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The opening salvo of what will come to be known as Jackson’s Valley Campaign was fired on May 8, 1862, at the Battle of McDowell.  Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson’s personal courage under fire and the forceful leadership of his brigade at the Battle of Bull Run, fought nine months previous, had already earned him recognition as a reliable combat leader.  At the conclusion of the Valley Campaign, he will be recognized as a military genius, second only to Robert E. Lee in the pantheon of Confederate war heros.  Beginning with the Battle of McDowell and extending over the next five weeks, Jackson, with a force that will never exceed 17,000 troops and will often number fewer than 10,000, will out-general, out-march, out-fight, and out-class three separate Union forces totaling 60,000 troops under the commands of Generals John C. Fremont, Nathaniel Banks, and Irvin McDowell.  Jackson’s “foot cavalry” will march 400 miles up and down the Shenandoah Valley, fight four battles and six smaller skirmishes, and will win every one of these engagements.

The historian Shelby Foote wrote of Jackson and his men:  “He marched their legs off, drove them to and past exhaustion, and showed nothing but contempt for the man who staggered.  When they reached the field of battle, spitting cotton and stumbling with fatigue, he flung them into the uproar without pausing to count his losses until he had used up every chance for gain.  When it was over and they had won, he gave the credit to God.  All they got in return for their sweat and blood was victory.  It was enough.”

Stonewall Jackson is just 38 years old in 1862.  Although no one knows it at the time, he has just one year left to live.

Map reprinted from the Civil War Trust.

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Peter Cozzens’ Shenandoah 1862 is, as the name suggests, a history of Stonewall Jackson’s 1862 Valley Campaign.  While the Valley Campaign was due for an upgrade (the last major account was Robert Tanner’s Stonewall in the Valley, written in 1976 and revised in 2002), and while there is much to like about Shenandoah 1862, there are two flaws that stop the book from being all that it could be.  First is Cozzens’ pro-Union bias and his almost obsessive desire to debunk the cult and mythology that has grown up around Stonewall Jackson.  Tanner’s Stonewall in the Valley has long been recognized as the best account of the Valley Campaign, but in the introduction to Shenandoah 1862, Cozzens accuses Tanner of a subjective pro-Confederate / pro-Stonewall bias.  And, no doubt, Cozzens’ critical, revisionist look at Jackson’s decision-making in the Valley is a welcome addition to the catalog.  In the end, however, Cozzens is guilty of precisely the same thing he accuses of Tanner – an over-the-top bias (in Cozzens’ case, a pro-Union bias) that keeps Shenandoah 1862 from being definitive.  The second flaw, and one which I find damn near unforgivable, is the lack of quality campaign maps.  The book has a handful of decent tactical maps depicting the fighting at Kernstown, McDowell, Front Royal, Winchester, Cross Keys, and Port Republic.  But the wonder of the Valley Campaign has never been the individual battles; rather, it has always been about the campaign as a whole:  Jackson slipping cross-valley to bloody Milroy’s nose at McDowell; Jackson’s rampage down the Valley against the hapless Nathaniel Banks; and the frantic attempts by Fremont and McDowell to seal Jackson’s only escape route at Strasburg.  Yet sadly, regrettably, inexplicably, Shenandoah 1862 does not contain any campaign maps that would provide the reader with the big-picture perspective that is required to really appreciate the Valley Campaign.

In the final analysis, I suspect that the modern, definitive account of the Valley Campaign has yet to be written.

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I’m willing to accept the possibility that maybe – just maybe – Jerry Clower is a Southern thing. If you were to suggest such, I wouldn’t rule you out of order, at least not right away. But, in the end, when everything was said and done, you’d still be wrong. Because Jerry Clower is no more a Southern thing than Moby Dick is a book about a whale. Jerry Clower is, instead, about the larger truths in life: like grits, and possums, and, as shown here in these two short routines, coon huntin’. So press the big green play button and sit back and enjoy.

Hawwwwww!

Wish I coulda been there.

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You can listen along by pressing the green play button at right.

Reggae music in all its various forms – ska, rock steady, roots, toasting – is without doubt the single greatest legal export of the island nation of Jamaica. But most people’s knowledge of reggae is limited to a few greatest hits compilations (Bob Marley’s Legend, UB40′s Labor Of Love), and to Johnny Nash’s admittedly brilliant single I Can See Clearly Now (which was written by Marley). Lucky for you, however, I happen to have smashing taste in reggae plus a big honkin’ collection of reggae albums (that’s right, sucka, I said “album”), so sit back while I impart a little learnin’.

I have created an iTunes playlist with these thirteen songs. If you would like to purchase these songs on iTunes, just go to iTunes, search for the playlist (“A Reggae Sampler”), and it will give you an option to purchase. I’m not trying to sell you anything, I don’t make a single penny if you purchase anything, it’s just my way of helping you along in your education. Leave some positive feedback while you’re there.

You can see prior installments in this series here and here.

Peter Tosh, Get Up, Stand Up: Peter Tosh was always the most militant of the Wailers, so it should come as no surprise that after parting ways with Bob Marley, he cut his own version of Get Up, Stand Up, the Wailers’ political call-to-arms. What may surprise the uneducated is that Tosh absolutely owns this song, making it his own and far outdistancing the original. This is roots reggae of the highest order.

Toots and the Maytals, Country Road: “Almost heaven … West Jamaica“? Yep, you heard it, folks, John Denver gets the island treatment. Sounds hokey, but the Maytals’ version, fueled by Toots Hibbert’s joyous vocal, is a revelation and a reggae classic. John Denver never sounded so good. Toots and the Maytals have been going strong since the 1960′s and are still touring today. Catch them if you can.

Big Youth, Streets of Africa: First John Denver … now … War? You heard right – War’s 1972 classic, The World is a Ghetto, gets worked up by Jamaican toastmaster Big Youth. Streets of Africa was never a “hit,” but it has a dreamy, ethereal feel about it, and with the rootsy rhythms of the Soul Syndicate and backing vocals from The Heptones, it certainly should have been a hit. This, too, is wonderful roots reggae.

Desmond Dekker, Israelite: Desmond Dekker was among the earliest reggae stars and was the first to chart a Top Ten hit in the United States, with 1968′s Israelite. Dekker’s staccato rude boy lyrics are often indecipherable (see if you can hear the Bonnie & Clyde reference buried in the lyrics), but it’s hard to resist that background singer with the deep voice, whose only job is moaning “oooooo, the Israelite.”

Gregory Isaacs, Private Beach Party: Gregory Isaacs was a mainstay of the Jamaican music scene for almost thirty years, and the album Private Beach Party was among his best. This, the title track, is a perfect example of “lovers rock,” a lighter, more pop-oriented style of reggae that developed as an alternative to the more intense roots reggae. Gregory Isaacs passed away from lung cancer in December 2010.

The Heptones, Book of Rules: One of the great reggae bands of the rock steady era, The Heptones’ trademark was their soaring harmonies and the silky smooth vocals of lead singer Leroy Sibbles. Both are gloriously on display with Book of Rules. Some deep stuff here: “Each is given a bag of tools, a shapeless mass, and the Book of Rules.”

Jimmy Cliff, The Harder They Come: The Harder They Come – the 1972 Jamaican movie – introduced reggae music to the world. The soundtrack, featuring Jimmy Cliff, Toots Hibbert, The Slickers, Desmond Dekker, and the Melodians, among others, is a virtual primer on reggae music. If you want to dive a little deeper into reggae, then the soundtrack is a great place to start. This is Jimmy Cliff’s “alternate” version of the song.

Ken Boothe, Everything I Own: First John Denver … then War … and now … Bread? Bread? David Gates? Really? I know, I know, it doesn’t sound possible, and no one wants to admit they ever listened to a Bread song, even one covered by another artist, but Ken Boothe’s cover of Everything I Own is outstanding. Let down your guard and give it a listen.

The Melodians, Rivers of Babylon: The Old Testament lament of the 137th Psalm, set to reggae music. “By the rivers of Babylon, where we sat down, and there we wept, when we remembered Zion.” Rivers of Babylon was also featured on the soundtrack to The Harder They Come.

The Slickers, Johnny Too Bad: The last selection in the list from The Harder They Come, Johnny Too Bad is the finest example of rude boy reggae. Abraham Green’s plaintive, soulful vocal and the rock steady rhythm guitar make Johnny Too Bad a Jamaican classic that has been covered numerous times, most notably by UB40 on their seminal collection of early reggae covers, Labour of Love.

Third World, 1865 (96 Degrees In The Shade): Third World was occasionally criticized for being too slick and commercial, and sometimes the criticism was deserved. But not here: definitely not here. 1977′s 96 Degrees In The Shade is classic roots reggae. Real hot.

Tony Tribe, Red Red Wine: Hard to believe that a minor Neil Diamond hit from 1968 would come to be recognized as one of the all-time reggae classics, but that’s exactly what Tony Tribe’s cover of Red Red Wine has become. And besides, if Bread could, why not Neil Diamond? Like Johnny Too Bad, Red Red Wine would get exposed to an even wider audience when it was included on UB40′s Labour of Love in 1983.

Bob Marley and the Wailers, High Tide Low Tide: There’s no way to put a collection like this together without a tip of the hat to the Bobster. But what song to pick? There are so many Wailers classics to choose from, but many of those same classics suffer from overexposure; I mean, really, how many times can you listen to I Shot the Sheriff? So I’m going deep in the vault for High Tide Low Tide, a soft gem from 1973′s Catch A Fire’.

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My brother has a small pond behind his house, and several years ago he stocked some blue cats.  Every evening around 6:30, he throws out several handfuls of fish food, which of course triggers a pretty predictable frenzy among the cats.  Some of the fish will rise quickly to the surface, inhale a few pellets, then slap their tails and swim back down to the depths.  Others will slowly cruise the surface in a straight line, greedily gulping every pellet in their path, just like the “gulpers” of Ennis Lake (okay, maybe not exactly like at Ennis Lake).  So of course I decided to “match the hatch” and tie up a few “PFC” (“Purina Fish Chow”) Flies.

I had a sheet of tan foam, so I cut off a small strip and lashed it to the hook.  I also tied a PFC Cluster fly to imitate a clump of pellets by lashing two strips of foam to the hook.  Both patterns are quite intricate and involve advanced tying techniques, I would not recommend these unless you already have some tying experience.

I went to my brother’s house at supper time the other night (fish supper time, that is) armed with a couple of PFC’s. Britt chummed up the fish with several handfuls of fish chow, and just like clockwork, the catfish worked themselves into a frenzy. At first, I simply cast the fly into the middle of the vortex and waited for one of the cats to pounce. After about ten minutes, however, it became clear this tactic was not working, and so I began singling out specific feeding fish and casting the fly into their path. Much to my surprise, however, this technique didn’t work any better; time after time, I made perfect casts to feeding fish, who would swim up to the PFC, eye it for a brief moment, then disdainfully swim right past it and continue their feeding.

Finally, I got one of the cats to take. I suppose this fish was the equivalent of the village idiot; after all, countless of his brethren had already refused the PFC Fly. But I’m not complaining. I cast the fly into his feeding lane, and without missing a beat, he opened his maw, inhaled the PFC, and the fight was on. He may have been dumb, but he was a brute, boy, and on the little 3 wt. rod I was using, he felt like Moby Dick. It took me about ten minutes, but I finally got him up to the bank, and to preserve the moment, I set him down and took a picture before releasing him back into the pond.  I thought about eating him for supper, but you’ve got to keep those stupid fish in the pond, it’s important that they spawn as often as possible and make as many more stupid fish as the pond will support.

Ah yes, the PFC Fly.

Sir Izaak Walton just rolled over in his grave.

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A video short from “Young Frankenstein.”

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A movie short from “Young Frankenstein.”

One hundred years ago tonight, at 11:40 pm and approximately 350 miles southwest of Newfoundland, RMS Titanic struck an iceberg on its maiden voyage and, three hours later, broke apart and plunged 2 1/2 miles to the bottom of the North Atlantic. More than 1,500 persons died in the disaster.  Titanic’s wreck was discovered in 1985 by Robert Ballard.  (You can read here about SS Californian, a British steamship that apparently witnessed Titanic sinking and made no attempt to investigate.)

The final twilight.

Titanic sinking.

The bow of Titanic, sunk.

Titanic’s bow.

Tenor saxophonist Andrew Love, who partnered with trumpeter Wayne Jackson to form the Memphis Horns, died this past Thursday at the age of 70.  The Memphis Horns were part of the original house band at Stax Records in Memphis, and they played on virtually every Stax recording during the 1960′s.  In later years, they played with such diverse artists as Elvis Presley, The Doobie Brothers, Neil Diamond, U2, and Alicia Keys.  Their discography is staggering.  A small selection of the songs the Memphis Horns played on:  Respect, In The Midnight Hour, I’ve Been Loving You Too Long, Hold On I’m Coming, Knock On Wood, Respect, Mustang Sally, When A Man Loves A Woman, The Dark End of the Street, (You Make Me Feel Like a) Natural Woman, Funky Broadway, Try a Little Tenderness, Think, Hooked on a Feeling, Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay, Sweet Caroline, In the Ghetto, Suspicious Minds, The Letter, I Just Can’t Help Believing, Theme from Shaft, Tired of Being Alone, Let’s Stay Together, I Can’t Stand the Rain, Takin’ it to the Streets, and Angel of Harlem.

Rest in peace.