Book Reviews

Book Reviews — November 2018

Originally published November 2018 · pp. 34–49

The Civil War and

Lessons of the Hour Frederick Douglass: America’s Prophet. By D.H. Dilbeck. Illustrations, notes, bibliography, index, 208 pp., 2018. University of North Carolina Press, www.uncpress.org. $28 hardcover. Reviewed by Shelby Shrader

Frederick Douglass. Thousands of books have been written about the tremendous trials and tribulations this extraordinary man went through to become the American icon that he is today. However, none of those books has offered a look into Douglass’s long road to success in as nuanced a way that this phenomenal read, Frederick Douglass America’s Prophet, has presented. This book gives the reader a look at how Douglass’s faith fueled his actions to become the well-known abolitionist that the world knows him as today. Frederick Douglass: America’s Prophet is written by D.H. Dilbeck, a historian who resides in New Haven, Connecticut. Dilbeck has produced a unique volume based on a large number of primary sources, from Frederick Douglass’s own words through his papers, books and speeches, especially highlighting Douglass’s final autobiography,

The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass. The book is split into three different sections. The first, called “The Seeking Slave,” gives the reader a fascinating look at Douglass as a child on the Eastern Shore in Maryland, focusing on the gruesome events that led Douglass to a question that fueled his religious quest for the rest of his life: “Why has God made me a slave?” The second section of the book, called “The Zealous Orator,” gives a look at Douglass on his quest to answer his life question and the many speeches, talks and written texts that he produced to help answer that question for other slaves as well. The final section, called “The Hopeful Prophet,” shows the hope that Douglass had during the Civil War that slavery would not last forever. Throughout the book Dilbeck does an outstanding job of giving the reader a look into Douglass’s mind, as he battled and questioned his faith because of the terrible struggles that slavery presented. Throughout Douglass’s whole life, he would appeal to God for a justification of the enslavement of himself and his compatriots. This book fantastically articulates how Douglass struggled with understanding his faith through a myriad of direct quotes from Douglass. Additionally, this book offers a personal look at what slavery was like during Douglass’s life. Dilbeck’s presentation and analysis of Douglass’s words allow the reader to understand his physical, emotional, and spiritual struggles and, ultimately, how he became one of the most well-known abolitionists and successful leaders at home and abroad. While reading this book, one can see why Douglass questioned his faith because of the multiple lynchings, beatings, and unfortunate daily life events that Douglass observed and experienced. The author also presents a unique look at Douglass’s encounters with and thoughts on John Brown during the planning of his famous raid that helped fuel the fire of the start of the Civil War. Douglass thought highly of Brown and described him as a man full of “stern truth, solid purpose, and rigid economy.” It was because of Brown’s strong passion against slavery that Douglass had hope slavery would one day come to an end. This work, which also includes several pictures of Douglass throughout his life, shares the thoughts, feelings, and struggles that drove Douglass to produce some of the most famous abolitionist speeches, such as “SelfMade Man” and “Lessons of the Hour.” Through ten well-written chapters, filled with primary sources, one can take a look into the life of a legendary leader and orator, and feel the power and influence that flowed through Douglass’s words as he spoke to thousands of people about what he believed was just in his iconic Lessons of the Hour. This is an excellent source for anyone who is fascinated with Douglass and holds tremendous value for anyone who is studying and researching slavery and abolitionism—particularly their intersection with evangelicalism in the Civil War era. Shelby Shrader graduated Magna Cum Laude from Shenandoah University in 2017 with a Bachelors of Science in History. She is a member of the McCormick Civil War Institute, and is also the Volunteer Coordinator at the Cool Spring Battlefield in Berryville, Va. She has a strong interest in slavery and women during the Civil War, and highly enjoys doing Civil War book reviews.

How Officers’ Decisions Shaped a Key Battle Decisions at Stones River: The Sixteen Critical Decisions That Defined the Battle. By Matt and Lee Spruill. Photographs, maps, notes, appendices, bibliography, index, 251 pp., 2018. University of Tennessee Press, www.utpress. org. $24 softcover. Civil War News book reviews provide our readers with timely analysis of the latest and most significant Civil War research and scholarship. Contact Stephen Davis, Civil War News Book Review Editor. Email: [email protected].

Reviewed by Christopher L. Kolakowski

The campaign and battle of Stones River (also known as Murfreesboro) over the last week of December 1862 and the first days of January 1863 were a vital operation of the Civil War. The hard-fought engagement between William S. Rosecrans’ Union Army of the Cumberland and Braxton Bragg’s Confederate Army of Tennessee occurred at a critical time, and the battle’s result had a profound impact on both the United States and the Confederacy. Recently, more scholars have been turning their attention to Stones River, and finding much to study in this operation. Those familiar with Stones River will likely recognize Matt and Lee Spruill for their excellent tour guidebook Winter Lightning. This latest offering, part of a new series examining command decisions in the Civil War, is a more analytical look at the campaign and battle. The authors examine sixteen decision points that affected the campaign’s course, with a discussion of why these choices occurred as they did. Not all decisions were those of Bragg or Rosecrans, which in itself is illuminating. Readers will come away with a good sense of the impact of leaders’ choices, both on their armies and the enemy’s forces. Somewhat surprisingly, the discussion ends after only 131 pages. A significant section of the book is a 64-page appendix that outlines a tour of the critical decisions. The appendix is in many ways a condensed version of Winter Lightning, and offers a way to take the decisions quite literally onto the battlefield. Two more appendices give the order of battle for each side, and maps by Tim Kissel add much to the presentation. The book does have some limitations. The authors’ analysis of options and probable consequences is sometimes superficial. The title is also a bit misleading, as six of the sixteen decisions deal with events occurring prior to the battle’s first day on New Year’s Eve 1862. But these limitations ultimately do not cancel out the book’s overall usefulness. Decisions at Stones River is not recommended as an introduction to the campaign or battle, nor is it intended to be. Students of Stones River and the operations leading up to the battle will welcome its discussion, while other readers will find it useful as a “nextlevel” text beyond the popular campaign histories. Chris Kolakowski works as a historian in Norfolk, Virginia. He is the author of four books on the Civil War and WWII, and is a contributor to the Emerging Civil War blog.

Henry’s Villard’s Dispatches About the President-In-Waiting Sixteenth President-InWaiting: Abraham Lincoln And The Springfield Dispatches Of Henry Villard, 1860–1861. Edited by Michael Burlingame. Appendix, notes, index, 424 pp., 2018. Southern Illinois University Press, www.siupress. com. $45.50 cloth. Reviewed by David Marshall

Between Abraham Lincoln’s election in November 1860 and his departure for Washington on February 11, 1861, journalist Henry Villard forwarded numerous dispatches from Springfield, Illinois, to various newspapers, including the New York Herald, Cincinnati Commercial and San Francisco Bulletin, describing the president-elect’s activities, quoting or rephrasing his statements, recounting events in the Illinois capital, and examining the city’s mood. With Sixteenth Presidentin-Waiting, Michael Burlingame has collected all of these reports in one astute and revealing title. Right after the November election, Villard arrived in Springfield and spoke with the president-elect about covering him full-time on a daily basis. The Springfield resident gave the reporter a warm welcome and sanctioned him to visit and request answers to any and all subjects, as Villard was the only round-the-clock newspaperman for out-of-town papers. The correspondent was present at most of Lincoln’s morning receptions and was able to communicate with him at almost any time throughout the day. He enjoyed a close relationship with fellow German immigrant and Lincoln private secretary John G. Nicolay, Lincoln’s second private secretary John Hay, ardent friends and neighbors like Jesse K. Dubois and Stephen T. Logan, elected officials such as Governor Richard Yates and journalists like William M. Springer and Robert R. Hitt. Initially, Villard occasionally criticized Lincoln and believed that the country was in need of a president like Andrew Jackson. In time the writer came to change his tune and grew to admire the new president-to-be. He once boasted that he did “Old Abe” a service by frightening off wouldbe office seekers who hated to see their names printed in newspapers, and gave up plans to visit the Illinois state capital to disturb the president-elect. In the end of his brief time in Springfield, Villard ended up shielding the rail splitter, but perhaps may have done an even more important service by publicizing Lincoln’s views on the secession crisis. Following the 1860 election, the “President-In-Waiting” refused to make his views known on the seven Southern states seceding from the United States between December 20, 1860, and February 1, 1861. However, in the past, Lincoln had used newspapers to vent his point of view often through articles that he wrote or provided to select journalists. Many times following the November election, Nicolay and Hay wrote anonymous articles for several newspapers spinning trial balloons on several potential policies of the upcoming administration. In 1859, the future president even purchased a Springfield German-language newspaper to provide readers with his opinions. Burlingame is able to show that Henry Villard was quite possibly used by Lincoln in paraphrasing his day-to-day remarks in his daily dispatches that were read in newspapers throughout the United States, including the South. Throughout this interesting and readable volume, Lincoln officially took a hard line against the secessionists and the spread of slavery in territories in the west. Implied in the writer’s comments is the suggestion that the president might accept a compromise on the sectional crisis. A helpful addition to this narrative is the author’s reporting of the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas Senate race, as an appendix. At the time Villard was an enthusiastic Stephen Douglas supporter, and his reports criticized Lincoln. Not only revealing but also a real page-turner, Villard’s rich descriptions of Lincoln’s everyday schedule, combined with new material, establish a vital source of information. The dispatches included in this important work are separated into sequential sections, one each for November, December, January and February. Additionally, Villard escorted the president on his train trip to his inauguration but the editor failed to include the posts sent to newspapers en route to Washington, D.C. These would have been a proper conclusion to this manuscript. Dr. Burlingame did an excellent job bring together and annotating the journalist’s dispatches. The editor has succeeded in allowing scholars and students of the sixteenth United States president to gain a greater understanding of what Lincoln went through during the months leading up to his taking office on March 4, 1861. The newsman’s words show how Lincoln did not interfere with outgoing President James Buchanan’s dealings with the South and secession. While Abraham Lincoln is one of the most popular subjects ever written about, this great Lincoln biographer has provided a valuable addition to the genre. A helpful index and notes have improved the story. This is a compelling tome, written by one of the era’s most important journalists that brings the key personalities to life and explores the intricate relationship between the President-elect and many key individuals from this brief time frame. Well worth the expensive purchase. David Marshall has been a high school American history teacher in the Miami-Dade School district for the past thirty-two years. A life-long Civil War enthusiast who became interested during a family visit to Gettysburg when he was 10, David is president of the Miami Civil War Roundtable Book Club. In addition to numerous reviews in Civil War News and other publications, he has given presentations to Civil War Round Tables on Joshua Chamberlain, Ulysses S. Grant, Abraham Lincoln and the Battle of Gettysburg.

The Maryland Line Artillery

Three Cheers for the Chesapeake!: History of the 4th Maryland Light Artillery Battery in the Civil War. By Rick Richter. Maps, photos, notes, appendices, index, 240 pages, 2017. Schiffer Publishing, www.schifferbooks.com. $34.99 hardcover. Reviewed by Peter Frandsen

Maryland (the Old Line State) was a small border state with divided loyalties and factions during the Civil War. Very roughly, the land west of the geological fall line (which modern Interstate 95 parallels) was more pro-Union, while the land east to the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic was more pro-secession. Consequently, while Maryland volunteers provided just enough soldiers to the Confederacy to have a few combat units with Maryland in their formal titles, including four independent artillery batteries, the state itself was not able to support any Confederate units. All Maryland units relied completely on Southern states and that support was mostly limited. The status of artillery at the time being limited to separate battery-size commands further compounded the orphan nature of the Maryland batteries. Despite the fact that surviving records are few and scattered, the author has done a splendid job of retelling the story of the Fourth Maryland Battery, the Chesapeake Artillery, from 50 men and no guns in January 1862 to 13 men and one gun in April 1865. Just one man served the entire time. Only one man, the wealthiest one of all, owned slaves, and he never saw combat. In between, 135 rather young men served, using four Parrott rifled cannon, at such battles as Second Manassas, Cold Harbor and Fort Gregg, as well as the Maryland and Pennsylvania Campaigns. Men, horses and guns were worked hard and suffered much. All of this began and ended in the state of Virginia. Researching the subject for some 25 years, the author, a resident of Maryland, has wrung all minutiae of the story possible, using just about every available record, both public and private, published and unpublished. Drawing on letters, diaries, books, the Official Records, photographs, and other primary materials, the first 130 pages of the book are a narrative history of the brave battery in camp and in battle. Extensive use is made of first-person accounts of the Maryland artillerymen which focus the text on the battery itself and the men and not just on the broader Civil War. The next thirty pages make up eight separate appendices on specific subjects necessary where parts of the history are missing or confused and need further clarification. The following thirty pages offer a detailed roster of the unit’s 135 members with fascinating biographical details, including postwar life. The final forty pages or so present endnotes and an extensive bibliography that reflects the author’s extensive research into the subject of the small battery. While some earlier limited information (with errors) was published over a hundred years ago by a few participants, Three Cheers for the Chesapeake updates, expands and corrects the record as far as possible. As part of his detailed research, the author has carefully examined the older works and found deficiencies, proving that one should simply not copy the past without some confirmation where possible. Examples of this correction are in accounts of battery personnel missing, wounded and killed; official after-action reports, letters home, diaries, and unit biographies written after the war differ, sometimes widely, just on the names or numbers of persons affected. The long tasks of scholarship and writing have paid off because Three Cheers imparts good information and also reads well. This new work is essential for anyone interested in Maryland artillery in the Civil War. It is unlikely that any future book on the Fourth Battery could present much that is new or different, baring some new discovery. In that line, however, the following smaller, lesser-known but pioneering battery biographies by George L. Sherwood must be noted for completeness: First Maryland Artillery and Second Maryland Artillery (2007); Third Maryland Artillery, CSA: Captain Ritter’s Company, Georgia Light Artillery (2014); and The Chesapeake Artillery (2013). All were favorably reviewed earlier in The Artilleryman magazine. Together, all of these books bring to light lesser known artillerymen of the war. Peter Frandsen has long been interested in artillery and has been the Book Review Editor of The Artilleryman magazine since the beginning of the 21st century. He continually marvels at the amount of hard work and dedication by the authors of the books on artillery he reviews.

Able Study of a

Union Army Hospital

Ring the Fire Bell! The Incredible Story of an Iowa Civil War Medical Center. By Charles E. Driscoll, MD. Illustrations, notes, bibliography, index., 175 pp., 2017. Warwick House Publishing, warwickpublishers.com. $15 paperback. Reviewed by David A. Galli, MD

The “big picture” of the Civil War has been told in excellent narratives by the legendary Bruce Catton, James McPherson and Allan Nevins, to name a few. The stories of Vicksburg and Gettysburg, along with biographies of Ulysses Grant, Abraham Lincoln and Robert E. Lee are bestsellers and topics for big-budget Hollywood films. While the dynamic personalities of generals and politicians guided the Union to victory, it was the lesser known figures that were lauded by Lincoln in the Gettysburg Address. These were the ordinary, often nameless soldiers who gave “their last full measure” to the cause of freedom. These background heroes of the war are revealed in this nice, slim book by Dr. Charles Driscoll, entitled Ring the Fire Bell!, and focuses on the men and women of the medical community of Keokuk, Iowa. Dr. Driscoll gives miniature biographies of the physicians aiding the injured and dying. Far from the wry comment made by Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes that if medicine in the mid-nineteenth century “could be sunk to the bottom of the sea, it would be better for mankind—and all the worse for the fishes,” the doctors of Keokuk were tireless servants of the wounded. At the onset of the war, Keokuk was home to one of the three medical schools west of the Mississippi, so the physicians dedicated themselves to both learning and teaching as the war progressed. Among the students, and later himself a Union physician, was Dr. John Rapier, the first African-American graduate of a medical school west of the Mississippi River. Keokuk’s first experience of war came with the arrival of casualties following the littleknown battle of Athens, Missouri in August 1861. The “fire bell,” signaling emergency and new wounded being dropped off, rang early the next spring when hundreds of injured soldiers were transported up the Mississippi from the horrors of the Shiloh battlefield. Keokuk by then had become established as a major Union hospital town and convalescence center. Driscoll dedicates a fascinating chapter to various case studies of battle wounds seen and treated at the Keokuk hospitals. Grisly descriptions of urologic injuries, brain trauma, and fractures show that true skill must have been required to keep these soldiers alive. Another chapter simply tells anecdotes of ordinary men and women pitching in any way needed to help the Union cause, of volunteers for the U.S. Sanitary Commission, and the tender respect given to the dead in preparation for burials. Obviously a book such as Ring the Fire Bell! is targeted to a limited audience seeking medical or regional history. But Driscoll has a very nice writing talent. His introduction brings up images of a quiet riverside community in the days before the attack on Fort Sumter began four years of violence. This was a town where people walked along the river shoreline on sunny spring mornings, with the scent of flowers and fruit from a produce shop. All of this would change with war coming to Keokuk, as it would change all of America to this day. David A. Galli, a physician practicing in St. Louis, has had a lifelong interest in the Civil War era

Robert E. Lee and Divine Providence

The Religious Life of Robert E. Lee. By R. David Cox. 368 pp., 2017. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., www.eerdmans. com. $26 paperback. Reviewed by Kenny Rowlette

Back in 1998 I took my younger daughter Karen with me to a meeting of the Lynchburg, Virginia Civil War Round Table where the speaker was discussing the life of Robert E. Lee. (I cannot be sure but it may have been Charles Bracelyn Flood, who wrote the excellent Lee’s Last Years.) After the talk was over and we were on our way home, I asked Karen what she thought about Lee after hearing the lecture. Her response intrigued me: “His best contribution to this nation came after the war’s end, Dad.” I have often thought of her response that night, especially when I look at the epic life of this Southern hero. When I read Cox’s tome, I once again thought about her comment. No doubt most armchair generals of the Civil War are aware of the countless analyses of Lee’s military decisions as head of the immortal Army of Northern Virginia—i.e., what if Lee’s Special Order 191 had not been discovered at the Battle of Antietam, what if Jackson had been present at Gettysburg, etc. However, I found Cox’s book to be extremely enlightening about Lee and his view of Divine Providence. Of particular note is the following passage: He never saw the war as many did, North and South: a holy crusade mandated by God Almighty. Yes, he understood that only by heaven’s grace could the South win—or could the North. Yes, he looked for the help of God and sought to perceive the Lord’s hands at work in his side’s favor. From the day that he resigned his U.S. Army Commission, his perspective always left room for the possibility that he could be wrong: for him it was a corollary to the evangelical belief in human sinfulness—including his own. His reported comment to Patrick expressed his fundamental conviction. The Lord had decided the result. The South had lost. He could only bow, obey, and move on. There it is, as plain and simple as anyone could ever make it. Lee, unlike many of his compatriots who later accepted and reveled in the mythology of the Lost Cause, was both a realist and one who understood the theology behind the concept of Divine Providence: in sum, God did what He wanted and His will was not clear to man. Both Lee’s famous General Order No. 9 and his later decision to accept the presidency of the failing Washington College in Lexington are testimony to his adaptability to the future—his ability to “move on”—and forge a new identity for himself as educator and moral guide to the young men who came under his tutelage. Lee urged his son Custis to yield to the turn of events and Federal authorities so that other Confederate veterans would do the same. (Remember this is the same person who rejected Porter Alexander’s call at Appomattox Court House the night before the surrender for the ANV to disperse and continue the struggle via guerilla warfare.) And in even more eloquent language he said the same to a former Virginia governor during the war: All should unite in honest efforts to obliterate the effects of the war and to restore the blessings of peace. They should remain, if possible, in the country; promote harmony and good feeling; qualify themselves to vote … I have invariably recommended this course since the cessation of hostilities and have endeavored to practice it myself. These words, along with his own personal conduct, also put a damper on the belief by other former Confederates (Matthew Fontaine Maury among them) that they should move to Mexico and offer their services to the ill-fated new Emperor Maximillian. In these pages Cox succinctly gives us the culmination of Lee’s Episcopalian faith, his experiences in the real world, and his view of God’s role in man’s affairs. These are, in my opinion, the heart of the book. Certainly Cox’s in-depth analyses of the religious and moral fiber of Lee are germane, but they need to lead somewhere—and these few pages are where they lead. Cox’s later recounting of Lee as college president, ex-general under the threat of trial for treason, and his passing are all-important, but they take birth in these few pages that are again the crux of the book. The book, too, begs the question of whether the Lost Cause Mythology would have ever occurred had Lee lived longer than his sixty-three years. In the wake of the recent events in Charlottesville, many have reminded us that Lee did not want the erection of any statures to the Confederacy and its leaders. My guess is that he would have spoken out against the many monuments that were erected across the South in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. And would this have changed the South’s opinion of its most iconic hero? Probably so to some degree. While we can never predict the future, Cox’s book gives us valuable insight into how Lee reckoned with the downfall of the Confederacy, his own predicament, and the future of the South if it were to assimilate back into the Union and become more than a backwater for the rest of the nation. In sum, this is a must-read book for any student of the Civil War, and especially of Robert E. Lee. We have waited too long for this analysis of Lee and his internal persona. I am glad for Karen’s comment that night back in 1998. Kenny Rowlette is Director of the Civil War Chaplain Museum at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. A retired professor of English, he is a dedicated Civil War historian.

He Could Be a Funny Guy

Forrest Stories: Humor of Bedford Forrest and his Cavalry. By G. Lee Millar. Illustrations, bibliography, 117 pp., 2018. Forrest Publishing, P.O. Box 562, Collierville TN. [email protected]. $27 hardcover, $15 paper. Reviewed by Stephen Davis

“Semi-illiterate, he spelled words as they sounded, including his favorite appellation for Yankees, ‘suns of biches.’” So wrote Clement Eaton of Nathan Bedford Forrest a half-century ago in A History of the Southern Confederacy, and his statement has stuck with me all of these years. With this in mind—Forrest as sort of a funny guy—I took up G. Lee Millar’s new Forrest Stories: Humor of Bedford Forrest and his Cavalry. Millar, who is president of the General Nathan Bedford Forrest Historical Society based in Memphis, knows his stuff. It clearly shows in the three score yarns he has chosen to tell about the Confederate Wizard of the Saddle. Millar’s table of contents, with the titles he has concocted for each of his vignettes, is alone entertaining. For instance, I picked the one titled “Cow Manure.” After the war, in New York, raising money for a railroad, Forrest was asked to give a speech. Seeking to elevate himself before his audience, he stepped onto a big, hardened pile of bovine excrement and delivered his peroration. Afterward, a listener told him, “General, that’s the first time I’ve ever heard a Southerner speak,” to which Forrest replied, “Yes, sir. And that’s the first time I’ve ever given a Southern speech from a Yankee platform.” Millar does not indicate his source for this anecdote, but it doesn’t matter. In his letter to me, accompanying his book, the author quotes Shelby Foote’s observation that “Northerners tell jokes, Southerners tell stories.” Meaning, if the story’s a good one, who cares about the source? Space limitations prevent me from relating all the funny yarns that got me chuckling. (My wife asked me, “What’s so funny, honey?”) I recommend Lee’s book for “Circle Flies,” “The Young Attorney and Southern Philosophy” and “The Barbershop,” among many others that excited my risibles. I’ll end with this one: After the war, General Forrest went to New York City on business a time or two. On one occasion, after strolling around the downtown area for a while, he happened to look up and see a man at the top of a tall building. The man looked like he was ready to jump off. Concerned about the man’s fate, the general immediately started thinking of things he could tell the man so that he would want to live and not jump. “Don’t jump. Remember your wife,” yelled Forrest. “She divorced me,” said the man. “Remember your children,” yelled the General. “They ran away,” said the man. “Remember your parents,” yelled the General. “They are dead,” said the man. “Well then, remember Robert E. Lee,” yelled the General. “Who is Robert E. Lee?” inquired the man. General Forrest yelled back: “Jump, you damn Yankee!!!” Stephen Davis is the Book Review Editor for this newspaper.

How Their Romantic Lives Changed

Keep the Days: Reading the Civil War Diaries of Southern Women. By Steven M. Stowe. Notes, appendix, index, 228 pp., 2018. University of North Carolina Press, www.uncpress. org. $29.95 paperback. Reviewed by Meg Groeling

Keep the Days is an unusual book in that it is about the process of reading a diary rather than the diary itself. Author Steven M. Stowe, a professor emeritus of history at Indiana University in Bloomington, makes the point multiple times that a “close reading” of any diary should focus on patterns and details as a diary, not as a series of pieces written in analysis of the “big picture” Civil War. A diary is intimate, personal, and should remain so. Stowe is clear about his point of view from the beginning, and he returns on a regular basis to remind the reader of his stance. The author has taken twenty diaries, all belonging to elite white southern women, and looked for similarities concerning how the war itself impacted their lives of pleasure and privilege. He found much, but this book focuses on three areas: how the war affected these women with its violence, its breakdown of social standards concerning men, and the demolishing of slavery—a fact of their lives since birth.

It is difficult to work up a great deal of empathy for a set of women who were, for the most part, slaveholders or from slaveholding families. They are on the wrong side of history just now. Stowe acknowledges this from the beginning, which is refreshing to a modern reader. He admits that owning another person and regularly managing that person’s life, including meting out punishment when necessary, is in itself violent. Nevertheless, the war “sent spinning” these elite lives, which now had to consider their faith or lack thereof in a way of life that had been presented to them as having Biblical affirmation. If the reader does as Stowe suggests—suspend disbelief—it becomes much easier to gain an understanding of the amount of change confronting these ladies—not women—never women! I was particularly interested, I admit, in how their romantic lives had changed. Suddenly, with the coming of the war and its armies, the available pool of potential mates enlarged greatly. Men with whom a lady might never come in contact suddenly were standing in the parlor or offering an arm in the streets of the town. Men from different states (including Yankees!) were introduced by circumstance, not by sweet Aunt Ella. Behavior that would have been inappropriate for women of their station became, quickly, “how things were done now.” One issue to which ladies had to accustom themselves was that the men they met, liked, flirted with and perhaps made secret promises to, simply disappeared. These men were “under orders,” and often their units left the area or their duties called them to accompany another, going far from where a romance might have bloomed. These men often did not write or communicate ever again. There was no concrete way for a lady to know if her beau of yesterday was even still alive. Several of the diarists wrote of their anger and frustration with this situation. One young diarist wrote that she felt as if her entire girlhood (adolescence, I believe) was ruined­ —ripped away violently and never to come again. And yes, she appears selfish and spoiled. One is reminded of Scarlet’s complaint that the talk of war was spoiling all the parties. Keep the Days is a very different type of book from those usually associated with Civil War history. It is part of the series “Civil War America,” the combined editorial efforts of Peter S. Carmichael, Caroline E. Janney, and Aaron Sheehan-Dean. It is one of the stated goals for this series that their choices will “interpret broadly the history and culture of the Civil War era through the long nineteenth century and beyond.” This is certainly one such volume. In these twenty diaries there is no mention of battles or generals, except in passing. The war becomes a microscopic part of the lives of these diarists, sometimes not mentioned for weeks at a time. Perhaps this is not a book the red-and-blue-lines reader would care for. Still, I found it to be an enchanting read, reminding me in style of Jack Kerouac with its sentence fragments, its “spontaneous prose,” and its insistence that the reader of diaries be able to be in the moment along with the diarist. I liked it, and I am going to order those diaries. That must be some testament to the worth of this book! Meg Groeling received her Master’s degree in Military History, with a Civil War emphasis in 2016, from American Public University. Savas Beatie published her first book, The Aftermath of Battle: The Burial of the Civil War Dead, in the fall of 2015, and she has written First Fallen: the Life of Colonel Elmer Ellsworth, which Southern Illinois University Press has contracted for publication sometime within the next two years. She is a regular contributor to the blog Emerging Civil War.

McNeill’s Rangers Get Their Due

Phantoms of the South Fork: Captain McNeill and His Rangers. By Steve French. Maps, photos, notes, index, 320 pp., 2017. The Kent State University Press, www.kentstateuniversitypress.com. $39.95 cloth. Reviewed by Kevin Pawlak

John’s and Jesse’s McNeill’s Partisan Rangers have long lived in the shadow of the only other partisan unit to be sanctioned for the duration of the Civil War— John Singleton Mosby and his guerrilla fighters. Steve French’s latest work seeks to bring McNeill’s command into the limelight of a recently burgeoning historiography on the role of guerrilla warfare during the Civil War era. John Hanson McNeill received permission to form a company of partisan rangers from the Confederate War Department in the summer of 1862. Mostly operating out of the South Branch Valley and Potomac Highlands in West Virginia, McNeill’s Rangers plagued Federal patrols, supply trains, and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad until the war’s conclusion. The Rangers famously captured Generals George Crook and Benjamin Kelley from their headquarters in the middle of the night, a feat that even Mosby said topped his own capture of one Union general in the same manner. French’s study of this famous unit is a narrative history of the Rangers. But he does not shy from tackling the command’s controversies, including their visit to Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, during the Gettysburg Campaign. Phantoms of the South Fork, though a narrative history, also tackles the non-military facets of guerrilla warfare in the Civil War. The political discussions within the Confederacy and the United States regarding the legality and legitimacy of partisan warfare are interspersed throughout the study. McNeill’s command was no different from other Confederate partisan commands in constantly having to fend offensive blows against the enemy, but also defending its very existence in the home front. When the Confederate Partisan Ranger Act was revoked on February 17, 1863, the Rangers succeeded in winning the Secretary of War’s sanction to remain as an independent unit. No successful partisan units existed without the support of a loyal and unwavering civilian population. The citizenry’s loyalty to aiding McNeill’s Rangers brought depredations and trials upon the civilians in the Potomac Highlands who supported the guerrillas. French auspiciously displays their stories alongside those of the Rangers. Guerrilla warfare often became more personal than did conventional battles. The McNeill family had their own axes to grind against the Federal high command. General Benjamin Kelley, the target of much of the McNeills’ ire, went to great lengths to end the operations of McNeill’s command. These counterinsurgency operations also receive balanced and detailed coverage in the book. After the war, the veterans of the Rangers gathered with their former enemies in a spirit of reconciliation. Unfortunately, this intriguing piece of the story only appears briefly near the book’s end. A larger treatment of the shared memories of these former enemies would have added to the study of how historians collectively remember guerrilla warfare in the Civil War era. Thanks to this book, the story of McNeill’s Rangers has come to the surface. Though still far from equaling the numerous studies of Mosby’s better-known command, French proves that McNeill’s Rangers deserve a closer look and were just as effective as Mosby’s Rangers. Anyone with an interest of the war in western Virginia and Maryland or 19th-century partisan warfare should find themselves a copy of this latest addition to these areas of study. Kevin Pawlak of Fairfax, Va., is Director of Education for the Mosby Heritage Area Association and a Battlefield Guide at Antietam National Battlefield. He is the co-author of the forthcoming book, To Hazard All: A Guide to the Maryland Campaign, 1862, to be released later in 2018.

More than Another Rehashing of the Same Old Story

That Field of Blood: The Battle of Antietam, September 17, 1862. By Daniel J. Vermilya. Maps, photos, illustrations, appendices, order of battle, suggested readings, 192 pp., 2018. Savas Beatie, www.savasbeatie.com. $14.95 paperback. Reviewed by John Michael Priest

This is the first of the Emerging Civil War Series books I have read. In the prologue, Mr. Vermilya writes, “I hope that veteran history buffs and firsttime battlefield visitors alike can all find something worthwhile in these pages.” I was quite impressed with it. With 150 black and white photos and six very good maps, he has concisely and lucidly presented an up-to-date interpretation of the prelude to the campaign, the battle itself, and the political consequences of the Union victory at Antietam. To put it succinctly, Mr. Vermilya contends that Antietam was a Federal victory and not the long-believed interpretation that it was a stalemate and that Lincoln used it as a convenient excuse to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. Not only did General George McClellan and his army occupy the field but he also thwarted Lee’s intentions of recrossing the Potomac River at Williamsport. I particularly enjoyed the author’s excellent blending of participants’ accounts within his battle narratives. The battle descriptions flowed and ebbed like the fighting itself. He successfully clarifies the sequence of the fighting in the Cornfield which, in my opinion, is one of the hardest places on the field to interpret. The action there was close, confusing, and constantly changing, as illustrated in Hal Jespersen’s maps in the battle chapters. Coupled with Vermilya’s lucid writing, they have unraveled some of the confusion the field that day. That Field of Blood is more than another rehashing of the same old story. It is a tour guide as well. Each chapter except the Epilogue is followed by a GPS link and a tour stop number corresponding to the map in the front of the book. More importantly, it made me think about my previously held perspectives about why the battle was fought and how its outcome was more than a stalemate. As stated in the beginning of the book, That Field of Blood is designed for the general reader of the Civil War, yet it does have something which the hardened buff will find interesting. Will everyone who reads it agree with all of Mr. Vermilya’s conclusions? Of course not. Nor should they. They might take exception to his assertions regarding the strengths of both armies. They might argue that McClellan did not win the battle, that Lee’s decision to fight at Sharpsburg was not one to save face, that McClellan did not thwart Lee’s attempt to push north after the Confederate defeat at South Mountain, and that Antietam was not the High Water Mark of the Confederacy. I have no problems with any of his conclusions, whether I agree with them or not. He has done a very good job presenting them and has provided a springboard for further discussion about the campaign and its historical consequences. That is what a good historian should do. John Michael Priest is a tour guide at Antietam Battlefield, who will specialize tours to the visitors’ specific needs. He is currently working on a battalion-level book describing the July 1, 1863 actions at Gettysburg. The project is still in its infancy but he is looking for primary material on the XI Corps, in particular.

Book Chronicles Forgotten

Union Victory in West Virginia

The Battle of Lewisburg: May 23, 1862. By Richard L. Armstrong. Maps, illustrations, notes, bibliography, index, 248 pp., 2017. 35th Star Publishers, www.35thstar.com. $19.95 paperback. Reviewed by Robert Grandchamp

It has been said that the Civil War was fought in 10,000 places from the coast of France to St. Albans, Vermont, from the Caribbean to the far West. Indeed, many of the military engagements that took place during the Civil War will never reach the history books. One of those engagements was the battle of Lewisburg, West Virginia, fought in the Kanawha Valley on May 23, 1862. The battle of Lewisburg occurred as a result of maneuvering by several Union forces in western Virginia in the spring of 1862. Although often overshadowed by Jackson’s Valley Campaign, these forces worked in coordination to secure western Virginia for the Union. Moving his forces through the Kanawha Valley, Brig. Gen. Jacob D. Cox hoped to link up with a larger force under John C. Fremont near Princeton, Virginia. One of Cox’s brigades, however, under George Crook was sent towards Lewisburg. There on May 23, 1862, they were attacked by 2,200 Confederates under General Henry Heth. Crook and his brigade held their ground, sustaining eighty casualties, while inflicting over 200 casualties on the Rebels; the battle only lasted twenty-seven minutes. It was a decisive Union victory, but was overshadowed by Union losses in Jackson’s Valley Campaign. In this book, Richard L. Armstrong has done a fantastic job of creating a micro-history of the engagement. It is evident that Armstrong knows West

Virginia history and the history of the Lewisburg area. He begins with laying out the context of the campaign and its place in history. Many detailed maps highlight the approach of the armies to Lewisburg and how the battle unfolded. The maps are a very important part of the text and are some of the best this reviewer has ever seen. In addition, many illustrations of the participants in the fight at Lewisburg highlight the text. Furthermore, Armstrong has conducted significant research into the lives of the men who fought there, providing details of both Union and Confederate casualties, and photographs of them. A detailed battlefield tour guide concludes the text. The book was researched almost entirely from primary sources, and many manuscript sources grace Armstrong’s bibliography. In all, this book is a model micro-history of a forgotten Civil War battle. Armstrong has done a highly commendable job of writing a detailed history of the battle of Lewisburg. The book is detailed, richly researched, and informative. The superb maps and detailed biographies of battle casualties add to the importance of this work. This book is highly recommended for those wanting to read about the importance of West Virginia to the Union cause, or those wanting to read a model battle history. Robert Grandchamp is the award-winning author of a dozen books on American military history. A former National Park Ranger, he is an analyst with the Federal government and resides in Jericho Center, Vermont.

The Commanders: Civil War Generals Who Shaped the American West. By Robert M. Utley. Maps, photographs, notes, bibliography, index, 245 pp., 2018, University of Oklahoma Press, [email protected]. $29.95 hardcover. Reviewed by Lawrence K. Peterson

I suspect that many of you, as I, not only have an abiding interest in the American Civil War, but also in the American Indian Wars that followed. Those of you so inclined will find this a fascinating work, updating you on the careers of the seven department and division commanders out west, and their effect on that area of our history. These seven generals are: Christopher Augur, George Crook, Oliver Howard, Nelson Miles, Edward Ord, John Pope, and Alfred Terry. Robert M. Utley, former Chief Historian of the NPS and very well-known frontier author, briefly sets the scene. He then describes each general’s prewar days and reviews their Civil War service. He wastes little time on political correctness, and describes each general in direct and confrontational language, based upon his many years of research. He then examines each general and his impact upon the conduct of the Indian situation after the Civil War. He brings out many lesser known facts and gives the reader his perspective as to what kind of a man each was, and their specific influence, or lack thereof, on the many events concerning the Indians. He examines their individual conduct and does not hesitate to comment, for better or worse, on how it affected history. In addition to his review of their Civil War actions and their conduct and influence on Indian affairs, in the last chapter, Utley rates the generals in terms of their overall effectiveness. Perhaps this will shock you, but he rates Augur as number one! I won’t spoil the outcome of how the rest of the generals rate in his list of best-to-worst, but chances are you will be surprised! The only surprising problems I found were a few dates which were obviously incorrect. Otherwise, this is an excellent view of how these seven commanders attempted to solve the Indian problem for once and for all. While perhaps we tend to focus more on the fighting, any student of the Indian Wars should want to view how the men formulating and directing the various policies contending with the Indian “problem” actually made history while so doing. Utley has done a wonderful job of connecting these generals and their respective backgrounds to the Indian Wars. If you share interest in both wars, you need to include this work in your library. Lawrence K. (Larry) Peterson is the author of Confederate Combat Commander: The Remarkable Life of Brigadier General Alfred Jefferson Vaughan Jr., (University of Tennessee Press, 2013). He is president of the Rocky Mountain Civil War Round Table. His next books, Decisions at Chattanooga: The Nineteen Critical Decisions that Defined the Battle; Decisions of the Atlanta Campaign: The Twenty-one Critical Decisions that Defined the Operation; and Decisions of the Kentucky Campaign of 1862: The Twentyseven Critical Decisions that Defined the Operation, all part of the University of Tennessee Press’ Command Decisions in America’s Civil War series, are scheduled for publication later in 2018 and in 2019.

Union Commanders Bull Run Round Table’s New Publication after the Civil War

Bull Run Civil War Round Table 25th Anniversary Commemorative Publication. By the Bull Run Civil War Round Table. Maps, photos, 104 pp., 2016. www.Amazon.com/books. Enter “Bull Run Civil War Round Table 25th” in book search box. Paperback only. Reviewed by Chris Mackowski

To celebrate its twenty-fifth anniversary, the Bull Run Civil War Round Table in Manassas, Virginia, has put together a commemorative publication that covers its many activities over two and a half decades. At first appearance, the publication seems like a fun retrospective compiled primarily for its members—and there are many of them—but a closer look reveals a case study in success that other round tables can emulate. In his foreword, Ed Bearss— himself no stranger to Bull Run— says, “The Bull Run Civil War Round Table is a model for what a Civil War round table should be… .” As someone who travels the country to speak to dozens of round tables each year, Ed has plenty of experience to judge by. The round table has more than 220 members, and attendance at monthly meetings typically exceeds 100. In 2011, the Civil War Trust honored them as the Round Table of the Year. In Ed’s estimation, the round table “has proven to be one of the most dedicated groups of men and women engaged in the serious study of the Civil War… . They do great service to the nation… .” Their commemorative publication documents that service. The book, published through the self-publishing platform “CreateSpace,” has an eclectic feel. For instance, among the histories, lists, and photos, editors have reproduced memos, citations, and other documents that supplement the round table’s story. A highlight is the Trust’s laudatory letter from 2011. The book traces the history of the round table from founder Bill Miller’s initial vision twenty-five years ago through its current activities. It’s always a good idea for any round table to revisit its own mission—in that way to be sure everything is staying on track, ensuring that necessary growth and change remain true. Profiles of the round table’s subsequent presidents track progress and achievements. Photo collages accompanied by short chapters of text chronicle the round table’s field trips, preservation efforts, scholarship program, and guest speakers. Appendices in the back provide comprehensive listings. It is, says round table president Mark Trbovich in his letter, an “excellent assortment of programs that we have provided over the years.” On a purely entertaining level, it’s fun to peruse the lists to see who’s spoken and what they’ve spoken about (looking for my own name was like a game of “Where’s Waldo!”). Serious perusal of the list, however, offers an absolute cornucopia of speaker ideas and topics for any round table looking to round out its annual speaker series. In a similar vein, several sections feature maps that show, for instance, all the places where the round table has gone to field trips or all the places where they’ve made contributions to preservation efforts. Such graphic illustrations are fun to study, and they certainly illustrate that the round table has much to be proud of. But other round tables can look at those same sections to glean inspiration. One group can make a big difference, especially over time. In short, following BRCWRT’s example can serve as a blueprint for other round tables, making this commemorative publication a useful resource for specific ideas and broader inspiration. Chris Mackowski is Editor in Chief of the Emerging Civil War Series by Savas Beatie. His works include, with Kristopher D. White, The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House (2013).

Crooked Deeds of Crooked People on Both Sides of a Crooked River

A Crooked River: Rustlers, Rangers, and Regulars on the Lower Rio Grande, 1861–1877. By Michael L. Collins. Maps, endnotes, bibliography, photos, 360 pp., 2018. University of Oklahoma Press, oupress.com. $29.95 cloth. Reviewed by William Bozic

Michael L. Collins is retired as Regents Professor and Hardin Distinguished Professor of American History at Midwestern State University, Wichita Falls, Texas. He is co-author of Profiles in Power: Twentieth-Century Texans in Washington and author of That Damned Cowboy: Theodore Roosevelt and the American West, 1883–1898, and Texas Devils: Rangers and Regulars on the Lower Rio Grande, 1846–1861. A Crooked River: Rustlers, Rangers, and Regulars on the Lower Rio Grande, 1861–1877 is a sequel to Michael Collins’ book Texas Devils because the story was just too big for one volume. The story of ranchers, soldiers, and rustlers, who sometimes were the same people, with an emphasis on African Americans, immigrants, Native Americans, and Mexicans in south Texas and northern Mexico is the stuff of legend. Collins relates how from 1872 to 1873 the Robb Commission for the U.S. government investigated the lawlessness in this area, while in Mexico, the Mexican government had a commission for the investigation of the Mexican northern frontier doing exactly the same thing. This region was literally a tinderbox full of private killings in which Collins relates decisions were made for largely personal and familial reasons, with justifications only an afterthought, hence the title of this review and Collins’ book. Collins possesses the rare talent of being both an excellent researcher and talented storyteller. When he describes the Confederate attack on a party of Texas Unionists along the Nueces River, the reader can almost feel the twigs snap in the darkness as the Confederates moved in on their prey. Similarly when the author relates how Federal Colonel Edmund J. Davis was captured by Confederate forces as Davis was organizing and training the 1st Texas Cavalry (Union) just across the Rio Grande River in Mexico, the reader can almost feel the tension and suspense. Walter Prescott Webb’s classic 1935 work, The Texas Rangers: A Century of Frontier Defense, has been the seminal work on this topic. But since over 80 years have passed since it was published, many sources which were not available to Webb have come to light. Even almost thirty years later, prior to Webb’s death in early 1963, Webb acknowledged that it was probably time for his work to be revised, so A Crooked River has been written with an extensive array of sources which were unavailable to Webb in an attempt to give a more balanced and revisionist approach to the topic. Fans of the Texas Rangers may find A Crooked River to be troubling, because in this work there are absolutely “no good guys,” and conversely the arch-villain Juan Cortina sometimes comes across in the writing as not so much of a bad guy. Another concern is the map of south Texas and northern Mexico, which probably should have included an insert with an expanded view of the Brownsville-Matamoros area where so much of the book takes place. Reviewer William Bozic is a historian who lives in Texas and has extended family in both northern Mexico and Texas. William is currently putting the finishing touches on Indianola Incidents: The Federal Occupation of Indianola Texas 1863–4. William and his wife have four children and a dog with a bad case of ADHD.

Stark Mad Abolitionists: Lawrence, Kansas, and the Battle over Slavery in the Civil War Era. By Robert K. Sutton. Foreword by Bob Dole. Photographs, 276 pp., 2017. Skyhorse Publishing, www. skyhorsepublishing.com. $24.99 hardcover. Reviewed by David D. Kindy

Bleeding Kansas wasn’t quite that bloody after all

It turns out Bleeding Kansas wasn’t quite that bloody after all. Oh, sure, there were deaths, but the actual numbers appear to be far less than many historians have believed. A new book details the desperate struggle between slavery and anti-slavery forces in Kansas during the antebellum years and the Civil War itself. In Stark Mad Abolitionists: Lawrence, Kansas, and the Battle over Slavery in the Civil War Era, Robert K. Sutton cites recent research identifying fewer than sixty deaths attributable to the clashes between the two sides. It appears that newspaper accounts and runaway rumors exaggerated the casualty rates during this explosive time frame. Northern sympathizers flooded the new territory of Kansas in an effort to keep it slave-free, while slaveowners from Missouri attempted to tip the scales in the opposite direction. With both camps armed to the teeth, neither side wanted to dive headlong into conflict. Instead, the attacks often occurred as small ambushes or during the sack of Lawrence in 1856 or in John Brown’s punitive strike against a pro-slavery community a few days later. The real blood-letting would come later during the Civil War. The book gets its title from the era’s leading figure, Amos Adams Lawrence, for whom the city of Lawrence was named. According to Sutton, the wealthy textile magnate in Massachusetts woke up one morning as a “stark mad Abolitionist” and then dedicated his fortune to the eradication of slavery. He gave the equivalent of millions of dollars to fund efforts in Kansas and elsewhere to turn the tide against what he perceived as a plague decimating the country. Sutton writes in a fluid style as he describes the build-up of anger that coursed through the territory and later state of Kansas. His descriptions of the numerous rednecks, ruffians and rabble-rousers who jump in and out of this era are colorful and intriguing. Kansas eventually became a free state and sent several regiments to fight in the Civil War. In fact, the state had one of the highest proportional casualty rates, as many of its sons heeded the call to preserve the Union and free the slaves. Stark Mad Abolitionists reaches its climax in 1863 with Quantrill’s raid of Lawrence. This devastating attack by the guerrilla force killed an estimated 200 people and saw most of the town burned to the ground in about three hours. Quantrill’s paramilitary group was known for its brutality. Sutton points out that this was the training ground for the likes of Jesse James, Cole Younger, and other future merciless killers. Sutton’s book is a rewarding take on an oft-mythologized time before the Civil War. He carefully details the polarizing forces in play that set the stage for the destruction that would befall Lawrence and how that community rebuilt itself afterwards, reaching new heights as a center of education with the establishment of the University of Kansas. Stark Mad Abolitionists also includes a stirring Foreword by Bob Dole, the inestimable U.S. senator from Kansas and World War II hero. Dave Kindy lives in Plymouth, Mass., and loves to write about history and other subjects when he doesn’t have to earn a living.

Hard Fighters, Unusual Mascot The Camel Regiment: A History of the Bloody 43rd Mississippi Volunteer Infantry, CSA 1862–165. By W. Scott Bell. Maps, photos, notes, index, 288 pp., 2017. Pelican Publishing Company, www.pelicanpub.com. $29.95 hardcover. Reviewed by Stewart Bennett

While other regiments from the North and South had their share of mascots, the 43rd Mississippi Regiment, you could say, had the most original—a camel—and actually used it for military service east of the Mississippi River. While the 43rd may have been known for its mascot, there was much more to these soldiers, as W. Scott Bell proves in his book, The Camel Regiment: A History of the Bloody 43rd Mississippi Volunteer Infantry, CSA 1862–65. There are many published Union and Confederate regimental histories covering areas such as camp life, battles and hardships. While Bell’s work does the same, there are a few areas that help make his work stand out. For instance, his inclusion of the camel “Old Douglas” into the narrative, exploring the use of camels during the war, and the adventures of the regiment with “Old Douglas” all prove interesting. While the regiment may have had a camel, it was at Corinth where the 43rd Regiment “saw the elephant” for the first time. From Corinth, the regiment would move and fight across the western theater of the war. Some strengths to this regimental history can be found in Bell’s chapters on Vicksburg, and the battles of Franklin and Nashville, where the reader can examine interesting contemporary accounts. Also of interest is the chapter concerning the “Scott Thompson letter” in which pro-Unionist sympathy accusations threatened to disrupt the regiment. This showed that politics could be as deadly as the battlefield. While Bell is judicious in his use of such sources as Mississippi special collections, area newspapers, and letters, his book was still a difficult project to complete, since Confederate contemporary sources are rather rare compared to those of the Union. While Bell is successful in footnoting his many quotes for this history, a weakness can be found in his lack of footnoting information that was not quoted at all, but instead put into his own words. This is something that an editor could have easily found and brought to his attention. The weakness continues throughout the book. While this does not take away from the story, it makes it difficult or impossible to check for references concerning information stated in this manner. Also, clear, distinctive maps could have been added, especially to show regimental movements and engagements. Although it is the author who usually bears the financial responsibility for maps, more in the book would have proven valuable and allow the reader to understand some situations and specific areas better. Overall, The Camel Regiment: A History of the Bloody 43rd Mississippi Volunteer Infantry, CSA 1862–65 can be recommended. It is worth the read for its examination of the regiment, the contemporary sources used, and is a decent look into another Confederate regiment from the deep South.

Stewart Bennett is a Professor of History and Department Chair of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Blue Mountain College in Blue Mountain, Mississippi. His latest contribution to Civil War literature includes “‘A Ghost on Horseback’: The Many Wounds and Curious Death of General William H.T. Walker,” in Lawrence Lee Hewitt and Thomas E. Schott, eds., Confederate Generals in the Western Theater: Vol. 4 (University of Tennessee Press. January 2018). He is continuing his research on the battle of Atlanta, fought July 22, 1864.

A Book that Serves the

Entire Civil War Community

Valley Thunder: The Battle of New Market and the Opening of the Shenandoah Valley Campaign, May 1864. By Charles R. Knight. Bibliography, index, maps, footnotes, appendices, 360 pp., 2018. Savas Beatie LLC Publishing, www.savasbeatie.com. $22.95 softcover. Reviewed by David Marshall

Valley Thunder: The Battle of New Market and the Opening of the Shenandoah Valley Campaign, May 1864 is the first full-length treatment of this campaign since 1975, when William C. Davis published The Battle of New Market. While the former is considered the definitive work, Charles R. Knight has produced a solid treatment that is well worth a read. An excellent Foreword by William C. Davis and Introduction will be most helpful to students who are not familiar with this little-known battle. The author, who spent several years working at the New Market Battlefield in Virginia, has devoted a long period of time researching and uncovering many new sources not previously utilized by other scholars. He has not only filled in the gaps in the story, but has made his book successful in telling a balanced story from both the Confederate and Federal perspectives. Knight does a nice job of scrutinizing the commanders and subordinate officers. The writer’s method of comparing the Confederate and Union leadership, both Union general Franz Sigel and Confederate general (and former United States Vice President) John Breckinridge. Praise and fault are given to the commanders as well as to subordinate officers, such as Southerners Gabriel Wharton and John Echols. Ulysses S. Grant’s recognition that Sigel, a political appointee, had serious shortcomings proved accurate at New Market. Sigel’s subordinates, Henry DuPont and Joseph Thoburn, were able to prevent this Union defeat from turning into a complete disaster. This battle is partly made famous by the participation of the Cadet Corps from the Virginia Military Institute. The author shows that their association with this engagement enlarged its significance, and became part of Southern legend. As added features, the book offers numerous illustrations of these young men later in life at reunions and marker commemorations. Savas Beatie originally published this book in 2010 and has now reprinted this very good volume in 2018. George Skoch produced 11 wonderful maps that reveal the troop movements and demonstrate a clear understanding of the battlefield topography. It would have been helpful, however, if more maps could have been included. Illustrations appear throughout; readers will be able to learn a great deal from the images alone. Included also are footnotes, a thorough bibliography, index and eight helpful appendices including the Order of the Battle and after-action battle reports from both Generals Breckinridge and Sigel. The author has thus succeeded in allowing the participants to speak for themselves. Knight has produced an assiduously researched and highly illuminating work. It is edifying, ambitious and easy to read. An excellent mixture of primary and secondary sources was used, offering numerous quotes from officers and enlisted men. He has produced a new look at troop positions and movements, with insight into the relationship between tactics and topography. This work clearly fulfills the author’s stated purpose of providing a complete account of this Civil War battle and the individuals engaged in it. This comprehensive history of New Market is a welcome addition and is highly recommended. David Marshall has been a high school American history teacher in the Miami-Dade School district for the past thirty-two years. A life-long Civil War enthusiast who became interested during a family visit to Gettysburg, David is president of the Miami Civil War Roundtable Book Club.

American Citizenship

The Civil War and the Transformation of American Citizenship. Edited by Paul Quigley. Endnotes, index, 246 pp., 2018. Louisiana State University Press, www.lsupress. org. $47.50 cloth. Reviewed by Wayne L. Wolf

Paul Quigley uses nine scholarly essays to explore the meaning, application and metamorphosis of citizenship from antebellum America through the Civil War, Reconstruction and beyond. Citizenship is generally perceived as a fixed legal status through birth or naturalization. Yet this narrow view fails to address the social, economic and cultural dimensions of citizenship. It was the Civil War, and the subsequent 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments, that not only incorporated three million newly freed slaves into the body politic, but redefined the Federal role as protector of civil rights, forcing Americans to rethink the complex meaning of citizenship. In antebellum America, citizenship was an experience one lived in specific moments, defined by interactions—tangible, measurable and visible—within one’s local family and community. Citizenship was thus a fluid concept, ill-defined, that revolved around a commitment to a place and the people who lived there. Secessionists held to this view: that being a good citizen was a lived, cultural experience, a citizenship of heart, reciprocal in nature, that bound one to community and state and reinforced white supremacy, property rights, and a duty to one’s community. The Civil War shattered that concept by altering not only white supremacy and definitions of property, but incorporating diverse new groups—African

Americans, native Americans, Chinese and women—into a world altered by the war. The Civil War also changed the concept of what government should do for its citizens. The Federal government took a much more prominent role in protecting individual rights and simultaneously redefining what citizens owed to their nation. These essays thus expand on the earlier work by historians such as William Novak (The Legal Transformation of Citizenship in Nineteenth Century America) and Michael Vorenberg (Citizenship and the 13th Amendment: Understanding the Deafening Silence). These early historians realized that the legal definition of citizenship only captured one aspect of its meaning. One needed to move beyond the political component to the cultural, economic and social aspects of the term to determine how power could be achieved and leveraged. While the Civil War would open up new avenues of power to freedmen, and eventually women, native Americans and immigrants, the reality of citizenship’s extent and impact are still open to disagreement in contemporary America. The essays in this volume not only help to explain the morphing definition of citizenship from the American Revolution to the 20th Century, but they create the basis for new historical research into what the true meaning of citizenship has been for generations of Americans. As a country we have not yet arrived at a consensus as to the meaning of citizenship. Current disputes on its interpretation can better be understood if one knows the historical development of the concept and its application to past generations. This book is highly recommended for any history student who wishes to better understand our current immigration dilemmas, our people’s search to make Americans more equal, or bestowing power to diverse groups of Americans. Wayne L. Wolf is Professor Emeritus at South Suburban College and the author of numerous Civil War books and articles, including Two Years Before the Paddlewheel. He is currently researching newly uncovered letters and diaries to enhance the understanding of the common soldiers’ war experience.