old guy during Ken Burn's,The Civil War.

RIP to a Southern Gentleman.

[onyx]

Oh my goodness. I think husband has some of his books.

[bourbon]

Nope. That'd be a Mississippi Delta accent.

Link to obit in the Clarion-Ledger.

[mware]

Some of my favorite commentary from Foote was when he was talking about the men both North and South who fought in that war. It was as if he personally knew them.

[Tijeras_Slim]

Sad...

His "The Stars in their Courses" and "The Beleagured City" are a must buy in audiobook.... read by the author of course.

[RightWhale]

That was the golden era of PBS.

[4everontheRight]

"I fell in love the with old guy during Ken Burns,The Civil War."......

You and me both. I bought his books for my ex and when we divorced, he took them! Funny, he never fought for custody of our son. I'm not sure if that says more about my ex or about Mr. Foote's books!
He was a true Southern gentleman and there are not that many of those left...suave demeanor, draw-you-in-accent, dashing manner, quaint and respectful. Class all the way!

[superiorslots]

Quote: But, O Sarah! If the dead can come back to this earth and flit unseen around those they loved, I shall always be near you; in the gladdest days and in the darkest nights . . . always, always, and if there be a soft breeze upon your cheek, it shall be my breath, as the cool air fans your throbbing temple, it shall be my spirit passing by. Sarah do not mourn me dead; think I am gone and wait for thee, for we shall meet again . . .




(2005 version)
Yo S Wazzzz up? Almost got my balls almost got shot off today....

P.S. This is not a cutdown on todays soldiers but our corsening and lowering of society in general.

[Physicist]

Bibliopath ping.

[Ditto]

This is very sad news for me. I was fortunate to meet him a couple of times over the years.

I understand he was very much the gentleman but did not care for the limelight and that he wouldn't sign autographs, even of his own books.

[EllaMinnow]

I believe that book is an extended excerpt from Volume 2 of his Civil War trilogy.

You're right, they are excerpts. We bought "Stars in Their Courses" on our last trip to Gettysburg, and "The Beleaguered City" on our last trip to Vicksburg. They make better travel companions than their over-800-page predecessor.

[RadioAstronomer]

I am sorry to read this. :-(

[ARCADIA]

His three book series on the Civil War was excellent. He will be missed.

[giant sable]

Did an hour with him for PBS when the Civil War miniseries premiered. Met him at a studio near his house in Memphis. A small, soft-spoken and courtly gentleman, spoke just the way he did in the series. Very, very smart too, with the mind of novelist, which he was first and foremost. He got teary-eared only once, when we talked about his life-long best friend, the late Walker Percy, an even greater novelist.
Shelby invited me to go out and get some barbecue after the shoot, and I had to decline because my crew wanted to see Graceland. I still regret that one.
But at least I do have some correspondence from him, written in his elegant hand with a dipped pen . . .

[mware]

I understand he was very much the gentleman but did not care for the limelight and that he wouldn't sign autographs, even of his own books.

Actually I find this to be the act of a gentleman.

He wishes his privacy to be respected.

I always found it somewhat rude to approach someone famous and take their photograph or autography

[Tijeras_Slim]

They make better travel companions than their over-800-page predecessor.

See my post 68, they're even better for travelling.

[Bombardier]

He was an artillery officer in WWII, a talented novelist, and a great historian. I very consciously modeled my style of researching history on his Narrative History of the Civil War. Coming just a few days after my grandfather died, this hurts almost as much.

Thank you, Mr. Foote for rekindling my interest in the War Between the States and for showing me the value of learning the details and the funny little anecdotes that humanize history. I'll never forget you.