qualified to provide leadership" (p. 16). Accordingly, the 28th Texas is present-
ed as a microcosm of East Texas society. The average age of the men who enlist-
ed in the 28th Texas was 26.8 years old (p. 22), making the unit significantly
older than the average Civil War regiment. Johansson maintains that the reason
for this anomaly is rooted in the Confederacy's first conscription act.
Johansson's presentation of the day-to-day life of a soldier in the 28th Texas is
admirable. Peculiar Honor provides exceptional descriptions of camp life, disease,
and battlefield hardship. Most notable is the recurring element of inadequate
supply that faced the Trans-Mississippi Confederates daily. The author does,
however, fail to offer a contrast between Confederates in the Trans-Mississippi
and their Union opponents west of the river. How were they different, did it
affect the respective units' effectiveness and why?
Despite Johansson's depiction of battlefield hardships there could be more
analysis of the war in relation to the regiment. Absent is a discussion of blame
placed on Walker's troops by General Richard Taylor for dismal showings at
Milliken's Bend in 1863 and Fort DeRussy in 1864. Similarly, the thoughts of
Trans-Mississippi commander Edmund Kirby Smith are also missing from
Johansson's analysis of the performance of the 28th Texas. Johansson's bibliog-
raphy could benefit from more primary sources. For example, the Kirby Smith
papers are not consulted nor is Confederate Veteran.
Peculiar Honor has many merits, including a wealth of charts, maps, and two
appendices. The historiography of the Civil War in the Trans-Mississippi West is
enriched byJohansson's work.
University of Arkansas (Fayettevzlle) TERRY L. BECKENBAUGH
Music from the Heart: Kerrville Folk Festival Founder/Producer Rod Kennedy-The Fifty
Year Chronzcle of Hzs Lzfe zn Music (Wzth a Few Sidetrips!). By Rod Kennedy.
(Austin: Eakin Press, 1998. Pp. xii+404. Foreword, preface, acknowledg-
ments, epilogue, appendices, index. ISBN 1-57168-230-9. $29-95, paper).
The Kerrville Folk Festival has acquired a reputation and mystique beyond the
borders of Texas. Launched in 1972, it soon drew a wide audience, folk musi-
cians and their fans, and others eager to add a relaxed cultural dimension to
their leisure options. Rod Kennedy launched the Festival with the same vigor
that he had exercised since he came to the University of Texas in the 1950s as a
slightly older-than-average student. His early achievements included managing
Austin's early KHFI- FM radio station, becoming the fifth president of the Austin
Aqua Fest (and drawing it from the doldrums by inviting Batman to make an
appearance), staging the Longhorn Jazz Festivals with George Wein, and launch-
ing a television station. He expanded his interests into a career promoting the-
atrical and musical events. His informal autobiography, Music from the Heart, tells
the tale of an entrepreneur extraordinaire involved with all forms and dimen-
sions of music, from jazz and folk to classical and opera.
The second thread in the book is the Kerrville Folk Festival, originating with
three concerts playing to an audience of eight hundred in Kerrville Auditorium
Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 103, July 1999 - April, 2000. Austin, Texas. The Portal to Texas History. http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101220/. Accessed August 23, 2014.