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OXFORD, Miss. - Since its release on September 17, author Stephen Enzweiler's new book OXFORD IN THE CIVIL WAR: Battle for a Vanquished Land has seen brisk sales in most bookstores in Mississippi and the South. Amazon.com sold out its initial stock within the first two weeks, followed by Borders.com, and some bookstores in Mississippi have had to reorder to accommodate the coming Christmas shopping season, set to commence in just four weeks time.

Just what is it about this book that has people buying?

It could be, quite simply that OXFORD IN THE CIVIL WAR is a well-written, engaging book that tells a compelling story of real people that almost anybody can relate to. In his review, respected Oxford historian Jack Lamar Mayfield describes the book as "a page-turner" telling the story of the people and slaves of Oxford during the war "in a manner that makes the book hard to put down." (The Oxford Eagle)  Even the Sons of Confederate Veterans gave it their stamp of approval: "Every so often a book comes out that really hits close to home. Mr. Stephen Enzweiler has done this with his recent book..." (The Southern Comfort News)

Enzweiler is not the kind of author to bore readers with dry facts and statistics. Instead, he takes a unique view for a historical work by approaching the Civil War with a more humanistic perspective. "People are what make the history," he writes in the book's introduction, "and my desire was to tell the story of the war through the lives of the people who lived it." Or as one reader wrote us to say, "I really enjoyed reading about what motivated the people to do what they did to make history happen." The result is an array of colorful, real-life characters from the past who stand out on each page.

OXFORD IN THE CIVIL WAR is exhaustively researched and relies extensively on official records, personal diaries, letters and speeches. Every detail is derived from primary source material or one that could be verified and cross referenced. The result is a story with characters who become some of the most charismatic, memorable - and controversial figures of history and the antebellum South.   

Within its 128 pages, Mr. Enzweiler manages to successfully tell the complete story of three generations of Oxfordians who settled Lafayette County, built a cotton empire, then went to war to defend it. He tells it in such a way that when you are finished, you may feel as if you had actually been there yourself. The slaves of Lafayette County also play a prominent role in the book. And necessarily so. Their story - which has never before been told except in fragmented bits and pieces - is fully and inextricably intertwined with those of prominent men like Jacob Thompson, Jefferson Davis, L.Q.C. Lamar, and Alexander Pegues.

There is perhaps no more compelling story in the book than that of the young men and boys of the University Greys, a  military company formed in Oxford by the students of the University of Mississippi in the spring of 1861. With an average age was just 21 and fueled by southern patriotism, they left everything and went off to war. They fought under Gen. Robert E. Lee in every battle he engaged in. But on a July afternoon in 1863, they went down in history, achieving "imperishable glory" when they were wiped out in Pickett's Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg.

It's  just 31 days til November 26 (Black Friday - the official start of the Christmas shopping season), and just 59 days til Christmas itself.

OXFORD IN THE CIVIL WAR is published by History Press and is available wherever books are sold.

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Posted: October 27, 2010

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1 Mar 2011 - Signings & Appearances in March 2011
12 Jan 2011 - Oxford in the Civil War On Bestseller List
03 Nov 2010 - Book News
01 Nov 2010 - Signings & Appearances in November
27 Oct 2010 - Book Sales Up as Christmas Nears
01 Sep 2010 - Oxford in the Civil War to Be Released