September 6, 2024, is National and World Book Day. That means it’s time to pick up a book and spend the day in your favorite chair, with your favorite beverage, reading a book. What better time to read one of my books, like …

The Analyst -When Professor Russell Conrad received a call to fly to Washington, he didn’t expect that he would find himself in Saudi Arabia trying to rescue the President and prevent a nuclear war. After Conrad is summoned to Washington, he finds himself on Air Force One as part of an American delegation to a secret peace conference in Saudi Arabia. President Omar Sanjar’s hopes of forming a lasting Middle East peace are shattered when the American delegation is kidnapped. Their captors’ ransom demands present a moral dilemma that threatens to plunge the Middle East into a nuclear war. Conrad’s role is transformed from CIA adviser to an agent as he tries to rescue Sanjar and warn Israel of the impending missile attack.

Teacher of Civil War Generals: Major General Charles Ferguson Smith, Soldier and West Point Commandant – From the training field at West Point to the entrenchments at Fort Donelson, Charles Ferguson Smith was the soldier’s soldier.  The call of duty was a magic sound for which he was always ready to make every sacrifice. He was the very model of a soldier, calm, prudent, self-poised, and bold. During his 40-year military career, these qualities earned him the respect and admiration of his peers.  However, his story is more than an account of battles fought and victories won. Through his correspondence, we discover a man who combined the qualities of a faithful officer, an excellent disciplinarian, an able commander, and a modest, courteous gentleman.

Your Affectionate Father, Charles F. Smith – Letters written to Smith’s daughter, Fanny, during his time as a colonel in the Tenth Infantry Regiment. The letters deal with the expedition to the Red River of the North in the Minnesota Territory and the match to the Utah Territory as part of the Mormon War.

Preparing for Disunion – An examination of the role of military training at the United States Military Academy at West Point in preparing officers for service in the American Civil War. The history examines the impact of the Commandant of Cadets on future generals.

The Forgotten Texas Statesman – Who was this man who 1.) Was appointed Attorney General of the Republic of Texas, 2.) Served as interim Secretary of State, 3.) Assisted in the Annexation of Texas to the United States, 4.) Elected the first elected Attorney General of the State of Texas, 5.) Obtained first railroad charter in Texas, 6.) Became a local advocate of Spiritualism, 7.) Represented engineers and inventors in their dealings with the Richmond government, 8.) Served as a civilian member of the Confederate Engineering Bureau, 8.) Died mysteriously in Richmond, Virginia, and 9.) Had a town in North Texas named after him?

The Third Rebellion is a novel about political and social unrest in the United States of America. The book is a work of fiction. The Third Rebellion is not a prediction of future events, a political manifesto, a condemnation of American society, a denunciation of a political party, or a call to action. It is a story about an American revolution or rebellion which the author created from personal observations during the past 10 years.

The Civil War and the Rise of the American Petroleum Industry The precursors, events, and legacy of the American Civil War have always been deeply intertwined with the nation’s oil and gas industry, from the discovery of oil at the Drake well in Titusville, Pennsylvania, in 1859 to the thousands of veterans who rushed into oil regions to seek their fortunes in the post-war petroleum boom. When Union oilfields became strategic military targets, the demand for kerosene increased, and when the Rebellion ended, Civil War veterans helped to spread the growth of oil exploration. New transportation and production technology saw rapid development, and new uses for petroleum products began to proliferate. This book thoroughly interrogates the relationship between the war and the development of U.S. petroleum, examining the involvement of Civil War officers and soldiers in all areas of the oil and gas industry. Illustrated with over 50 high-quality illustrations from the era, this detailed history demonstrates that while the American oil and petroleum industry existed before the Civil War, its incredible growth and longevity is owed in large part to the contributions of Civil War veterans. [Fall of 2024]

Please check out my books at Allen Mesch on Amazon.