Reviews for Crosswords

The average rating for Crosswords based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2011-07-21 00:00:00 Yvonne Smith With more than 100 photographs, paintings and other illustrations, Richard Mancini has put together an epic story of the Wild West from the first lawmen to the infamous outlaws, the soldiers of fortune to the great Indian chiefs and all come together to show how events and the men and women that were involved in them shaped the American West. It is more than a century ago that the noted historian Frederick Jackson Turner declared the American frontier officially closed. But the stories of the men and women who helped to build it continue to fascinate and entertain in the 21st century. Many of the characters involved were boyhood heroes of mine, with their deeds acted out in our games of cowboys and Indians! One such hero was Daniel Boone, born a Pennsylvanian Quaker in 1734. He went on to earn the title 'Indian fighter' and explored Kentucky between 1767 and 1771 during which period he crossed through the Cumberland Gap (cue Lonnie Donegan!). When the American Revolution began he became a militia leader and was captured by the Shawnees in 1778 but after he escaped his legend grew to epic proportions but, contrary to popular myth, he never wore a coonskin cap! It was Merriwether Lewis and William Clark and their 'Corps of Discovery' who really began the trek west at the bequest of President Jefferson and after great hardships they finally reached the Pacific Ocean. Perhaps not surprisingly, on their return they were elevated to living legends status. John Charles Frémont and his wife Jessie - who later stated that the journey was 'My most happy life-work' - mounted an expedition west as did John Wesley Powell, a Civil War veteran. The latter and his party sailed down the rapids-filled Colorado and Green rivers and covered the entire length of the Grand Canyon in four small boats and emerged as national heroes. Mountain men and scouts such as John Colter, Jed Smith - known as 'The Beaver Man' - and Jim Bridger - aka 'Old Gabe' - , were all involved while Jim Beckwourth and one of his Native Indian wives, Sue, and Joseph Reddeford Walker continued the expeditions west. And Kit Carson (another boyhood favourite of mine) and Davy Crockett were also influential in the field. Texans - remember The Alamo - and 49ers followed, as did the Mormons, and river men, riders and railroaders all joined the trek west. There were also plenty of women prepared to follow along, such as stage star Adah Isaacs Menken, Annie Oakley, Calamity Jane and Pearl Hart. After the Civil War there was the rise of the cattle barons in the Western plains as the cowboys and badmen moved in. John Wesley Hardin, one of the west's most vicious killers, Billy the Kid, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and the Dalton Gang were just some who held sway. The James-Younger gang prospered and there was a legendary gunfight at the OK Corrall. Lawmen such as Wild Bill Hickok, Bat Masterson, 'Uncle Billy' Tighman and others were called in to try to calm things down. As fights between the Indians and the soldiers broke out, the ill-fated George Armstrong Custer, Philip Sheridan, Andrew Jackson (before his presidency), William Tecumseh Sherman and others were called in. They were pitted against such as Sitting Bull, Geronimo, Red Cloud, Tecumseh and other great Indian chiefs before it all came to an end at Wounded Knee. Richard Marcini has produced a fascinating history of the Wild West and brought to life the 100s of personalities who played their part in the winning, and losing, of the west.

Review # 2 was written on 2010-01-20 00:00:00 Leslie Butler The Battle of Chancellorsville in northern Virginia 1863 is one of the bloodiest 24,000 casualties of the war between the states, the focus of this novel. Henry Fleming a naive restless farm boy not yet a man from New York State, goes off to fight during the American Civil War. Against the tearful pleading of his widowed mother not to, Henry out of patriotism or boredom wants to join the Union Army. Many months pass of training and marching before Fleming gets into action. Some of his friends, boys he grew up with are in the 304th regiment with him. Camp life is very harsh living mostly in dirty tents little food and nothing to do, unsanitary living conditions, the constant marching to different sites; the veterans call the newcomers "Fresh Fish". Wondering if he'll be brave or a coward in the conflict dominates his thoughts, finally the youth sees the ugly war. The charging yelling mobs of rebels from out of the woods brings fear to his very soul and Fleming caring little about glory, his friends or the regiment runs away , runs like the little boy he really is only just wants to survive...Meeting many wounded soldiers in the back of the line. Some who will not live long, including his close friend who Fleming watches fall mortally down on the ground, they ask him uncomfortable questions where was he hit ?...Leaving them as fast an unobtrusively as possible, wandering around aimlessly Henry heads for a nearby forest trying to get away from the savage war. The sounds of brutal battle are muted by the trees only a short distance from the struggle, as if all the world was a peaceful quiet place, a sanctuary for him to calm his shaky nerves. But Henry can't get far from reality, a Union soldier propped up against a tree stares with his dead eyes at the miserable deserter. An insect crawling over his ghastly face, Henry decides to get back to his regiment yet ironically is hit in the head, with a rifle butt by a vicious man fleeing in a blue uniform, Fleming was in the way, causing blood to flow freely... His desired " Red Badge of Courage"... Arriving home helped by an unknown soldier nobody had noticed his cowardliness they thought he was dead, bandaged his "war wound". Next day another scrimmage Fleming feels different, comradeship with his fellow soldiers close as brothers now Henry never experienced such emotions before, even leads the charge has he become a man ?