No comments about A Citizen-Soldier's Civil War: The Letters of Brevet Major General Alvin C. Voris.

3 comments about Three Years a Soldier: The Diary and Newspaper Correspondence of Private George Perkins, Sixth New York Independent Battery, 1861-1864 (Voices of the Civil War).

1. The book, "Three Years a Soldier", by Richard Griffin, is one of the most interesting books on the Civil War that I have read in a long time. This book covers the three years of service by George Perkins of the 6th NY Independent Battery, Perkins being a great-grandfather of the author, Griffin. The book consists primarily of the Perkins journal and newspaper articles. George Perkins was clearly proud of his service and wanted posterity to read these documents.
   
   Many history books concentrate on "big picture" matters, such as wartime strategy, decisions made by leaders, etc. But an equally fascinating historical question is to understand the mindset of people of the time. Why did they do what they did, what was important to them, etc. Obviously this book falls into the second category and in a highly successful way. George Perkins is particularly of interest in this regard because he shares so many core values of his contemporaries in spite of having the education and background that could easily have made him much different. This only goes to show how deeply embedded these values were to Americans of the 1860s:
   
   - Patriotism. Perkins doesn't say much about why he joined the Army in Dec 1861, but a growing sense of patriotism shows itself in the course of the journal, particularly a resentment of those who had not joined the army.
   - Courage. George doesn't talk much about courage, but this was a core value that he obviously shared with his contemporaries. On a number of occasions, he mentions close calls with snipers or artillery while he was carrying out his battery duties under fire.
   - Religion. The Winter of 1863-64 saw a nationwide revival movement, especially in both Confederate and Union armies. George was an active participant in early 1864.
   - Individualism. George Perkins did his duty when in combat. But in camp or while training, he was a constant pain to his officers, consistently showing a resentment of authority and a feeling of superiority to those men placed over him. It is actually quite amusing to read of the various ways he flouted authority. To his credit he generally accepted, with few complaints, the punishment that almost always followed. George was certainly not the only soldier with this mindset.
   
   The most important things one can say about George Perkins are also the simplest. When his country needed him, he was there, and when the bullets were flying, he stood to his duty. I feel honored to read of his service and I recommend this book to all.



2. Perkin's diary offers great insight into the daily life of an ordinary artilleryman during the Civil War. Men in the artillery were cross-trainied and Perkins did a little bit of everything from driving caissons and battery wagons to serving on the gun crew. Also the 6th New York Independent Battery was first used as foot artillery and then later was made into horse artillery thus providing insight from an artilleryman's perspective who served with both the infantry and the cavalry. Reading the diary you live every day with Perkins. He was no perfect soldier and was often given extra duty for various infractions, usually for being late somewhere. I was amused by the number of entries that stated he didn't have to stand guard duty because he couldn't be found. The diary refelcts the ups and downs in his morale, his occasional bouts with illness, and his very palpable grief at the lost of a brother.



3. Although not a staple of Three Years a Soldier, the issue of white perception of race adds to the growing assurances that most northerners really were not abolitionists. Private George Perkins letters and commentary on slavery and blacks themselves rejects the popular elementary depiction of white Union soldiers liberating the slaves. Perkins reveals that he is against slavery not for its moral effects but rather its social implications. His letters consist of racist views and expressions thus perpetrating Perkins as antislavery but not an abolitionist.
   
   This diary and correspondence with the Middlesex Journal, the hometown newspaper of Woburn, Massachusetts, illustrate a soldier who joined as a patriot to fight for his country. However, the differences between Perkins's private thoughts and his public column bear additional attention. First, Perkins attitudes towards politics or public matters appear more frequently in the journal than his diary. The tendency to preach on the commitment to the cause and the moral superiority of those who act as the "defenders of our liberty [who] shall make our nation pure and Christian-like" reveal a man deeply committed to the ideals of a patriotic duty. (255)
   
   An interesting revelation in Perkins diary is his attitude towards officers, particularly when it comes to discipline. A republican who believed that he was morally and intellectually superior, Perkins saw his duty as a soldier as to question the commands and decisions of those above him in rank. Perkins did not subscribe to camp discipline and saw it as meaningless in the grand scheme of fighting for the Union. He desired officers who wanted to connect with their men, who shared their discomforts and tribulations. Interestingly enough is Perkins admiration for Major General Joseph Hooker, the much-maligned commander of the Army of Potomac during the Chancellorsville campaign. Perkins credits "Fighting Joe" commenting that his bravery, careful judgment, and treatment of common soldiers improved the army after Ambrose Burnside. Indeed, Perkins was high on Hooker but the general's political attachment to the radical republicans perhaps really illustrates Perkins affections for the man.
   
   This book adds to the ever-growing home front and community studies that illustrate the varying ideological perceptions of the common soldier. From political agendas to social commentary to racial attitudes, much can be gained using this work as an initial probe that could lead to larger texts. An outstanding introduction, which clearly puts Perkins's perspective in its proper place, this book is a great addition to a Civil War library.

No comments about Confederate Naval Cadet: The Diary And Letters of Midshipman Hubbard T. Minor, With a History of the Confederate Naval Academy.

1 comments about Exile to Sweet Dixie: The Story of Euphemia Goldsborough, Confederate Nurse and Smuggler.

1. Exile to Sweet Dixie is based on the research of the extensive Goldsborough collection. In addition to the chapters of her diaries and the hospital books, there are sections on her life, the political and military oppression under which she risked her service as nurse and smuggler, her Provost Marshal file with the documents used as evidence in her trial, and her personal papers that concerned her war activities. There are seven appendices of war related text written by her contemporaries effected by her service. Subsequent to the death of Goldsborough's granddaughter, the collection has been divided among family members and will almost certainly never be viewed as a whole or be accessible to the public. I chose to present this material as an annotated transcript of a valuable primary source. It is the drama of one woman's horrific war experiences; that of having a dying soldier tied to her back all night, being strip searched in front of the soldiers while imprisoned, and the emotional, physical, and mental toll of nursing and exile. I trust the reader to form their own perceptions and draw from it what they deem important to their particular interests.

No comments about The Custer Album: A Pictorial Biography of General George A. Custer.

1 comments about A Very Violent Rebel: The Civil War Diary of Ellen Renshaw House (Voices of the Civil War).

1. Two g-grand nieces of Ellen House discovered these diaries in her trunk upon the death of an aunt. What a find! Ellen House had strong opinions and voiced them. The Siege of Knoxville (November 1863) is covered and Sutherland's footnotes make for GOOD history. Don't think, you WWII GIs out there, that "scuttlebutt" started in "our" war. There was plenty during the Civil War, some preposterous. Sutherland provides good interpretive notes. Highly recommended! Four stars only because there are a few gaps in Ellen's coverage of the War in Knoxville, but who can blame her. Deprivation was the order of the day.

2 comments about One of Custer's Wolverines: The Civil War Letters of Brevet Brigadier General James H. Kidd, 6th Michigan Cavalry.

1. I have always been a fan of the cavalry in the Civil War, and this book provides some of the best accounts from a cavalryman I have ever seen. Mr. Wittenberg has done a great job annotating these letters, and has made the letters flow. Kidd was a great writer, and Mr. Wittenberg has made his work all the better. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves cavalry, or who loves the Michigan Brigade and Custer's men.



2. In yet another wonderful anthology of the Civil War, author Eric J. Wittenberg expands his library of work on Custer's successor in the Michigan 6th Cavalry, Brigadier General James H. Kidd. Wittenberg provides readers with a remarkable sense of reality, an inescapable feeling that they are sharing a personal fireside chat with a living, breathing veteran of our own Civil War.

   "Under Custer's Command" is sure to please any readers of his previous collections of James Kidd. This latest book, a well-preserved and edited anthology of the personal letters of the young colonel and brevet brigadier general continues Wittenberg's efforts to detail the wartime activities of the Michigan 6th Cavalry. One of the most successful mounted commands during the war, the "Wolverine's" received far less acclaim and few of the accolades enjoyed by cavalry units led by men such as Jeb Stuart and Stonewall Jackson.

   "One of Custer's Wolverines" is an exceptionally well-written collection of personal letters. Kidd's abilities as a writer breath life into his experiences and observations. As one of the few existing collections of first-person accounts, Wittenber's latest book expands and improves on the legend of Custer's cavalry. This wonderful book is a fantastic addition to any serious Civil War Custer library.

No comments about Blue, Gray and Red: Two Nurse's Views of the Civil War.

No comments about Civil War Medal of Honor Recipients: A Complete Illustrated Record.

4 comments about Damage Them All You Can: Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia.

1. I am the author of "Damage Them All You Can." Would you please run the subtitle of my book on your web page?
   The subtitle is: Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia.
   By running it you will provide the potential buyer with instant information as to what the book is about.
   Thank you.



2. "Damage Them All You Can:" Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia written by George Walsh is quite frankly one of the best accounts of The Army of Northern Virginia that I've ever read. General Robert E. Lee assembled the best army to ever, to this point in time, fight on American soil. In fact, The Army of Northern Virginia man for man, out Generaled, out fought all that the North could throw against it.

   Walsh's book is a true delight to read, the principles in the book seem to come alive as you read on in the book. The prose is written with vivid descriptions and the author gives the reader insights albeit shrewd of how the battles were fought.

   I got the inpression that I was there with the incisive insights the author gives the reader, from the Generals, to the commanders, right down to the trenches, told with deeply moving detail. I encourage anyone interested in reading about the Civil War or the "Yankee War of Aggression" to read this book.

   I've read Foote, McPherson, and Catton's writings about this time in American History, but Walsh's account here is the best and most personal one that I've ever read, with a probing into the character and the battles that made them feel like they were fought right before your eyes.

   This book is, by all accounts, for a single volume the best book written about one of the best fighting armies the Confederacy ever had... the Army of Northern Virginia. This book is worthy of a place in your library on American History.




3. Strolling through the Mall I decided to stop in for a brief visit to the mass market oriented bookstore. Thumbing through the Civil War offerings I picked up this outstanding book. I did not recognize the name of George Walsh. He is a Yankee writing on the army whose story has been so well told from Southern superstars such as Douglass Southall Freeman, Clfford
   Dowdey and Shelby Foote. Why plunk down a Visa card to purchase it?
   Curiosity satisfied is the answer! Walsh writes in a personal style introducing the men and the units making up Lee's fabled Army of Northern Virgnia. Even an old Civil War buff such as I learned new things about the Victorian warriors of Dixieland who lend the forces of Lee against the enemy.
   This book is an excellent survey of the war in the Eastern theatre. It is a valuable additon to my Civil War library. I highly recommend Walsh's book to anyone even casually interested in learning more about the American Illiad that is our Civil War!



4. George Walsh hit a grand slam with DAMAGE THEM ALL YOU CAN: ROBERT E. LEE'S ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA. Told almost exclusively from the point of view of the Confederate side this book does a wonderful job of getting into the hearts and minds of the men who fought for the Confederacy. The stereotypes of the lost cause or southerners as a pack of racists are replaced by a very human portrait of the men (and sometimes their loved ones too) who fought and died for what they believed in. Walsh has done a very real service to the memory of the Army of Northern Virginia. The battle narratives are really good as is the analysis of Lee's thoughts, decisions and occasional frustration with his subordinates. An excellent treatment!