America's Deadly Legacy: Landmines in the Civil War

Despite all that has been published on the American Civil War, one aspect that has never received the in-depth attention it deserves is the widespread use of landmines across the Confederacy. These “infernal devices” dealt death and injury in nearly every Confederate state and influenced the course of the war. Kenneth R. Rutherford rectifies this oversight with America’s Buried History: Landmines in the Civil War, the first book devoted to a comprehensive analysis and history of the fascinating and important topic. Rutherford is a Professor in the Department of Political Science at James Madison University. He lost his own legs to a landmine in Africa, and his work and passion spans over two decades in more than 40 countries. He is co-founder of the Landmine Survivors Network and a prominent leader in the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, which won the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize. In Bosnia, Rutherford escorted Princess Diana to visit landmine victims and their care providers in an effort to bring attention to their plight.