Civil War News Vol. 42, No. 8 $3.00 48 Pages, September 2016 155th Anniversary Battle Of First Manassas At Cedar Creek MIDDLETOWN, Va.—The Cedar Creek Battlefield in Middletown, The brave spectators and reenactors Creek Battlefield Foundation hosted Va., on July 22-24. The reenactment alike had to deal with the sweltering the Battle of Bull Run - Manassas was attended by artillerist, cavalry heat. A great time was had by all who reenactment on the Battle of Cedar and infantry from all parts of the U.S. attended the anniversary event.

David Chirico, 4th Virginia Cavalry “Blackhorse” sends a round into the attacking 2nd U.S. Cavalrymen charging toward him during the dusk encounter of the reenactment of First Manassas. Note the shorter firearm used by cavalrymen. Carbines, shotguns and musketoons were carried by the cavalry along with revolvers or other hand guns.

Union artillery blast sends a demoralizing message to the charging Confederates. (All photos by Sandy Goss/Eagle Bay Media)

Cavalry fights are furious, confusing events. Charlie Doutt, 2nd U.S., Co A crosses sabres with David Chirico, 4th Virginia Cavalry (“Blackhorse”) during the final cavalry battle of the reenactment.

The Zouaves engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the Confederates who temporarily overran one of the Union gun positions. This was an impressive scene for the spectators.

Cavalry fights are furious, confusing events as portrayed in this photograph by the talented photographer Sandy Goss.

Inside this issue: 37 – Critics Corner 46 – Advertisers & Book Reviews 38 – Events Section 26 – Ask The Appraiser 13 – Inspection, ARMS! 6 – Black Powder, White Smoke 8 – The Source 27 – Book Reviews 7 – Through The Lens 44 – Classifieds 10 – The Watchdog 2 Civil War News September 2016 Paging – From Our New Book Review Editor – the past six issues of Civil War News Review section as articulated by (March-August 2016): Ed Bonekemper back in November 2010. “One of my challenges,” Through • army studies Ed wrote, “is to ensure that we at • atlases CWN obtain copies of all significant • battles Civil War-related books so that our By Jack Melton • biographies reviewers can provide you, our • Civil War on the frontier readers, with an analysis of each of We are looking forward to cooler where at once so let us know if you • diplomatic history them in a reasonably timely manner.” weather and so are the wool clothed have an idea, suggestion or will be • economic topics We like to think that Civil War reenactors. As the summer winds attending something of interest. • essay collections News publishes more quality book down and school starts back into full In this issue we’ve introduced a • flags reviews per issue than any other swing, the events for Civil War en- new column Inspection, ARMS! by • letters/diaries/memoirs Civil War publication in the country. thusiast come alive. Please check the Tim Prince. Tim is a well known fire- • local history This is not easy work. To assist our events calendar to see what is hap- arms expert and very approachable • maps efforts, at Publisher Melton’s very pening around you. so if you go to a Civil War show he’ll • medical topics good suggestion, we have formed a Civil War News has a new Book most certainly be there. • memory studies Civil War News Book Review Ad- Review Editor, Dr. Stephen Davis. Some say our hobby is dying off • naval history visory Board, consisting of a few With his lifetime of experience Civ- but with the large turnouts at semi- • political history well-respected Civil War experts il War News has gained a valuable nars, bus tours, surge in roundtable Stephen Davis • regimentals or unit studies to whom we can turn for advice. asset with having Dr. Davis on our interest and social media sites I feel • religious topics We staked out several slots for our team. that even more people are interested I am honored and delighted to as- • slavery and freed people Board: a distinguished professor, a Please continue to submit articles in history. As an example the Atlanta sume responsibilities as new book • wartime cultural studies prominent publisher and an experi- and photographs to Civil War News. Civil War Round Table sells out ev- Review Editor for Civil War News. • women’s roles in the war enced public historian. I am delight- Although we can’t fit everyone into ery event with a waiting list. This is Some of you may remember that ed that three eminently qualified in- the paper we try very hard to do so. encouraging to say the least. from 1984 to 2005 I served as Book Wow—that’s a lot. Just as import- dividuals have stepped forth to join As we travel the east coast attend- Correction: Book review of Vir- Review Editor for Blue & Gray ant is the large number of University me on our Advisory Board: Steven ing events and historic sites we find ginia Iliad, a book by H. V. Traywick Magazine. It’ll be fun to resume presses and commercial publish- E. Woodworth, Professor of Histo- that there is an endless supply of top- Jr., in the August, 2016 issue of Civil this activity in my new role for Jack ers whose works we like to feature. ry, Texas Christian University, Fort ics, battlefields, museums and events War News was by Timothy Orr, not Melton, Owner and Publisher of Civ- Again, just going through the past Worth TX; Theodore P. Savas, Man- to cover. But, we cannot be every- Thomas A. Horrocks. il War News. six issues, I counted more than sev- aging Director of Savas Beatie LLC, Jack and Peggy are busy strength- enty-five. LSU, North Carolina, Mc- El Dorado Hills Calif.; and Gordon ening our newspaper in a variety of Farland and History Press are among L. Jones, Senior Military Historian, ways. Their recent addition of color the most frequently featured. I look Atlanta History Center. Steve, Ted, to the book cover photographs ac- forward to maintaining our relation- Gordon and I look forward to con- Civil War News companying each review is just one ship with these “giants.” But we also versations about the state of Civil Published by Historical Publications LLC of them. remain open to small houses sending War literature and the art of book re- 6175 Hickory Flat Hwy. • Suite 110-355 • Canton, Georgia 30115 I am proud of the wide range of us their titles. Publisher Melton has viewing. Our Book Review section 800-777-1862 • Facebook.com/CivilWarNews titles which we bring to your atten- kindly agreed to have review copies will undoubtedly benefit from such [email protected] • www.civilwarnews.com tion in our Book Review section. In mailed to his business office—look discussions. Advertising: 800-777-1862 • [email protected] a recent message to the publishers of on this page for that address in Can- So we’re off and running. I look Civil War books with whom we have ton, Georgia. forward to serving you all in the days established relationships, I listed the Throughout our work, I will ahead….Stephen can be reached at Jack W. Melton Jr. C. Peter & Kathryn Jorgensen categories of titles I discerned in just keep in mind the goal of our Book [email protected] Publisher Founding Publishers Advertising & Marketing: Peggy Melton Civil War Trust Honors Preservation Champions At Conference Columnists: Joseph Bilby, Stephen Davis, Stephanie Hagiwara, Tim Prince, John Sexton, Michael K. Shaffer, The Watchdog Staff GETTYSBURG, Pa.—During an ed the Civil War News in 1989 with Commonwealth – from the Drake annual gathering of its members in her late husband Pete. The Civil War Oil Well, the first active oil well in Editorial & Photography Staff: Greg Biggs, Joe Bordonaro, Sandy Goss, Gettysburg earlier this month, the News covered countless historic sto- the , to the Revolution- Gordon L. Jones, Michael Kent, George Lomas, John A Punola, Leon Civil War Trust recognized some of ries – including the sesquicentennial ary War’s Brandywine battlefield Reed, Gregory L. Wade, Joan Wenner the outstanding leaders of the bat- of the Civil War – and engaged the outside Philadelphia. Book Review Editor: Stephen Davis. Ph.D., Marietta, Ga. tlefield preservation movement. The heart of the historic preservation Book Review Advisory Board: Gordon L. Jones, Ph.D., Senior Military His- Civil War Trust is a national nonprof- community. The award is named after Brian Pohanka Preservation torian, Atlanta History Center; Theodore P. Savas J.D., Managing Director, it organization dedicated to the pro- its first recipient, Edwin C. Bearss, a Organization of the Year Award: Savas Beatie LLC, El Dorado Hills, Ca.; Steven E. Woodworth, Ph.D., tection of Civil War, Revolutionary World War II veteran and chief his- Two outstanding local organizations Professor of History, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth TX. War and War of 1812 battlegrounds. torian emeritus of the National Park were honored with the Trust’s Or- “It is important to remember that Service, who continues to share his ganization of the Year Award. The Civil War News (ISSN: 1053-1181) Copyright © 2016 by Historical the cause of battlefield preservation vast knowledge of American history Princeton Battlefield Society has Publications LLC is published 11 times per year by Historical Publications benefits from the enthusiasm and well past his 90th birthday. worked for decades to steward and LLC, 6175 Hickory Flat Hwy., Suite 110-355, Canton, Georgia 30115. hard work of countless individuals interpret Princeton Battlefield State Monthly. Business and Editorial Offices: 6175 Hickory Flat Hwy., Suite 110- throughout the United States,” re- Shelby Foote Preservation Leg- Park, and to prevent further develop- 355, Canton, Georgia 30115, Accounting and Circulation Offices: Historical marked Trust president James Ligh- acy Award: The Trust presented the ment of the Princeton battlefield. The Publications LLC, 6175 Hickory Flat Hwy., Suite 110-355, Canton, Georgia thizer. “We cannot recognize all of preservation legacy award to Clint Land Conservancy of Adams Coun- 30115. Call 800-777-1862 to subscribe. Application to mail at Periodicals these unsung heroes, but through our Schemmer, a reporter at the Freder- ty, founded more than 20 years ago postage prices is pending at Canton, Georgia and additional mailing offices annual preservation awards, we can icksburg Free Lance-Star who has to protect the rural lands of Adams (if applicable). Periodicals postage paid at U.S.P.S. 131 W. High St., Jefferson acknowledge and celebrate the most been writing about battlefield protec- County, Pennsylvania, has worked City, MO 65101. outstanding champions each year.” tion since the mid-1980s, covering to preserve more than 500 acres of POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Historical Publications LLC. 6175 Since their inception in 2001, the key preservation successes at places Gettysburg battlefield. The award is Trust has honored a wide variety like Chancellorsville, the Wilder- named for the late Brian Pohanka, an Hickory Flat Hwy., Suite 110-355, Canton, Georgia 30115. of individuals and groups for their ness, Brandy Station and Fredericks- outstanding historian and one of the Display advertising rates and media kit on request. achievements in protecting endan- burg. The award is named after late founders of the modern battlefield gered Civil War battlefields with historian and author Shelby Foote, preservation movement. TheCivil War News is for your reading enjoyment. The views and opinions its preservation awards. Previous who dedicated his life to educating expressed herein are those of its authors, readers and advertisers and they winners include historians, schol- Americans on the Civil War. The Civil War Trust is the largest do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Historical Publi- ars, National Park Service person- and most effective nonprofit organi- cations, LLC, its owners and/or employees. nel, celebrities and even residential State Leadership Award: The zation devoted to the preservation of developers. Despite such disparate Trust presented the State Leadership America’s hallowed battlegrounds. backgrounds, all have given unique Award to the Pennsylvania Historical Although primarily focused on the and lasting contributions to historic and Museum Commission (PHMC). protection of Civil War battlefields, preservation. At the evening ban- The award was accepted by the com- through its Campaign 1776 initia- MOVING? quet, three awards were presented: mission’s executive director, Jim tive, the Trust also seeks to save the Contact us to change your address so Vaughan. PHMC is the official his- battlefields connected to the Revo- Edwin C. Bearss Lifetime tory agency of the Commonwealth of lutionary War and War of 1812. To you don’t miss a single issue. Achievement Award: The Trust Pennsylvania, which helped create a date, the Trust has preserved close to presented the lifetime achievement Civil War 150th Advisory Board and 43,000 acres of battlefield land in 23 [email protected] • 800-777-1862 award to Kay Jorgensen, who found- works to preserve land across the states. September 2016 Civil War News 27 – Reviews of Civil War Books – Civil War News book reviews provide our readers with timely analysis of the latest and most significant Civil War research and scholarship. Stephen Davis, Civil War News Book Review Editor. Email: [email protected] Vol. II Adds Material On Army Of Cumberland Cavalry In Detail The Cavalry of the Army of success on the battlefield. tained during continual raids be- British Suppliers To CSA the Cumberland. By Dennis W. The author gives Rosecrans high hind enemy lines and engagements Belcher. Illustrated, photos, maps, marks for his focus on expanding the against the powerful . Suppliers to the Confederacy: Knapsacks, snake buckles and appendices, notes, bibliography, size and enhancing the firepower of This book contains a rigorous More British Imported Arms and waist belts are among the new per- index, 356 pp., 2016, McFarland, the cavalry. He is critcized, howev- review of reconnaissances, raids, Accoutrements. Vol. II. By Craig L. sonal items discussed. Additional www.mcfarlandpub.com, $45 soft- er, for ineffectual use of cavalry that attacks and skirmishes involving Barry and David C. Burt. Illustrated, information is included for ammu- cover. undermined specific operations and the Army of the Cumberland caval- photographs, appendices, bibliogra- nition bags, sword frogs, oil bottles generated high casualty rates. Rose- ry over a three-year period. It thus phy, 304 pp., 2016, Schiffer, www. and bayonet scabbards. Perhaps the crans stifled the cavalry’s initiative serves as a reference document con- schifferbooks.com, $39.99. most interesting addition is the in- because he tended “to give directions cerning its commanders, strategy, clusion of various gunmakers like rather than missions.” tactics, successes and failures. London Armoury Company, King Rosecrans’s unpopularity with Although a number of maps are and Phillips, C.W. James, and Pryse powerful military and political fig- included, readers will probably need and Redman. ures led to his removal as Army of other maps due to the vast geograph- New photographs further enhance the Cumberland commander after he ic area covered by the text. the work by providing detailed illus- lost at Chickamauga in September This study emphasizes the combat trations of some of the more unusual 1863. When Stanton appointed Maj. role of cavalry rather than its tradi- accoutrements. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant to command tional reconnaissance and screening The new chapters follow the same the Union armies in the West, Grant duty. While the author addresses this format as those in the previous work, replaced Rosecrans with Maj. Gen. anomaly and the army command- making it easy to understand the George Thomas. ers’ frequent misuse of the cavalry, new material. They further enhance Soon thereafter, the cavalry was the message should still be that the readers’ ability to understand the lo- reorganized. Brig. Gen. Washington cavalry’s primary role remains intel- gistical challenges the Confederacy L. Elliott was in overall command, ligence gathering and it secondarily faced in attempting to negotiate with and the First, Second, Third and serves as a combat arm. European firms. Fourth divisions served under Brig. The general reader may find this The book is exceptionally well Gens. Edward M. McCook, Kenner study a bit daunting. However, the priced. It continues to be a wonderful Following up and expanding on Garrard, Hugh Judson Kilpatrick specialist will relish owning a copy reference tool for those interested his 2014 biography of David S. and Alvan C. Gillem respectively. of what undoubtedly will be consid- in quartermaster functions, general Stanley, Maj. Gen. William S. Rose- Two years of enhancement and re- ered the standard on this subject. mercantile operations and foreign crans’s cavalry commander, Dennis structuring created a corps totaling This work is part of a two-volume support of the American Civil Belcher examines the Army of the 23,000 cavalrymen. It was augment- Reviewer Thomas J. Ryan is set designed to be the definitive ref- War. It receives my strongest Cumberland’s cavalry. His desire is ed by another 4,600 Army of the the author of Spies, Scouts, erence on British arms and accoutre- recommendation. “to compile and analyze the actions, Ohio troopers. and Secrets in the Gettysburg ments used by the Confederacy. It is successes, failures and sacrifices of This organization was superior to Campaign: How the Critical Role an expanded version of a work we Reviewer Richard J. Blumberg has this cavalry ‘corps,’ which has been the Rebels’ at that stage of the war. of Intelligence Impacted the reviewed and strongly recommend- a master’s degree with honors neglected for far too long.” Confederate Western cavalry com- Outcome of Lee’s Invasion of the ed in 2014. in Civil War studies. He is past In accomplishing this objective, mander Maj. Gen. North, June-July 1863. His website Building on their solid foundation president of the Houston Civil Belcher has constructed a compen- had difficulty replacing losses sus- is www.tomryan-civilwar.com. of detailed research, Craig Barry War Round Table and is a speaker dium of events from a cavalry per- and David Burt have made a good for that group and the Society of spective from the Battle of Stones reference even better. This volume Women in the Civil War. He also River in December 1862 through the includes a variety of new supplies reviews books for the Blue and ending in October Civil War Antique Shop and some previously unpublished Gray Education Society. 1864. histories of several gunmakers. After an overview of Stanley and his role as the army’s cavalry commander, the story progresses to subsequent commands under Brig. Gen. Robert B. Mitchell and Brig. Gen. Washington Lafayette Elliott. Neither of the latter two enjoyed the success attributed to Stanley, who re- Heller’s Antiques ceives credit for nurturing the expan- Buy and Sell sion and development of an effective cavalry organization. Fine Antiques & Civil War Items The growth and maturity of the Steven E. Heller cavalry in Rosecrans’s Western army 231 Juniata PKWY East• Newport, PA 17074 required considerable dedication and effort by him and his cavalry com- Phone: 717-567-6805 • Email: [email protected] manders. The Army of the Cumber- land suffered from an “out of sight, www.CivilWarAntiqueShop.com out of mind” syndrome on the part of authorities in Washington, in- cluding General-in-Chief Henry W. Halleck and Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, regarding assignment of qualified personnel and logistical Mercury Supply support. Belcher describes relationships that helped forge a cohesive ap- Company Sutler proach to cavalry operations. He contrasts them with those that caused Uniforms • Accoutrements friction and disrupted sound strategy and tactics. Among the latter was the tendency to subordinate cavalry 101 Lee Street | Livingston, TX 77351 to infantry commands rather than 936-327-3707 • mercurysutler.com • [email protected] allowing them to function as inde- pendent arms of the service. This U.S. Made Uniform Combo 7 Items $235.00 practice led to confusion and lack of 28 Civil War News September 2016 Well Researched Book On 1st Delaware, Army Of The Potomac

They Fought for the Union: experiencing combat. Eventually Finally, he relates its involvement Thorough endnotes document the the Second Corps at Antietam and A History of the First Delaware assigned to Fort Monroe at the tip of in the various offensives by the author’s research. Fredericksburg, Maj. Gen. Edwin V. Volunteers in the Army of the Po- the Virginia Peninsula, the regiment Second Corps outside Petersburg, Modern unit histories often con- Sumner. tomac. By Jeffrey R. Biggs. Illus- had no role in McClellan’s Peninsula including the debacle at Reams’ tain a substantial component focused Ordinarily, such flaws would trated, photos, maps, bibliography, Campaign. Station, and its experience in the on social, cultural and demographic largely offset a book’s substantive index, notes, 526 pp., 2016, Belli Instead, it underwent steady drill- war’s final campaign in April 1865, characteristics of members. Biggs value. Not so here, however. This is Civilis Press, www.bellicivilis.com, ing at its encampment, eventually when its long-time regimental and follows a more traditional approach, an excellent history of an important $19.99. taking part in the relatively bloodless brigade commander Thomas Smyth but much is revealed about these sol- Union regiment that should find a capture of Norfolk during a brief and became one of the Army’s last officer diers in the brief biographical back- place in the library of every student unique “campaign” under the com- fatalities. grounds he interjects when recount- of the Union’s most famous army. mand of Secretary of the Treasury Delaware was a slave state, al- ing specific exploits and casualties. Salmon P. Chase. though its population of slaves was Biggs’s narrative style is a partic- Reviewer John Foskett is a The regiment finally was as- only about 10 percent the size of its ular strong point. His accounts of practicing attorney in Boston, signed to the Army of the Potomac population of 20,000 freed blacks. the regiment’s fights are smoothly Mass., and has a life-long interest in September 1862, enduring forced Biggs details the persistently written and easily followed, with the in the Civil War. marching to join up with that army’s fervent Unionism of the unit’s important addition of clear terrain Second Corps on the eve of the Bat- soldiers despite strain from the state’s descriptions. tle of Antietam. strong political opposition to the Biggs also achieves something There the 1st took part in the at- Lincoln administration throughout often overlooked by writers of unit tack on the Confederate position at much of the war. It refused to provide histories. He seamlessly ties the the Sunken Road, suffering a costly enlistment bonuses and opposed 1st’s localized fighting to the larg- repulse. The 1st remained with the emancipation. er brigade, division, corps and even vaunted Second Corps for the dura- Biggs has done a thorough job of army contexts so that even a casual tion and seems to have had a “nose” finding and using primary sources in reader can comprehend the “bigger henrydeeks . com for desperate fighting. the form of soldiers’ letters to fami- picture.” Biggs recounts the regiment’s lies and local newspapers, the regi- The maps generally are adequate, REINFORCEMENTS bloody assault on the Confederate ment’s order book, and its morning/ consisting of battle maps borrowed MAKE ALLTHE DIFFERENCE!!! defense at Marye’s Heights during present for duty reports. from a site by well-regarded Civil the ; its part He also has made selective and War cartographer Hal Jespersen or The 1st Delaware was one of the in the January 1863 “mud march,” judicious use of the unit’s 1884 from other sources at the campaign “fighting” infantry regiments in the and the ensuing revival of the army’s official history written by Lt. level. A nice addition consists of five Army of the Potomac that played a low morale by Maj. Gen. Joseph William Seville, which typically maps by the author showing details prominent role in all of that army’s Hooker. presented things in a uniformly of the 1st’s movements during the engagements from Antietam until He also describes the unit’s glowing fashion. fighting at Antietam, Fredericksburg, the end of the Civil War. self-extrication from a trap during Biggs pointedly adds information Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. The 1st’s contribution was unique the Battle of Chancellorsville on about the dirtier side of war from Self-published books lack the in- because it hailed from a slave state May 3, 1863; its role in the back- which this regiment was not immune put of an editor, and that reality is yet suffered grievous casualties in and-forth fighting around the Bliss — the cowardice or unsuitability of fully apparent here. There are nu- Nobody even comes close to building a Civil War tent with as much attention to defense of the Union. It is surprising Farm at Gettysburg on July 2, 1863, several officers, desertion, drunken- merous instances — at stretches reinforcing the stress areas as Panther. that until now this unit has not been when it was repeatedly abandoned ness, the unreliability of bounty-in- on every page — of typographical Our extra heavy duty reinforcing is just the subject of a modern study. by its commanding officer; and its duced draft substitutes, and at least errors, missing words or erroneous one of the added features that makes Panther tentage the best you can buy! Jeffrey Biggs’ self-published book involvement in repelling Pickett’s one instance of self-wounding to punctuation. PANTHER Catalog - $2 ably fills that void. While his volume Charge the next day. avoid combat. For example, one of the 1st’s offi- Web: www.pantherprimitives.com exhibits in abundance some of the Biggs follows the regiment’s par- Biggs also has used sources from cers killed at Antietam, Capt. James 160 pages of the best flaws common to the self-published ticipation in the Federal defense at members of other regiments brigad- Rickards, is twice labeled James selection of historical genre, it is nonetheless a fine ex- Bristoe Station in October 1863; its ed with the 1st to flesh out accounts “Ricketts” (a Union general who reenactment items from Medieval era to Civil War ample of a readable, thoroughly-re- actions at the Wilderness and then in of its combats. These primary sourc- had no connection to the unit). In the era. Includes over 60 pages on our famous searched, and important regimental the May 12, 1864, attack on the Mule es are supplemented with reliable endnotes author Marion Armstrong tents and a history. Shoe Salient at Spotsylvania, and the secondary sources by authors such as becomes “Anderson.” The index is 4-color section. The Best Tents in History The 1st was raised in 1861 but regiment’s part in the bloody repulse Stephen Sears, Marion Armstrong, simply missing certain names, in- Your $2 cost is refundable P.O. Box 32N spent more than a year without at Cold Harbor. Frank O’Reilly and Gordon Rhea. cluding the man who commanded with your first order. Normantown WV 25267 SENDfor copy TODAY (304) 462-7718

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Civil War News

Vol. 42, No. 3 $3.00 48 Pages, April 2016 Battlefield Of Franklin Land Preservation Purchase

By GreGory L. Wade that were turned over to the City FRANKLIN, Tenn. — What is of Franklin Parks Department by considered the bloodiest acreage in Franklin’s Charge and the Battle of the Nov. 30, 1864, Battle of Franklin Franklin’s Trust (BOFT), managers is now being reclaimed as part of the of the Carter House the nearby Carn- evolving Carter Hill Battlefield Park. ton Plantation. The structures will be Local preservation leaders recently removed in coming months, possibly closed on a $2.8 million purchase relocated for other use. from owners Reid and Brenda The purchase is only the latest step Lovell after a months-long process in a long and arduous effort to re- of coordinating various funding build the Franklin battlefield. sources for the critical 1.6 acres that “It had to be a miracle,” quipped adjoin the Carter House, a major Civil War Trust (CWT) President battle landmark. James Lighthizer, referring to the Details were recently provided at most recent acquisition. Local res- a press conference led by Franklin’s ident Michael Grainger, long time Charge board member Julian Bibb, Trust board member and former who praised the “remarkable tran- chairman, said, “Local leadership sition” of the Franklin battlefield. has been incredible and will contin- Franklin’s Charge is a coalition of ue to be a partner [with the CWT].” civic and preservation groups who In 2005, after years of frustration joined together more than ten years attempting to preserve Franklin bat- ago to purchase local battleground. tleground, local preservationists de- Over 150 years ago the Army of cided it would have to be done the Tennessee stepped off in a series hard way, by buying properties, of- of charges to be virtually destroyed ten with buildings on them. by Federals under John Schofield in The largest parcel of land was hopes of taking Franklin and later originally a local golf course slated Nashville. to be sold to a developer to build At that time, most of the terrain houses on what was the right flank was open farmland on the outskirts of the Confederate attack north to- of what was once a small Middle ward the Federal lines just south of Tennessee farming community. Over the town. Battle of Franklin. 1891 print by Kurz and Allison. Restoration by Adam Cuerden. (Library of Congress) time development covered much of It was then that Franklin’s Charge the battlefield with houses, light in- came into existence. Funds have lin Parks Department, according to dustry, and small businesses. been raised for the $5 million pur- Bibb. All that remained of the critical chase from private donors, the CWT, But it was the land just south of the area where the Confederates tem- the City of Franklin and others. That Carter House, long considered the porarily broke the Federal line was 110-acre segment, now fully inter- most bloodied ground in Franklin, the small farmhouse and a few acres preted and known as the Eastern and some say in America, that was known as the Carter House farm. Flank Battlefield, is what got the the most coveted. The 1.6 acres purchased, which preservation ball rolling in Franklin. BOFT Chief Executive Officer adjoin the southern boundary of the Since that time nine other parcels Eric Jacobson noted, “to not have Carter House property, is comprised in proximity to the Carter House this ground reclaimed and preserved, of two lots. Today, they are occupied have been purchased and have been, would be like having Omaha Beach by a flower shop and other structures or will be, turned over to the Frank- cut out of Normandy.” The most recent acquisition evolved when Franklin’s Charge and the BOFT began discussions with the Lovells, who have a strong sense of the history of the land, having grown up in Franklin. “I was born and raised in Frank- lin on ground many believe should have been a national park,” said Reid Lovell. He recalled when visitors came to town and had to envision what happened, not walk on ground where it transpired. “My great-grandfather, who fought here, and my parents would be proud of what we are doing here today,” he said at the press conference. Franklin Alderman Michael Skinner, left, and Franklin Charge Board The Franklin Board of Mayor member Ernie Bacon attended the Franklin press conference. and Aldermen voted unanimously in February to fund part of the funding and the most complex, preservation group in Franklin who remaining debt on the Lovell according to Bibb. for years advocated the possibility property purchase. The previously “With help from city officials, the of a battleground park, attended the saved plots, valued at $6.8 million, Civil War Trust and others at the signing of official documents and are being transferred to the city in ABPP, we got it done,” Bibb noted. “have been with us every step,” said exchange for $1.08 million to be Other funding came from private do- Bibb. paid by the city on a non-interest nors including local Civil War Trust The site interpretation work will basis over seven years. board member Grainger, who has be led by representatives of the Ten- These funds will cover the balance been involved with other national nessee Civil War National Heritage now bridged by a local bank and will preservation efforts. Franklin Charge leader Julian Bibb speaks at the Lovell purchase be derived from the city’s hotel-mo- Representatives of Save the Frank- H Franklin closing. (Gregory L. Wade photos) tel tax. Local banker Chuck Isaacs lin Battlefield, the oldest battlefield ...... see page 4 was instrumental in working out the loans. All the city funds are allotted as well as a donation of $25,000 Inside this issue: by his employer, First Farmers and Merchants Bank. 23 – Black Powder, White Smoke 11 – The Source A $1.3 million grant from the 24 – Book Reviews 8 – Through The Lens National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program 33 – Critics Corner 10 – Treasures From The Museum (ABPP) was a major piece of the 36 – Events Section 14 – The Watchdog September 2016 Civil War News 29 Good Collection Of Blackford Writings Speeches, Documents Are Sharpshooter: The Selected Let- conflict is as much, if not more, of reproduced in this book, the first of Printed In Original Format ters and Papers of Maj. Eugene a determinant of what side he fights a three-volume series, tell a detailed Blackford, C.S.A. Vol. I. Edited on than ideology. It was certainly tale of war and tactics, as well as The Civil War: Great Speech- during the Civil War. The Morse by Fred L. Ray. Illustrated, photos, so in Blackford’s case. Born into a personal life as a junior officer in the es and Documents. Edited by Bob telegraph, new metal smelting tech- maps, appendix, bibliography, notes, Virginia family that did not believe Confederate army. That role was not Blaisdell. Bibliography, 220 pp., niques, and balloon reconnaissance index, 250 pp., 2015, CFS press, in secession or slavery, Blackford, a always pleasant for Blackford. 2016, Dover Publications, www.do- are included. www.cfspress.com, $39.95. University of Virginia graduate, was A Virginia aristocrat, he had prob- verpublications.com, $6 softcover. Sobering reminders of war’s cru- working as a teacher in Alabama in lems dealing with his unit’s “rough elty appear in reports of burying 1861. mannered” Alabamans. Following the dead at Antietam, the horrors of He was a vocal Unionist who was the death of General Rodes, his fel- prison life at Andersonville, and the openly appalled at the secession low Virginian and mentor, Blackford scarcity of food and medicine in ev- movement in what he referred to was court-martialed on rather du- eryday camp life. SHARPSHOOTER as “Cottondom” and even received bious charges apparently resulting Finally, official correspondence is threats from locals. But Blackford from political squabbling within his included from Gens. James Long- still raised a company of infantry regiment. street, , Henry Hal- The Selected and borrowed friends’ slaves for his Going through the more than leck, and John H. Letters and personal servants. 300,000 surviving words penned by Morgan. Their personal thoughts, Papers of With prior militia service, he was Blackford proved a Herculean task motives and fears are clearly ev- Maj. Eugene Blackford, commissioned a captain in the 5th for Ray. Blackford was a university ident. They all desire an end to the C.S.A. Alabama Infantry. The reluctant se- graduate and teacher, tossed in occa- bloodshed yet do their duty as they cessionist led his company though sional quotes in Italian and French see it. VOLUME I the Peninsula Campaign and was in his correspondence, and wrote at Primary-source material is always eventually promoted to major. least one passage in classical Greek. valuable for Civil War historians In early 1863 Captain Blackford But he also used some creative spell- who desire to bypass historical inter- was instructed by his brigade com- ing, which Ray let stand with the ad- pretation and bias. mander and personal friend General dition of “[sic].” While this book presents unedited Fred L. Ray, Ed. Rodes to form a sharpshooter detach- This volume provides wonderful primary source material, it misses ment of soldiers from the brigade’s detail, far more than most soldiers’ the chance to be more valuable be- various units. These men were to be letters, on campaigns, battles, camp cause it frequently presents only one Fred Ray is known for his ground- more or less permanent skirmishers, life, and interpersonal and family re- This book presents, in their origi- side of an argument, often with a breaking study of the Army of North- leading the brigade’s advance and lations of a junior officer in the Army nal and unedited formats, numerous pro-Union bias. A more balanced ap- ern Virginia sharpshooters, Shock covering it in retreat. of Northern Virginia. significant Civil War documents. In- proach, set in an interpretive context, Troops of the Confederacy. One of They also targeted enemy offi- It deserves a place on the bookshelf cluded are battlefield reports from would have been more valuable. the most significant figures in that cers and artillery batteries. The unit of any serious student of the Civil First Manassas, the battle between There are a number of grammat- book was Eugene Blackford, who, Blackford formed turned out to be a War. I highly recommend it and look the Monitor and Virginia, and the ical errors that more careful editing under orders from his brigade com- model. Copying his example, simi- forward to publication of the final Fort Pillow massacre. would have eliminated. I found only mander Gen. Robert Rodes, formed lar organizations were created in the two volumes in the series. Political documents include Abra- one historical error: Gen. Philip St. the first brigade sharpshooter detach- army’s other brigades, with varying ham Lincoln’s first and second inau- George Cocke died in 1861, not ment in that army. success. Reviewer Joseph G. Bilby is a gural addresses, the Emancipation 1895. Blackford, as we discover in this Blackford was the scion of a liter- member of the New Jersey Civil Proclamation and the Gettysburg This book is recommended as a book containing selected correspon- ary family that included four broth- War Sesquicentennial Committee Address. quick reference, at an inexpensive dence and other papers edited by ers who served the Confederacy and and an award-winning author and From the Southern perspective, price, for novice Civil War Ray, was a fascinating character in remarkably survived the war. He left editor of books on the Civil War, editor Bob Blaisdell’s selections enthusiasts. his own right. a rich personal history documented firearms and New Jersey history. range from an address to the people War stories often characterize peo- in his correspondence and papers, His most recent works are Small of South Carolina justifying seces- Reviewer Wayne L. Wolf is ple as heroes and villains, disregard- many of which have fortuitously sur- Arms at Gettysburg, Monmouth sion to recruitment difficulties en- Professor Emeritus at South ing the complexity of most humans, vived. Fred Ray has been searching Court House: The Battle that Made countered by Gen. Jeff Thompson. Suburban College and the author and Blackford was certainly compli- them out in a number of collections the American Army and Freedom For the human slant, he includes of numerous Civil War books and cated. since he finished his previous work to All: New Jersey’s African- Gen. Robert E. Lee’s proclamation articles including “Gen. John I am a firm believer that where a on sharpshooters. Soldiers. to the people of Maryland and Gen. Corson Smith and the Fighting person is living at the outbreak of a The letters and documents P.G.T. Beauregard’s plea for more 96th Illinois” and “The Last sacrifice by the Southern populace. Confederate Scout.” He is past Additional selections focus on im- president of the Lincoln-Davis portant technological achievements Civil War Roundtable.

Promoters of Quality Shows for Shooters, l Collectors, Civil War and Militaria Enthusiastsl Capital of the Confederacy Middle TN (Franklin) Civil War Show Civil War Show November 12 & 13, 2016 December 3 & 4, 2016 Antietam Battlefield Guides The 1862 Chickamauga (Dalton) 2-8 hour tours or customized to your interest Military Collectible & Tours of Antietam Civil War Show Harpers Ferry All guides are February 4 & 5, 2017 Gun & Knife Shows South Mountain National Park Shepherdstown Service Certified Mike Kent & Associates, LLC • PO Box 685 • Monroe, GA 30655 Like us on Facebook www.AntietamGuides.com (770) 630-7296 • [email protected] • www.MKShows.com Call to book your tour: 866-461-5180 30 Civil War News September 2016 Photos Tell Gettysburg Park Press Reports On Slavery, 1791-1859

The Press and Slavery in Amer- Gabrial begins with a brief de- papers supported a quick response to History Since World War II ica, 1791-1859: The Melancholy scription of slavery’s cruelties, its any slave uprisings. Effect of Popular Excitement. By symbiotic relationship with racism, Thereafter, however, the nation Gettysburg National Military of the from a Brian Gabrial. Maps, photo, notes, and the rationales and restrictions in- and its press became increasing- Park. By Jared Frederick. Photos, military perspective. The photos are bibliography, index, 256 pp., 2016, tended to perpetuate it. ly divided on the slavery issue. In- 96 pp., 2016, Arcadia, www.arcadi- all modern, not the 150-year-old pic- South Carolina, www.uscpress.com, He notes that some blacks tried creasingly, says Gabrial, slavery de- apublishing.com, $22.99 softcover. tures by the famous Matthew Brady $49.99. to forcefully obtain their freedom, stroyed the civil liberties of blacks, or Alexander Gardner. But the mod- but that “powerful forces abetted next destroyed the civil liberties of ern focus of Frederick’s book does by America’s strong racist belief in whites, and eventually destroyed bring to light some interesting facts blacks’ inferiority would not permit freedom of the press. about the park and its place in recent this and would counter with swift, In the midst of demonstrating the American culture. brutal measures to suppress them poisonous effect of slavery in the Several photographs feature Pres- while ensuring slavery’s survival.” U.S., the author inexplicably says, ident Dwight Eisenhower, who The Haitian revolt lasted from “In general terms, the discourse of bought a farm near the battlefield in 1791 to 1804. It resulted in the slavery as a threat to the nation re- 1950. Ike was a frequent visitor and slaughter of many French whites and vealed the ongoing struggle between brought international dignitaries to ultimately in Haitian independence the nation’s two dominant politi- Gettysburg for private tours. They and the end of slavery there. Its hor- cal strands: the conservative view included French President Charles rors had a lasting impact on Ameri- of limited government and states’ de Gaulle and British Gen. Bernard cans’ fears of slave revolts. Prosser’s rights; and the liberal view that sup- Montgomery. planned revolt was discovered and ported a larger governmental role in Richard Nixon, while vice pres- resulted in the hanging of Prosser the lives of Americans.” ident, laid a wreath at the tomb of and 36 other conspirators. This 21st-century description is his great-grandfather George Nix- The little-known Louisiana revolt not supported by Gabrial’s evidence. on, 73rd Ohio Infantry, who was involved 300 to 500 white slaves, the His numerous newspaper quotations killed at Gettysburg. President John death of a white man, suppression by reveal a dispute about slavery, not F. Kennedy and his wife Jackie vis- Federal militia and the execution of states’ rights. One of the few press ited Gettysburg eight months before over a hundred slaves. Vesey’s al- quotes he cites on the states’ right Roughly three million visitors per Kennedy’s assassination in 1963. This book examines press cover- leged conspiracy never got off the issue is from a Virginia judge, who year tour the Gettysburg National Frederick claims the battlefield’s age, both North and South, of slave ground, but coerced slave testimony opined, “the right to hold slaves … is Military Park. The magnificent new Eternal Light Peace Memorial in- revolts and alleged slave conspir- in closed trials resulted in 35 execu- a constitutional provision, which no visitor center, opened in 2008, hous- spired the John F. Kennedy eternal acies in Haiti and the antebellum tions and 37 exiles. law of any state can abrogate.” That es thousands of battle-related arti- flame memorial at his gravesite in South. By creatively choosing those Nat Turner’s revolt was an actual is not a defense of states’ rights but facts, interactive displays and mov- Arlington National Cemetery. On times of elevated tensions, Brian uprising that killed about 60 whites of slavery. ies, along with a gift shop. many occasions in the 1960s, during Gabrial provides insights into the and resulted in responsive atrocities Despite my disagreement with Every day visitors drive on smooth the civil rights and Vietnam era institution of slavery and Americans’ that killed some 200 blacks, many Gabrial on this point, I highly rec- paved roads from landmark to land- struggles, Gettysburg was a focal perceptions of it. of whom were not involved with ommend this thoughtful and enlight- mark and park rangers offer guided point for unity of men and women of He focuses on press coverage of Turner. ening study of American slavery and tours. Families and Boy Scout troops different political persuasions. the Haitian (St. Dominique or Santo The last antebellum revolt was the press’s approach to it. As Gabrial reenact Pickett’s Charge, shouting Most of the book is about the Domingo) revolt against the French John Brown’s unsuccessful attack concludes, “It must be said that while and making the nearly mile long run Gettysburg National Park today. It in 1791; Gabriel Prosser’s 1800 con- at Harpers Ferry. That 1859 incident slavery’s lasting effects on race in up to Cemetery Ridge. pays homage to the dedicated men spiracy in Henrico County, Virginia; exacerbated the already accelerating America have diminished, they have Anyone who has visited it will tell and women who work on park up- the 1811 armed uprising on Louisi- national crisis over slavery. not disappeared and seem largely ig- you the park is a national treasure. keep, visitors coming to learn, and ana’s “German Coast”; the alleged In tracing newspaper treatment of nored in mainstream society.” As eloquently stat- ever-present and colorful Civil War Vesey 1822 conspiracy in these events, Gabrial concludes that ed in the Gettysburg Address, “The reenactors. Charleston, S.C.; Nat Turner’s 1831 through 1831 there was common Reviewer Edward Bonekemper world … can never forget what they Some beautiful pictures of the sun revolt in Southampton, Va., and John agreement on the evils of slavery. is former Civil War News Book did here.” shining over the Gettysburg National Brown’s 1859 raid in Harpers Ferry, Southern papers were apologetic Review Editor and author of Jared Frederick, a former rang- Cemetery, early morning fog lifting Va. about the institution while Northern several Civil War books. er at the park, has produced a pho- over Little Round Top, and the stark, tographic collection of recent park bare image of pristine snow on Cem- history. His emphasis is on the park etery Hill are included. since World War II. This is a nice slim book packed This was the era of the American with some stunning photos. While highway system, long-distance trav- not a tour guide book or a history el and tourism in its early stages. of the great battle, Frederick’s Get- These allowed people to go places tysburg National Military Park pro- that previously they had only read vides a unique perspective on one of about or studied in school. our nation’s great memorials. As the decades passed and Amer- ica changed, Frederick explains, the Reviewer David A. Galli is a private park played a role as a site for Amer- practice physician in St. Louis, icans of all backgrounds and races to Mo., and Instructor of Medicine come together and share the experi- at St. Louis University Medical ence of the nation’s most important School. He has a degree in history battle. from St. Louis University and a This book does not tell the story long-time interest in the Civil War. KIMBERLY BRIGANCE ISA ACCREDITED APPRAISER Civil War Militaria & Memorabilia [email protected] 770-715-2208 www.kbappraise.com September 2016 Civil War News 31 The Confederacy Hess Fleshes Out Real Braxton Bragg: The Most Hated literature addressing both, than pure marched substantially farther, lost June-December 1862 Man of the Confederacy. By Earl biography. It reads much like a long 3,400 at Perryville, and returned his J. Hess. Illustrated, photos, maps, scholarly article, and one whose command in better condition. The Confederacy at Flood Tide: goal was preserving the Union. notes, bibliography, index, 364 pp., pages I happily turned with deep “Yet nothing resembling the criti- The Political and Military Ascen- At one time, the French foreign 2016, North Carolina, uncpress.unc. satisfaction. cism heaped upon Bragg descended sion, June to December 1862. By minister in Washington floated the edu, $35. One of the strengths of this study on Lee.” According to Hess, it was Philip Leigh. Photos, maps, notes, idea that the North and South be- is the full treatment Hess allots to because Lee had already won spec- bibliography, index, 240 pp., 2016, come two “confederated Confedera- the deep and loving relationship tacular victories, and “it was Bragg’s Westholme, www.westholmepub- cies.” That idea was rejected by Sec- shared by Bragg and his wife Elise. misfortune to fail in his first cam- lishing.com, $28. retary of State William Seward, who No other Bragg study comes close, paign and many refused to forgive replied that there could be no “other and it is impossible to understand the him for it.” government than this Union just as man without appreciating their close Perryville, writes Hess, “was it constitutionally exists and has al- relationship. the beginning of a persistent ways been.” Hess goes where the evidence phenomenon in his military career Leigh does produce some lit- takes him. Bragg could be quarrel- — winning tactical victories from tle-known details of what was hap- some, he notes, but the well-known which his men and the public pening in Great Britain. He writes and devastating story about Bragg expected great things that never that the Confederacy convinced the arguing with himself in the pre-Civ- materialized.” Stones River and British government to allow it to or- il War Army has no basis in fact. It Chickamauga bear that out. der the construction of two ironclad originated in U.S. Grant’s Personal This exhaustively researched and vessels from an English shipyard. Memoirs, where he admitted it was trenchantly reasoned study humaniz- These vessels, with turrets turn- “an old army anecdote” and nothing es Bragg and effectively transforms ing on ball bearings rather than the more. the flawed and largely misunder- clunky teeth of the Monitor, would Hess also makes it clear that, stood general into a flesh-and-blood have been dominant. Had those contrary to popular belief, Bragg did character. The endnotes and bibliog- ocean-crossing ironclads been com- not owe his long tenure at the head raphy are extensive, the writing is pleted, Leigh quotes U.S. assistant of an army to any friendship with smooth and rich, and we are treated secretary of the Navy Gustavus Fox President Davis because the two were to a pair of previously unseen post- as believing they would have been “Braxton Bragg has always been a not close. Bragg was a fighter and war images of the general. superior to anything the U.S. Navy controversial figure,” opines author Davis respected that. He also knew I hesitate to quibble with this fine could have put up against them. Earl J. Hess in the opening words of Bragg had difficult subordinates in effort, but two issues are worth men- I’m of two minds about The Con- Because the analysis portion of the his magnificent new study. important positions, and he believed tioning. First, there are only two federacy at Flood Tide. I liked it, but book is so short, I found the pages “His contemporaries began the there was no one else who could do maps in the entire book; both are it was not the book I was expecting detailing France’s lust for Mexico to process of making him into a hero, a better job. small and neither is particularly help- based on the subtitle: The Political be dizzying with so many names and a fool, a bloodthirsty disciplinarian, Hess’s exploration of Bragg’s rela- ful. Detailed cartography on Bragg’s and Military Ascension, June to De- plans mentioned. For instance, one and an old-fashioned scapegoat, all tionships with other officers, his own attacks, maneuvering, and intentions cember 1862. detailed paragraph contains a raft of wrapped up in one package. Histori- men, the press and civilians offers would have been welcome in a study I was expecting a detailed analysis names, nationalities and schemes to ans have tended to do similar things, satisfying insight. Gen. Joe Johnston, of this nature. of how the Confederacy had turned absorb. followed by a legion of Civil War argues the author, “admired the way Second, much of the coverage re- the defeats of the Seven Days’ bat- Leigh does a fine job address- enthusiasts who seem to delight in Bragg handled his command, in part lating to and many tles in June, the clear victory and lost ing the war in both the Eastern and making Bragg the Confederacy’s because it offered such a contrast to aspects of the Chickamauga cam- opportunities at Second Manassas Western theaters, but I would have chief whipping boy.” his own command style.” paign seems to rely upon outdated and Chantilly in August, the standoff preferred he separate the theaters by That single pithy paragraph Bragg had few friends in the press, studies and not the latest books or at Sharpsburg in September, and the chapters. frames the entirety of the Bragg and its constant carping affected the the rich available source materials strategic defeat at Perryville in Octo- For instance, I found it jarring myth, which Hess puts to the test in mercurial officer. Bragg’s fractious recently unearthed. ber into opportunities to win the war that in one paragraph he is writing this significant book. association with Brig. Gen. Randall Hess is a prolific author whose at home and international recogni- about Lincoln’s cabinet considering The prominent Confederate gen- Gibson damaged the effectiveness work never fails to satisfy. This lat- tion abroad. the Emancipation Proclamation, and eral is best known for leading the of both, as did the increasingly es- est effort sets a new standard against What readers will get is a relative- in the next paragraph he is writing primary Confederate Western field tranged nature of the army com- which all others will be measured. ly short account of how those battles about the positions of the Union and army to a string of primarily stra- mander’s relationship with Gens. “Bragg,” he concludes, “was a were viewed in Europe and how the Confederate armies in the West in tegic defeats until he resigned fol- , D.H. Hill, Benjamin fascinating mixture of good and bad wins and losses affected strategy in August 1862. All that separates the lowing the disaster atop Missionary Cheatham and Simon Buckner. qualities; his impact on Confederate both Eastern and Western theaters of two completely different narratives Ridge in November 1863. Thereaf- The breakdown in these relation- history was enormous, and we are operation. is a wide space in the page. ter, Bragg assisted ships led to the open refusal of some still grappling with it.” The former When I started reading Flood Tide, One minor problem I had was that in Richmond and saw final service in of Bragg’s lieutenants to execute his “hero” “fool,” “bloodthirsty discipli- I was reminded of the tried-and-true, the reader is asked midway through North Carolina. orders at such places as Stones Riv- narian,” “scapegoat,” and “Confed- still popular A Short History of the the book to refer back to a map at He lived out the few years he er, McLemore’s Cove and Chick- eracy’s chief whipping boy” had to Civil War by Fletcher Pratt, a 1955 the beginning of the book. The rest had left in an impoverished state, amauga. It also divided the army wait a long time for a balanced ac- book that many consider the best of the maps were closer to the nar- unwilling to write his own memoirs internally, hamstringing his ability count of his service. short history of the war ever pub- ratives. The overall strategic maps while hoping history would offer a to wage effective war. Bragg, notes One is inclined to believe that if lished. Philip Leigh’s concise, infor- are adequate, but the tactical maps fair critique of his record. Hess, bears responsibility for the he could read Hess’s Braxton Bragg, mative style reminds me of the way of specific battles are inadequate to Braxton Bragg unfolds in chrono- breakdown along with his officers. the prickly old fellow would at least Pratt used an economy of words to compensate for the too-short battle logical fashion, with just enough Hess deftly compares Bragg’s re- crack a smile — and hold off order- describe four years of conflict with- narratives. prewar material to understand the cord against other generals’ with an ing up that firing squad. out giving too many details of spe- Readers will not learn much about man as the Civil War started, and eye on how the public came to view cific troop movements or generals’ the personalities of the generals just enough postwar coverage to bet- the events. Bragg’s tactical attack on Reviewer Theodore P. Savas is personalities. fighting the battles since there is no ter appreciate the man who dropped the first day at Stones River looks the owner and managing director That said, I was expecting a lot space for that analysis in a 200-page dead on a street in Galveston, Texas, masterful when weighed against of Savas Beatie Publishing, an more analysis than what Leigh pro- book covering six months of war in in 1876. Johnston’s bungled mess outside independent military and general vides. Based purely on the sub-title, two theaters and across the ocean. Coverage of his campaigns and Richmond at Seven Pines. history press. A former litigator, he I was expecting a lot more informa- Still, I did pick up a few nuggets, battles is sufficient to understand the Gen. Robert E. Lee’s 1862 taught college classes in business, tion on how Great Britain and France such as how Confederate Gen. Leo- playing field upon which Hess ex- invasion of Maryland was “a law, and history for two decades, were monitoring and evaluating the nidas Polk tried his best to under- cels: piecing together the evidence to bloody failure” as was Bragg’s and is the author or editor of war’s progress to see if they should mine Gen. Braxton Bragg in hopes flesh out the real Braxton Bragg. 1862 Kentucky offensive. But Lee more than a dozen books in eight intervene on the Confederacy’s side. his friend Jefferson Davis would se- Hess’s study is more of a critical lost more than 10,000 men in one languages. He lives in El Dorado Leigh does include some of lect him as the Army of Tennessee’s evaluation of both the man and battle, and his army was in poor Hills, Calif. He can be reached at those political discussions. He says commander. One wonders how that his controversial service, and the condition when he returned. Bragg [email protected]. some high-ranking British politi- might have worked out since Polk cians believed talk of emancipating is generally considered one of the the slaves was designed to incite a few generals with a worse reputation slave revolt. This could have led to than Bragg. Deadlines for Advertising or Editorial Submissions wide-scale desertion of Confederate This is a very readable short his- troops rushing home to defend their tory of six months of the war. Get it. is August 23 for the October issue. families. The newly suspicious En- glish had believed Abraham Lincoln Reviewer Clint Johnson has Please submit your information early! when he said early in the war that his written 10 Civil War history books. 32 Civil War News September 2016 Historical Novel Tells 4 U.S. Generals’ Wives With Influence Lincoln’s Generals’ Wives: Four When McClellan fell in love with Though not a great beauty, she was Women Who Influenced the Civ- her and proposed, she refused. She a wholesome lady devoted to her Mary Lee, Slave Story il War – for Better or Worse. By declined about eight different mar- husband. When they first met, Grant Mrs. Lee and Mrs. Gray. By George Washington’s artifacts from Candice Shy Hooper. Photos, illus- riage proposals. was smitten by Julia, who wasn’t Dorothy Love. Novel. 390 pp., 2016, plunder. After the war, though in trations, maps, notes, bibliography, Over her parents’ objections, she terribly impressed at first. Thomas Nelson, www.thomasnel- her own home with her husband and index, 429 pp., 2016, Kent State became engaged to later Confeder- They were married in 1848 after son.com, $15.99 softcover. eight children, she maintained con- University Press, www.kentstateuni- ate general Ambrose Powell Hill. a four-year separation due to the tact with Mary until the latter’s death versitypress.com, $39.95. Rumors of Hill’s venereal disease Mexican War. Sensitive, romantic in 1873. The Civil War offers a wide vari- ended that engagement. Then, after and well written, Grant’s letters Mary, while living most of her McClellan resigned from the army to Julia during that time reveal life in the shadow of her husband, and succeeded in business, Nelly and a different Grant than usually was accomplished in her own right. he married in 1860. portrayed by historians. She knew four languages, edited In 1861 McClellan was appointed Julia was not used to running a her father’s memoirs, and was a commander of the Army of the Poto- household by herself but eventual- talented author and painter. Often mac and then general-in-chief. Nelly ly developed the skills necessary to separated from Robert E. Lee during threw many parties and earned the live at a level affordable with a lieu- his army postings, she nonetheless nickname of “Flora McFlimsey,” a tenant’s low pay. Their long-term raised seven children, managed the fictional character who owned hun- separation when Grant was assigned Arlington estate, and suffered the dreds of dresses but declared she had to the West Coast caused his 1854 cruelties that the Civil War brought nothing to wear. resignation from the army. In the late to all Southerners. Her wearing a red-and-white 1850s, they faced a difficult life as The remarkable strengths and gown (secession colors) to Lincoln’s Grant struggled to provide a living achievements of both women, along inauguration ball caused a stir. Little for Julia and their four children. with their disappointments and sac- evidence exists that Nelly supported After moving in 1860 to Galena, rifices, forged a lifelong friendship. the Union war effort. Ill., the family enjoyed a good life History rarely gives her due to Mary After leaving the army, McClellan until war erupted. Although Grant as a woman ahead of her times who opposed Lincoln in the 1864 presi- achieved success throughout the war, This novel is based on newly dis- prepared slaves for freedom, pres- dential election. After his loss, he he was constantly dogged by drink- covered letters from the Custis Lee sured her husband to manumit all served as New Jersey’s governor ing allegations. Julia supported him estate. Dorothy Love explores the of their slaves, and did this from a and otherwise lived a quiet civilian with letters and personal visits, in- relationship between Mary Anna genuine affection for her slaves. Her life. Following McClellan’s death volving perhaps 10,000 travel miles. Custis Lee, the great-granddaughter friendship with Selina was real, car- ety of topics, such as battles, gener- in 1885, Nelly foolishly permitted After his promotion to general- of Martha Washington and wife of ing and enduring. als and regiments, that authors can publication of McClellan’s wartime in-chief, Julia went to Washington Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, and Mrs. Lee and Mrs. Gray is an write about. Breaking the usual mold letters, which severely damaged the and supported him through Sanitary Selina Norris Gray, a slave on the exceptionally well written novel. is Candice Hooper’s unique profile general’s legacy. Commission activities. For the last Lees’ Arlington plantation. It combines historical fact with di- of the wives of four Union generals. Eleanor Ewing Sherman also few months of the war, Julia and Encompassing the years 1827- alogue and fictional additions to They are: Jessie Benton Frémont, hailed from an upper middle class youngest son Jesse were with Grant 1873, the lives of these two remark- create a story where only historical wife of Gen. John C. Frémont; Mary family. Her father, Thomas Ewing, at City Point, Va., providing the able women are characterized by fragments previously existed. It por- Ellen Marcy McClellan, wife of Gen. was a powerful senator from Ohio. stable family life Grant needed. their different social standings con- trays two exceptional 19th-century George B. McClellan; Eleanor Ew- When William T. Sherman became Because of Julia’s desire to avoid trasted with their common bond of women. ing Sherman, wife of Gen. William the foster son of Senator Ewing, El- the first lady, the Grants missed be- struggle, separation and tragedy. Dorothy Love gives Mary Anna T. Sherman, and Julia Dent Grant, eanor Boyle Ewing became his step- ing present at Ford’s Theatre when Selina, despite being born into Lee appropriate credit as an accom- wife of Ulysses S. Grant. sister. Growing up together, Sher- Lincoln was shot. They went on to slavery, was taught to read and write plished woman while simultaneous- One common thread of these ex- man and “Ellen” became playmates live eight years in the White House by Mary, a fervent member of the ly revealing the friendship between traordinary ladies is that they all and developed a strong affection for and travel the world before cancer American Colonization Society. mistress and slave that reflected an- married West Point graduates. Each each other. ended Grant’s life. She subsequently became Mary’s tebellum America in a different light had a unique relationship with her Married in 1850, they would Three of the wives featured housekeeper, friend and confidante. than the abolitionist press provided. husband general. spend the next 38 years in a mar- (Frémont, McClellan and Grant) Through their early years they This novel is highly recommended Jessie Benton was born into the riage Ellen described “… as high saw their husbands run for president; showed how friendship can tran- for readers who appreciate historical upper class. Her father, Sen. Thom- or low tide with us ever.” She was only Grant was elected. Two wives scend racial and cultural differences. fiction that reads like real life. The as Benton, was a powerful Missou- strongly Catholic and spent most of (Sherman and Grant) had life-long Yet, Selina never forgot she was writing is superb, the images creat- ri politician. She married John C. her life trying unsuccessfully to con- medical problems. Three (Frémont, not free and her home could nev- ed realistic and compelling, and the Frémont, known as the “Pathfinder” vert Sherman; this issue caused them McClellan and Sherman) had pow- er truly be Arlington. Eventually emotion riveting and genuine. due to his Western expeditions. much friction. erful political connections through she married Thornton Gray, also an Their marriage saw a number of They were devoted to each other. their families. Arlington slave, gave birth to eight Reviewer Wayne L. Wolf is political ups and downs as Frémont While Ellen disagreed with Sherman This volume provides an interest- children, and was destined to play a Professor Emeritus at South moved from California senator to the on some issues, she always support- ing inside look at Lincoln’s generals critical role during the Civil War. Suburban College and the author first Republican presidential candi- ed him. When Sherman was accused through their wives. I highly recom- It was Selina who confronted of numerous Civil War books. He date in 1856. Jessie was prominently of being mentally unstable early in mend this book and hope that Hoop- Union soldiers at Arlington and is past president of the Lincoln- featured in the campaign. Although the war, she interceded with Halleck er will write a book about Jefferson was responsible for saving many of Davis Civil War Roundtable. Benton lost the election, he became and then Lincoln to save his career. Davis’s generals’ wives. even more famous. Her successful efforts sharply After meeting with both Frémonts, contrasted with Jessie Frémont’s Reviewer Connie Clowers of Abraham Lincoln appointed Frémont confrontational visit with the presi- Gettysburg is a professional commander of the Western Depart- dent. Ellen’s forceful but appropriate interpreter of Julia Dent Grant. ment. Believing he had carte blanche support earned her husband a second to act, Frémont declared martial law chance. and emancipated Missouri’s slaves. Sherman was restored to com- When Lincoln asked Frémont to mand and played a key role at Shi- rescind his emancipation action, loh. They were devastated when Want To Frémont refused and Jessie traveled their son Willy suddenly died, but to Washington to plead her hus- Sherman focused on the war while Advertise band’s case. Ellen was occupied raising their six Your Book In After a tense meeting, Lincoln did other children. not yield. Upon Jessie’s departure, After his marches through Geor- Civil War News? he referred to her as “…quite a fe- gia and the Carolinas, Sherman gave male politician.” After Frémont was generous terms to Confederate Gen. Email us at removed from command, the fami- Joseph Johnston. For that he was [email protected] ly’s fortunes declined. widely criticized and then chastised Mary Ellen Marcy was one of the by Secretary of War Edwin Stan- most beautiful ladies of her time. ton. During this trying period, El- Call 800-777-1862 Daughter of legendary Western ex- len wrote him a clear, succinct and plorer Randolph Marcy, she was touching letter of support. Hooper For more information born in Wisconsin at an army post. demonstrates that the Shermans had and rate sheet visit: Randolph moved his family back an enduring love. www.civilwarnews.com East to improve “Nelly’s” chances Julia B. Dent was the daughter for success. of a slave owner from Missouri. September 2016 Civil War News 33 Georgia Letters Tell Of Book On War Dead Relevant Today

Honoring the Civil War Dead: in “a ubiquitous and sincere national of cemeteries, or both. Homefront, Soldier Life Commemoration and the Problem allegiance among all Americans.” Surprising to me, the generally of Reconciliation. By John R. Neff. How naïve that was. respected Union Quartermaster A Just and Holy Cause?: The of needing to “sell the old woman I Illustrated, photos, tables, figures, Ironically, in order to preserve this Montgomery Meigs was a leading Civil War Letters of Marcus bought from the Estate, but I much appendices, notes, bibliography, Northern myth and fully reintegrate proponent and implementer of Bethune Ely and Martha Frances prefer we could keep her.” index, 342 pp., 2016, Kansas, the South into the nation, Northern- these discriminatory burials (hardly Ely. Edited by Linda S. McCardle. Some slaves mentioned in these www.kansaspress.ku.edu, $26.95 ers yielded to the Myth of the Lost commemorations). He started and Illustrated, photos, map, notes, bi- letters technically may have be- softcover. Cause. They came to ignore the slav- continued this practice at Arlington ographies, bibliography, index, 224 longed to Marcus’s father Osborn ery- and race-based causes of the National Cemetery. pp., 2016, Mercer, www.mupress. Ely, who owned 37 individuals ac- war and replaced them with a recon- In his concluding two chapters, org, $35. cording to the 1860 census. Marcus ciliatory approach that pushed aside Neff provides some thought-pro- nevertheless possessed a pecuni- recognition of or concern for black voking insights. He says that “the ary stake in their servitude, for he Americans. gestures toward a genuine reunifi- referred to a potential transaction Neff astoundingly reveals how cation were largely predicated on involving John, whom he contem- this Northern racist approach, both the attempt to forget the underlying plated selling and splitting the profit during and after the war, affected political and social tensions that had — with his father’s consent. the deaths and burials of black led to war.” It comes as little surprise, then, Union soldiers. They were put in His analysis, relevant for today, in- that Ely described the Union army as half-sized, underpowered regiments cludes: “The struggle to establish an “abolition hordes.” He regarded the that left them vulnerable to higher inclusive, nonsectional nationalism North’s arming African-American casualties. They were placed in more following the most horrendous civil soldiers as “desperation and mad- disease-prone geographic areas. One war of the nineteenth century … was ness … which demonstrates conclu- in seven of them died of disease … hindered by the reluctance on the sively that they have lost confidence while only one in 15 of their white part of both North and South to ex- in their white troops.” counterparts did. tend that assertion of nationalism to From the outset Ely considered Cited as a prime example of prej- all, especially African Americans. the Confederate cause to be a strug- udice is the all-black 25th Corps. In This brief review cannot do justice gle for “independence” from a gov- June 1865, formed it to Neff’s brilliant and lucid anal- ernment “in terrible earnest … to by breaking up an integrated corps ysis of a myriad of complex issues enslave us.” He implicitly believed The softcover release of this sig- and shipped it from the relative com- growing out of the Civil War. Every God to be supporting the South and nificant study is a boon for anyone fort of Virginia to the Texas coast. It American needs to read it. claimed that Northerners were “in- interested in the origins, effects or was assigned to the malaria-inducing As Neff concludes, “Until we In May 1862 Marcus Ely, a fatuated by the devil” and therefore memories of the Civil War. It ex- coast while an all-white corps was have reached an understanding of 30-year-old schoolteacher in Co- irredeemable “in this world.” plores issues surrounding burial of stationed safely inland. Its rations that war’s place within our national lumbus, Ga., joined the Russell Ely’s almost idyllic stay in the Civil War soldiers to reveal racial, were inferior. Its death rate soared. identity, we, like Americans a cen- Guards, a company being raised by vicinity of Savannah abruptly ended political and sectional divisions re- The numerous deaths among black tury ago, will remain hopelessly, his step-uncle. For the next three in May 1864 as the 54th Georgia lated to the war and its memory. troops created issues concerning their willingly, and reverently among the years he corresponded with his wife moved north to Dalton and finally John Neff’s book unsurprisingly burials. From Texas to Arlington, Va., congregation of the dead.” Martha primarily to discuss personal saw action during the Confederate reveals that civilians were astounded and almost everywhere in between, matters and express his love for her defense of Atlanta. For the next year by the number of wartime deaths and they were buried separately from Reviewer Edward Bonekemper and their children. he experienced the brutalities of war that both sides treated their own dead their white comrades. Often they is former Civil War News Book Many Civil War enthusiasts, — hard fighting, long marches, food with much greater respect than the were buried in unmarked graves, in Review Editor. interested in understanding the shortages, and hospitalization in enemy’s. Enemy soldiers were more black civilian (often pauper) sections battlefield experiences of soldiers, Alabama. likely to be buried in mass graves — value letters that offer stirring, Throughout this year he never and only after all “our” troops were eyewitness descriptions of combat. revealed his innermost thoughts on properly buried in marked graves These letters, in contrast, primarily Confederate defeat or the destruc- whenever possible. provide insights into social history. tion of slavery. Instead, he reserved He expands his perspective from They reveal a couple who attempted his indignation for deserters and cra- the soldiers’ deaths that affected to enjoy the familiar comforts of dai- ven shirkers who refused to risk their relatives and friends to the death of Military Images ly life and to maintain their tradition- lives with “a large Yankee Army at Abraham Lincoln at the hands of a al relational structures in the midst of our very door.” Confederate sympathizer. The as- magazine war’s disruption. He seemingly never lost faith in sassination caused Northerners to Attached to the 54th Georgia the South or questioned its objec- mourn en masse, question the Di- Since 1979, MI has been Volunteers, the Russell Guards spent tives, inscribing in his Bible that he vine nature of the war, and ponder America’s only publication nearly two years in the vicinity of risked his life for “a just and holy “whether union was possible with dedicated to historic photographs Savannah, protecting a key Southern cause.” a people who could commit such a of soldiers and sailors. city far from the battlefront. Six Great-great-granddaughter, Linda dastardly act.” months into his service Ely candidly McCardle, of Marcus and Martha It also brought about a temporary declared, “We do nothing but frolic Ely, apparently inserted the ques- increase in Northern nationalism — SUBSCRIBE NOW around. No Yankees to fight[,] tion mark into the title of this edit- an American nationalism that ex- 4 quarterly issues, $24.95 nothing to do but eat beef & enjoy ed volume. Despite her affection for cluded the South in many ways. Part ourselves generally.” her forbears and desire to perpetuate of this increased Northern nation- Online: Ely frequently mentioned food in their memory, she confesses that alism was a reaction to the South’s MilitaryImagesMagazine.com his letters, shipping rice or oranges she sometimes found their thinking prompt return, with great assistance home and receiving butter and eggs “baffling.” She nevertheless strikes from President Andrew Johnson, to By check payable to: from Martha. He had the luxury of a commendable balance by honoring a defiant anti-black society — led Military Images fishing on several occasions and her ancestors without ignoring their by unpunished and unreconstructed PO Box 50171 gathering oysters to eat or sell. blind spots. ex-Confederate leaders. Arlington, VA 22205 His financial situation seemed McCardle has appended The result, in Neff’s words, prosperous before the war, and as biographical summaries of members was Northern dominance in the second lieutenant and regimental of the Russell Guards, making this commemoration of the dead. This TRIAL ISSUES clerk he enjoyed a monthly salary of book useful to anyone interested in approach could be seen in the Want to try before $71. Inflated war prices didn’t seem this particular company or Georgia creation of Union-only national to bother him. On one occasion he soldiers in general. cemeteries, such as those at you subscribe? offered to spend $60 to buy Martha Overall, these letters remind all Gettysburg and Antietam, and a Visit MI’s website “a nice gingham dress.” students of the Civil War that love, Federal focus on proper interment of to sign up for a Ely’s affluence is revealed most family, and life beyond the battlefield Union dead. Reciprocally, Southern 2 issue trial. tellingly by how frequently he and never drifted far from any soldier’s efforts to commemorate their dead Martha discussed their slaves. In her mind. were generally personal and local. first letter she asked for advice on The under-studied Northern Myth MI how to handle a disciplinary matter of the Cause Victorious flourished at regarding Mary, whom they even- Reviewer Sean A. Scott is that time. It held that the nation had tually hired out to cook at a Savan- Assistant Professor of History at been unified by Confederate defeat nah hospital. On another occasion The Indiana Academy for Science, and that consequent benevolent Fed- MilitaryImagesMagazine.com | Facebook.com/MilitaryImages Martha brought up the possibility Mathematics, and Humanities. eral government actions had resulted 34 Civil War News September 2016 Young Southern Woman’s 2 Brothers’ Letters Give War Details

Voices from the Attic: The majority of letters were written These letters describe the War Adventures In Novel Williamstown Boys in the Civil by the brothers to their parents, a conditions of camp life, local War. By Carleton Young. Illustrated, few close friends, and the Vermont economy, medical care and Losing Lincoln. By Stephenia foiled the attempt. photos, bibliography, appendix, 372 Watchman newspaper (under the battlefield maneuvers. They reflect McGee. Juvenile Novel. 355 pp., This second book begins with An- pp., 2015, William James Morris alias Conscript). the horrors of war and the changing 2016, Stephenia McGee, www.ste- nabelle and Daniels renting a horse Inc., www.martinletters.com, $19.95 These letters provided vivid perspective of soldiers as the conflict pheniamcgee.com, $14.99 softcover. and wagon in Washington to travel softcover. accounts of camp life, the horror dragged on. They are a valuable to New York State, where they res- of battle, the condition of the addition to understanding the plight cued George Daniels from the hell- rebels, and soldiers’ opinions of of the common soldier. hole known as Elmira prison camp. their commanding officers. They They are further enhanced by the George joined them as they contin- encompassed some of the most substantial background research that ued across the state to call on Anna- important battles of the war, places each letter in its historical belle’s grandmother, from whom she including the Peninsula Campaign, context. The editorial commentary was virtually estranged. Lee’s Mills, Gaines’ Mill, Savage is readable, chronological and The wealthy dowager was initially Station, Malvern Hill, White Oak generally accurate. hostile toward Annabelle until she Swamp, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Only a few minor statements in learned what a harsh life the young Gettysburg, the Wilderness and the letters need correction. Edwin woman had been living during the Cedar Creek. Stoughton was not the youngest war. While the earliest letters stressed general in the Civil War. That They bonded so strongly that, the patriotism that motivated their distinction belongs to Galusha when Mathew Daniels returned to enlistments, as the war progressed Pennypacker. Washington to warn the president the brutality of conflict became a Also the brothers’ wildly about a serious threat on his life, they topic described in vivid terms, e.g., exaggerated totals of rebels killed followed him. “A shower of brains,” “war turned to and captured in battle with their units Both ladies were in Ford’s Theatre slaughter,” and “soldiers are a small need to be noted and corrected. This the night John Wilkes Booth assas- cog in a wheel and little missed.” information is readily available in sinated the president. Annabelle and Gen. George McClellan, an ear- reference texts. the captain found each other near the Carleton Young’s family pos- ly idol of the brothers, became a Aside from these minor editorial theater the next morning. And the sessed a treasure trove of Civil War “traitorous pet” whose timidity pro- suggestions, the book is a substantial As expected, this middle book of volume ends with a tender, romantic letters penned by two ancestors from longed the war. contribution to the genre of first-per- a trilogy by Stephenia McGee picks touch. Williamstown, Vt. So Young sought They evaluated every Army of son Civil War accounts becoming up where her first ended.Leveraging I will not be surprised if, in the to find out who they were, what part the Potomac commander on his so popular today. For its reasonable Lincoln was reviewed by Civil War third volume, Daniels is involved in they played in the war, and how they willingness to fight to preserve the price, it would make a worthwhile News last month. The third book, La- the killing of Booth, helps Annabelle lived through the terror of battle and Union. Finally, in Gen. Ulysses S. addition to any Civil War student’s beling Lincoln, is to be published in find her missing uncle, and they all the rigors of army life. The book is a Grant they believed they had found a bookshelf. early 2017. return to Mississippi to live happily story of two brothers, William Henry fighter who would end the rebellion. The first book introduced the pro- ever after. Martin, 2nd Lt., Vermont Volunteers, Unfortunately the war was almost Reviewer Wayne L. Wolf is tagonist, Annabelle Ross, a 20-year- Because the author of this tril- Co. A, and Francis Smith Martin, over for both brothers. William was Professor Emeritus at South old Mississippian trying to hold on ogy seems to know her young fe- Private, 2nd Vermont Infantry. shot in the chest on the Orange Plank Suburban College and the author to her family’s small plantation late male audience very well, they will William enlisted in the “Old Road at the Wilderness and died of numerous Civil War books and in the Civil war. find themselves reading about more Vermont Brigade” before the draft three days later. During the Battle articles including “Gen. John She escaped from a Confederate unforeseen adventures and predic- was instituted. Francis enlisted as of Cedar Creek, Francis was struck Corson Smith and the Fighting army camp after being mistaken for aments facing Annabelle and her a paid substitute only later in the by a bullet that shattered his left leg, 96th Illinois” and “The Last a Yankee spy; joined wounded Con- companions. war because he feared his weak which had to be amputated. Tragical- Confederate Scout.” He is past federate Capt. Mathew Daniels, who constitution could not withstand ly, Francis returned home only to be president of the Lincoln-Davis was trying to find his captured broth- Reviewer J. Lee Bailey is a the hardships of army life. The vast killed in a farm accident in October Civil War Roundtable. er George; rode to Washington with veteran journalist now trying to l865. Daniels and a small band of Confed- write a novel based on the true erates who planned to kidnap Pres- adventures of Confederate cavalry ident Abraham Lincoln; and then from Kentucky. ACE p y r ollc Located in Saline • MI Located in Clearreld • PA Toll-free: (877) 223-3552 Phone: (814) 765-5918 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Shop: www.AcePyro.com Shop: www.FireArtCorp.com Master Distributor of Black Powder 1FA•2FA•3FA•4FA•Meal-D 2FA & 4FA Now Available in 1lb, 25lb & 50lb Packages

Suppliers to the Confederacy: More British Imported Arms & Accoutrements Volume II By Craig L. Barry &David C. Burt

Available in 2016 from Schiffer Publishing www.schifferbooks.com Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble September 2016 Civil War News 35 Novel Follows Six Illinois Book Refutes Ragged CS Soldier Truth

Never in Rags. Volume 1. The provided. various branches of service. Infantry, Friends During War Years East 1863. By Jeff Dugdale. Illus- The soldiers’ quotes, the requisition artillery and cavalry perform very trated, photos, tables, 1,030 pp., forms and the photographic plates different functions. This work offers Friends of the Wigwam: A Civil Jenny loses her father at Mission- 2015, Military Press Publishing, and illustrations do provide fairly no discussion regarding whether or War Story. By John William Huel- ary Ridge. Allie survives the war www.militarybookpublishing.org. conclusive evidence that the not one unit was involved in heavier skamp. Historical novel, illustrated, and keeps her secret for decades. uk, £65. Confederate supply and distribution combat than others. photos, notes, 372pp., 2016, Bar- All of these losses are symbolic of system worked and that great It also ignores the fact that fewer rington, www.barringtongrouppubli- the sacrifices of Illinois’ young men advancements were achieved in resupply options were available for cations. com, $16.95 softcover. and women that the author wishes providing more durable cloth and cavalry units due to the vast distanc- to highlight. All go from a youthful sturdier clothing. es they covered at great speed. Artil- carefree life to bear the scars of war, However, the quartermaster re- lery units also require certain items both physically and mentally. cords, comprising about 75 percent more quickly than other units. Interspersed with the story of the of the work, do not prove that all This incomplete analysis does not friends, the reader is treated to a se- soldiers in all units were properly fully eliminate the possibility some ries of punctuating historical events. outfitted. units were resupplied with certain The death of Elmer E. Ellsworth, the The main component missing in items that weren’t really needed at Union’s first officer to die, begins the the analysis is whether or not the the expense of other units who might sequence of losses. This is followed right items were provided to the really have needed them. by the death of Jenny’s father, Col. right units at the right place and time. Despite these criticisms, this Holden Putnam, the humanity dis- Several of the tables showed infan- book has considerable merit. As played by Gen. John E. Smith, the try units from the same state with the a reference tool, this book is well cowardice of Col. John M. Loomis, same number of companies, yet the worth the cost. It is easy to read and the perseverance of Gen. Ulysses S. items supplied were vastly different. has some of the best graphics I have Grant, the political lobbying of Rep. In order to answer this question, seen. I recommend this work to those Elihu Washburne, and the courage one must compare the unit’s requi- researching Civil War logistics. of the town in hiding two runaway sition form with the quartermaster slaves. record of what was received. This Reviewer Richard J. Blumberg has All of these events are intertwined proves whether or not the supply a master’s degree with honors to show the war in a broader context This work is the first of a multi-vol- system provided each unit with ex- in Civil War studies. He is past and yet personalize it to the youth of ume project examining the Confed- actly what was requested. Unfortu- president of the Houston Civil To bring the Western Theater of Western Illinois. erate Quartermaster Department’s nately, many of the requisition forms War Round Table and is a speaker the Civil War to its deserved prom- The dialogue is expertly presented ability to supply Confederate units. provided in this work are not very for that group and the Society of inence, the author crafts a story that to tell this engaging story. The au- Jeff Dugdale apparently chose legible. Women in the Civil War. He also combines the innocence of youth and thor displays a wealth of historical the title as a provocative way of Dugdale also fails to analyze the reviews books for the Blue and the pride of adulthood with the hor- research save for three small errors. getting readers’ attention. While functional differences between the Gray Education Society. rors of war and personal loss. He refers to a copper Indian Head it is attention-getting, its “never” Beginning on the banks of the penny given to one of the friends in language requires him to show that Pecatonica River in Western Illinois, 1857. Yet these were not minted until at no time during 1863 was there this novel takes six friends who find 1864. In March 1863 he refers to it ever an Eastern unit or Confederate Find us on Facebook an old Winnebago Indian cave, nam- being two years since Shiloh when soldier inadequately outfitted. ing it the Wigwam (an allegorical it had only been 11 months. General Dugdale states that historian Bell 76,000+ Likes reference to Abraham Lincoln’s con- Hooker’s first name was Joseph not Wiley performed a great disser- vention site), and traces their lives John. vice by perpetuating a myth that all www.facebook.com/CivilWarNews from 1857 to 1865. Aside from these few lapses, the Confederate soldiers were dressed The cave and river represent the story is exceptionally well told, en- in rags. Dugdale’s work attempts to innocent playground of the friends’ gaging, and highlights not only the demonstrate that Wiley’s assertion is youth. Here the six friends — Allie tragedy of war but the human kind- false. (AKA Jennie Hodgers), Will Ervin, ness and friendships that sustain He says, “If one is looking for irre- Jenny Putnam, Aaron Dunbar, T.J. families and acquaintances caught futable evidence to support the well Lockwood, and Patrick Kane — fish, up in life’s ordeals. dressed Reb, these [quartermaster] Vin Caponi hunt, share romantic dreams and This book is highly recommended tables present conclusive proof.” youthful secrets. Yet all of them will for Civil War enthusiasts who wish He then adds: “So there you have eventually be touched by the Civil to see the personal side of the war, it. The Confederate Soldier was well Historic Antiques War and have their innocence shat- the loss of innocence, and the heroic clothed. There were shortages at We carry a very large inventory of Colt and Civil War firearms tered by the brutality of battle. deeds that ordinary people achieve times, but nothing deadly serious, including muskets, carbines, rifles and accoutrements. Our inventory of historic antiques and firearms begin at the early All of the friends of the Wigwam when motivated by patriotism, and certainly no more than all sol- collectors level and range all the way up to the advanced (except Jenny Putnam) enlist in the friendship and love. diers have endured throughout his- collector and investors level. 93rd and 95th Illinois Infantry Regi- tory, yet for some reason ’Johnny ments. Allie becomes Albert Cashier, Reviewer Wayne L. Wolf is Reb’ has been singled out to become the only woman to serve throughout Professor Emeritus at South the epitome of the ‘Ragged Soldier’. the war without being exposed as fe- Suburban College and the author I hope this work will help in some male. Will is killed assaulting Mis- of numerous Civil War books and way to change that stagnant image.” sionary Ridge. T.J. Lockwood is per- articles including “Gen. John His research provides a great ref- manently blinded at Champion Hill, Corson Smith and the Fighting erence base for determining how where Patrick Kane is also severely 96th Illinois” and “The Last well the Confederate supply and dis- wounded. Aaron returns home and is Confederate Scout.” He is past tribution systems worked. He relies instrumental in compiling the 93rd president of the Lincoln-Davis on four different types of data: (1) Illinois Infantry’s history. Civil War Roundtable. requisition forms, (2) quartermaster records, (3) quotes from soldiers and (4) photographic plates and narrated illustrations. Antique Ordnance Publishers From them, he tries to show that Contact us for a catalog sheet. Drawings with dimensions in 1863 all Eastern Theater Confed- erate soldiers were well supplied and of carriages, limbers, ammunition chests and more. units began to have matching uni- forms. Although the right tools were Artillery available and used, Dugdale does not completely prove his argument. Vin Caponi, Jr. The author provides a short narrative 18 Broadway Drawings Malverne, NY 11565 for each chapter, which represents Store: 516-593-3516 PO Box 610434 one of the four quarters of 1863. Af- Cell: 516-353-3250 The Reference Guides ter the narrative, the various types of [email protected] Port Huron, MI 48061 data are simply grouped into the rest http://www.vincaponi.com [email protected] • (810) 987-7749 of the chapter. No additional sum- maries or comparative analyses are 36 Civil War News September 2016 Good Account, Tours Of Bristoe Station East Meets West Event

A Want of Vigilance: The Bristoe to the war’s burgeoning losses and of this campaign. One looks at the Station Campaign, October 9-19, reinforcing the tactical stalemate in controversial statement supposedly Labor Day Weekend 1863. By Bill Backus and Robert Or- the East. by Lee to A.P. Hill to “Bury those rison. Illustrated, photos, maps, ap- Bill Backus and Robert Orrison Poor Men,” a rebuke at the casualties pendices, notes, order of battle, 192 examine one of these clashes, the suffered by the Confederate Third GETTYSBURG, Pa.—This Labor with the Living History Presenters pp., 2015, Savas Beatie, www.savas two-week Bristoe Station campaign Corps at Bristoe Station. Day weekend, a very unique event is at their locations around the Farm’s beatie.com, $14.95 softcover. of October 1863. Others discuss the first Battle of coming to the Gettysburg area. Un- house and barns. There will also be They relate Robert E. Lee’s efforts Bristoe in 1862, cavalry actions, and usual, as it does not focus on the Bat- a speaker’s tent where the focus will to turn the weakened Army of the the efforts to preserve the Bristoe tle of Gettysburg, “East Meets West be on contrasting both theaters of the Potomac out of its advanced posi- Station battlefield. at Gettysburg,” will examine both Civil War. The hours are 10 a.m. un- tions and drive it back on the Wash- The excellent driving tours ap- theaters of America’s Civil War. Liv- til 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, ington defenses. pended to each chapter allow tracing ing History presenters will portray a September 3rd and 4th. A rededica- These authors are both intimately the campaign within the limits of wide variety of Generals including tion of the Illinois State Monuments familiar with the Bristoe campaign modern conditions. An order of bat- Grant, Lee, Sherman, Armistead, on the Gettysburg National Military and have been instrumental in de- tle and a suggested reading list are Forrest, Johnson, Ewell, McPherson, Park will also take place at the 8th veloping the modern interpretation included, but regrettably there is no Grierson and many others, along with Illinois Cavalry monument on Reyn- of the conflict area. Utilizing the index. soldiers like Albert Cashier, who was olds Avenue. That will be at 5 p.m., successful Savas Beatie “Emerging Want of Vigilance is an excellent really “Jennie Hodgers.” Jim Bord- Saturday, September 3rd. The event Civil War” format, they examine the short summary of a complex but wine from the Mountain Men TV is presented by the Illiana Civil War strategic situation in Northern Vir- often overlooked period of the Civ- series will be on hand to demon- Historical Society and the Ward Hill ginia and the opposing commanders’ il War. The tactical stalemates of strate saltmaking. There’ll be other Lamon Civil War Roundtable. Con- varying reactions to the movements Bristoe and later Mine Run led to demonstrations from the era such tact Larry Weatherford at lar1863@ of their opponents. the reorganization of the Union war as blacksmithing. Household chores comcast.net. The local contact is They describe the fighting at Au- effort in the East and the subsequent done in the style of the 1860’s will Daniel Lady Farm manager Suzie burn, Bristoe Station and Buckland of the spring and also be shown. Visitors may speak Cheeks at 240-575-4502. Mills. Numerous period and modern summer of 1864. photographs of the sites, as well as photographs of participants and sev- Reviewer Kenneth D. Williams eral well-done maps of the action, is associated with the Western In many Civil War students’ minds, accompany the text. Because this is Pennsylvania Conservancy. there was virtually no military action an overview, there are regrettably no He continues to research Civil in the Eastern Theater between Lee’s footnotes or endnotes. War topics in southwestern retreat from Gettysburg in July 1863 The appendices are quite enjoy- Pennsylvania with particular to the Overland Campaign in May able. They contain short articles by emphasis on the 11th Pennsylvania 1865. However, this is hardly the other authors on additional aspects Infantry. case. The Army of the Potomac and the Army of Northern Virginia engaged Digital Issues of CWN are available by in a series of maneuvers vying for ad- vantage along what Donald Suther- subscription alone or with land has called the “Dare-Mark” line of the Rappahannock River. These print plus archives from 2012 at movements resulted in several sharp www.CivilWarNews.com engagements adding more casualties

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Civil War News September 2016 Civil War News 37 Steve Davis’s Critic’s Corner especially the tasteless, tough dry; Bull states that they needed a each other’s works. Bull describes up in another column and finish the hardtack. It took a while before he full day to do their laundry, and such one such sortie, July 27 when the story, which Bull carries all the way and his comrades “reached the point days were rare during an active cam- 13th New Jersey stormed across no to the Grand Review of Union troops where we could appreciate and eat paign. On the other hand, preparing man’s land to take out some Rebel in Washington, May 24, 1865. the ‘stuff’ as the boys called it.” food could be a speedy exercise. By sharpshooters perched in a building. Writing in Civil War Times Il- Two months into army service, Bull this time, the veterans had become “The pickets were soon driven back, lustrated, April 1978, Robert D. recorded, “I had not yet reached the efficient cooks: “It was the work of and the sharpshooters with them, Hoffsommer trilled, “Sergeant Rice soldierly perfection when two or only a few minutes to make our fire two of the houses were burned, and Bull…wrote a memoir that consti- three pieces of hardtack and coffee and boil our coffee and fry our pork.” the ridge cleared with the capture of tutes the most engrossing narrative could be made to satisfy my hunger.” From time to time the New Yorker thirty-three Johnnies,” Bull declared, of a soldier’s Civil War service that A poignant passage relates the offers up tactical pearls. On the after- affirming that “while it was a small this reviewer has read in many a time after Chancellorsville when, noon of May 19, as Federals pressed affair it was exciting while it lasted.” moon.” Think about that, and about shot in the jaw and in the side, Bull up toward the Rebels’ line near Cass- When Sherman determined to how dull many Civil War memoirs fell prisoner to the Rebels. “All the ville, Northern skirmishers encoun- break his semi-siege of Atlanta by can be, and you’ll realize why Rice Johnnies [Bull’s usual term for the tered musketry from sharpshooters marching most of his troops around C. Bull’s Soldiering remains such a enemy] treated us with kindness and posted in the town’s buildings. I’ve toward Jonesboro, the XX Corps did treasure. with consideration for our feelings,” re-checked Castel and McMurry: this not participate. It withdrew to the By Stephen Davis he conceded, even though they could is the first time I’ve seen this. Bull’s Chattahoochee bridges, dug in and Steve Davis of Atlanta is a regular not treat their prisoners’ injuries. account of the action at Kolb’s Farm, waited till Sherman’s column broke A Northern Soldier’s contributor to Civil War News. The wounded Federals were moved June 22, near Kennesaw Mountain, the Macon & Western Railroad be- His new book, A Long and Bloody Durable Memoir to a common area, where they en- is notably detailed, running for six low Atlanta on August 31. Task: The Atlanta Campaign Civil War soldiers’ writing can be dured the stench from dead horses pages. The 123rd was one of two After Hood’s army had abandoned from Dalton through Kennesaw judged by any number of criteria. all around. “There was no food, no Federal skirmisher regiments which the city the next day, XX Corps Mountain to the Chattahoochee Accuracy and factual detail (con- nursing, and no medicine,” he re- made initial contact with Hood’s troops occupied it on September 2. River May 5-July 18, 1864, has tent); intelligence and articulateness membered. Left out in the open for troops before they launched their as- Bull gives the two-and-a-half month just been published as part of (style); entertainment and quotabili- days, men died from fever, hunger sault on Hooker’s lines. Federal occupation just a few pages Savas Beatie’s Emerging Civil War ty (reader response) are just three of and exposure. Many, too weak to Readers of this column may recall before turning his attention to the paperback series. them. move, lay in their own filth. Final- my recounting an incident related by “March to the Sea,” which began No- The companion volume, carrying Sometimes I think that if the act of ly, some Federal surgeons arrived to John Hennessy in Return to Bull Run vember 15, 1864. His account of the the Atlanta Campaign to the city’s Civil War soldiering often centered conduct their amputations. On May (1993), how at Second Manassas event is just as spritely and engaging surrender on September 2, 1864, on the simple performance of duty, 12, Bull and his comrades were pa- West Virginia Capt. David Gibson as his of the Atlanta Campaign, but will be published later this year. the mere endurance of the dreary and roled and returned to Union hospital foretold his death in battle. We see I’ve run out of space. Maybe I’ll pick undramatic, then a memoir relating care. the same strange incident in Soldier- these aspects of soldiering with clar- Sent home for two months, then ing. On May 25 a friend, Jim Cum- ity and detail can make for first-rate to a convalescent camp (“dirty and mings, approached Bull and confid- Publishers: literature. That’s why I’ve chosen to lousy beyond belief”), Bull, at last, ed that he would not survive the next write about Rice C. Bull’s memoir of returned to service and was probably battle. Bull, of course, tried to reas- Please send your book(s) for review to: service in the 123rd New York. then promoted to sergeant, although sure him, saying, “we all had such Bull was twenty years old, living Bauer is blank on this point. By this ‘warnings’ at times but they never CWN Book Review Editor, Stephen Davis on a New York farm, when the time he had missed Gettysburg, and came true.” 6175 Hickory Flat Hwy. Suite 110-355 123rd was being raised in his area the XII Corps had been sent west. This one did. That night, after the Canton, GA 30115 in August 1862. He volunteered and On garrison duty in Bridgeport, Al- fighting at New Hope had ended, Email cover image to [email protected] followed his unit through travel and abama, Bull also missed the fighting Bull’s regiment was lying prone in Civil War News cannot assure that unsolicited books will be assigned for review. training. The regiment, brigaded at Missionary Ridge. the front lines when it started rain- with men from Pennsylvania and At the start of the Atlanta Cam- ing. Skirmishing continued in the Connecticut in the XII Corps, did paign, the 123rd New York was darkness, yet at one point Cummings not join the Army of the Potomac with Joe Hooker’s XX Corps. Bull stood up. “Jim,” Bull called out, until after Fredericksburg. Bull saw rejoined it at Resaca, May 15, 1864, “why do you stand and expose your- the elephant at Chancellorsville, just in time, his comrades joshed, self?” “I don’t think there is any more where he was wounded and captured “for the fun that was coming.” danger in standing here than lying in (paroled ten days later). Bull’s narrative of his service in the mud,” Cummings answered; “I He sent letters home to his family the campaign and in the Federal oc- have had enough of that.” A minute THE FINEST HISTORICAL ANTIQUE MILITARIA and kept a diary. From them, and his cupation of Atlanta, May 13-Novem- later Jim Cummings was shot in the indelible recollections, in 1913 Bull ber 15, runs about 30% of his entire head. He died later that night. composed a memoir. Descendants memoir. This alone makes Soldier- After Johnston’s army retreated bequeathed the text to the Rensselaer ing one of the most reliable and in- across the Chattahoochee, Sher- County Historical Society of formative sources for those of us man’s forces closed in on Atlanta. Troy, New York. K. Jack Bauer, a who write about the war in Georgia. On the morning of July 20, Thom- professor in Troy, learned of the Editor Bauer does not add much; as’ Army of the Cumberland crossed Bull text and saw to its publication his explanatory notes are infrequent Peachtree Creek. Bull states that his in 1977 as Soldiering: The Civil War and brief. When Bull relates the at- superiors did not expect the Rebels to Diary of Rice C. Bull (San Rafael tack of Stewart’s Confederate divi- attack that day: “no orders were giv- CA: Presidio Press). sion on the second day of Resaca, en to put our Brigade in position to It’s still a treasure. Billed by Bauer Bauer adds not a word. And he is defend itself in case of attack.” This as a diary, it’s not quite that, but a not free from error. Sherman did not is one of the clearest confirmations reminiscence closely based on a dia- lose 6,800 men at Resaca. He identi- of the Federals’ lack of preparation ry. Nevertheless, Bull’s text reads as fies (and indexes) the battle in which for the surprise assault Gen. John one, written with almost daily entries Bull’s regiment fought on May 25 B. Hood was to launch at Peachtree and in an absorbing narrative style. as that of Dallas; it is New Hope Creek. When the Johnnies attacked, The author’s reflections on Civ- Church. Bull got it right, terming the Bull was in the thick of the fight, fir- il War soldiering came down to action at New Hope “the Hell Hole.” ing seventy rounds in the three-hour such random accounts of how tents Because it draws on his wartime engagement. Union artillery helped worked in rainstorms. “When the diary, Bull’s reminiscence is un- repel the enemy assault; its gunfire weather was dry and warm our tents usually dependable as to fact. “On was so loud, Bull remembered, that were comfortable sleeping quarters,” May 25th the weather changed,” he his comrades’ hearing did not return he wrote, “but in wet, cold times writes, “and I find recorded in my for several days. they were anything but satisfactory. diary that for twenty-one days it During Sherman’s semi-siege of They would shed rain when it came stormed every day.” Instead of de- Atlanta, Bull’s regiment was posi- gently but if the storm was heavy the scribing military movements during tioned in the XX Corps lines north rain would come through, at first like this time, the author usually keeps of the city. He could plainly see the www.csacquisitions.com damp mist and when the cloth was his focus on “soldiering.” Example: Confederate fort ahead, astride the well soaked would run through in “One of the hardest conditions we Peachtree Road (now the site of the Wallace Markert big drops like a leaking roof.” had to face in the service, when in Fox Theatre downtown). Sherman [email protected] So much for shelter. Then there the field, was the lack of opportuni- did not order his troops to attack 16905 Nash Road • Dewitt, Virginia 23840 was “army food,” which Bull at ty to keep clean.” The men’s heavy such strong positions, but from time 804-536-6413 • 804-469-7362 first found “almost unbearable,” woolen clothing took much time to to time both sides sallied against