2 comments about Army Life: A Private's Reminiscences of the Civil War.

1. One of the most famous regiments of the Civil War was the 20th Regiment of Maine Volunteers. Fromed in 1862, the regiment saw action in some of the fiercest campaigns and battles of the war; Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Petersburg, Peebles Farm and Five Forks. It also was present at Antietam, Chancellorsville, Mine Run, North Anna, Bethesda Church, Gravelly Run and Appomattox, where it had the distinct honor of being of the regiments to formally receive the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia. Originally commanded by Colonel Adelbert Ames, leadership of the regiment soon fell upon the shoulders of the most famous civilian soldier of the war--Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. At Gettysburg, Chamberlain and the 20th Maine anchored the Union line on Little Round Top and helped to save the day, and the battle, for the Federal cause. The regiment fought with excellence in several later campaigns but will always be known for its brilliant and gallant performance at Gettysburg, July 2, 1863. After the war only one veteran of the unit attempted to chronicle the exploits of the 20th Maine Infantry. In 1882, Reverend Theodore Gerrish published "Army Life". Although there are brief, scattered accounts written by other veterans of the unit's wartime exploits, this remains the only full-length book, purposely published by a 20th Maine veteran.



2. This is an excellent book that should be read by every person with any serious interest in the Civil War. It is generally clear and informative, frequently funny or witty, and generally well written. My only objection to it is the author's very heavy pro-Union bias. If you get this book, be sure and get a Southern account to balance it.

No comments about A Union Soldier Returns South.

1 comments about Reminiscences of the 41st Tennessee: The Civil War in the West.

1. This book details the Confederate Service of Sumner Cunningham. From his early service, POW life and his coming of age during the Battle of Franklin. I would encourage you to get this book. I would also suggest the book Company Aytch by Sam Watkins. Both are good reading about living and dying in the Army of Tennessee.

1 comments about Prince of Edisto: Brigadier General Micah Jenkins, C.S.A (Confederate Biography).

1. This is a very good book on studying the Army of Northern Virginia and in particular its First Corps. Longstreet's First was the most steady Corps that Lee had particularly after Jackson's fall. But as the war reached that weary phase and the Confederate cause grew dark, the effects seem to show heavily on the First Corps after it was transferred to the West. With a costly but total victory at Chickamauga, Longstreet's First Corps settles in with Bragg and the unhappy misled Army of Tennessee. Jenkins is a thriving young officer out of the Citadel and is felt by his rivals to be a pet of Longstreet. The command ruptures when Jenkins is picked by Longstreet to command Hood's division over Law. The situation becomes severe when Longstreet's forces fail to repel Grant's established bridgehead at Brown's Ferry. Although Longstreet did not perform well, the failure of Jenkins' night attack seemed to spark a decline in the coordination of the First Corps and between Longstreet and Bragg. Feuding between Law over Jenkins became so severe that by the time the First Corps was reassigned to East Tennessee the whole First Corps was affected by failed supplies, desolate country, minimal support, low morale and a rivalry that intensified with Law being allowed to leave yet be later set up for a court martial for changing his military destination. Interference by Davis on the matter seemed to make things worse and even Longstreet's friend Lafayette McLaws is charged with malfeasance. Jenkins is later shot down and killed during Longstreet's severe wounding at the Wilderness but he is a heroic figure although on a more modest scale. His emergence seemed to time with the first fracture of the First Corps and with the Confederate war effort starting to feel the sustained pressure of Grant and the reduced resources of the south. This book on Jenkins is a path to the less glorious part of the war but a revelation on the true realities of a war not going well. A rising star killed like many heroic figures as the war reached the desperate phase.

No comments about Texans in gray: A regimental history of the Eighteenth Texas Infantry, Walker's Texas Division in the Civil War : from the firsthand accounts.

2 comments about Custer and the Little Big Horn.

1. I rated this book a 5-star for the simple reason of its
   uniqueness. What a great approach by the author. Let's face
   facts about Custer & the Little Bighorn. There are only so
   many angles you can take on telling and retelling of what
   historians and others think happened.
   Charles Hofling takes another approach in that he analyzes
   Custer's personality. He looks at how different periods of his
   life and career were affected by events that happened to him.
   I especially like Chapter 10 of this book in which he goes into
   some detail on these events.
   This book greatly adds another view and perspective to the
   vast amount of Custer literature.



2. A psychiatrist's view of Custer is quite interesting as the author brigs full focus on Custer's up bringing and environment and how it effected him. Also covers the unique relationship that Custer had with his wife, an inseperable dependent relationship.
   The author gives a brief history of the campaign that is a little naive based compared to more recent reserach. The author defines Cuser's need for rash behavior but I think the jury is still out on what Custer was attempting to do at the LBH. If he he stopped short of the LBH to attempt to regroup with all his battalions that would be a logical action after he became aware that Reno evacuated from the valley unfortunately in a rout. The failure was capitolized by a very late attempt to follow Custer's trail by two malcontent subordinates. A fascinating book nevertheless but I think taking a more detailed look at Custer's action at the LBH takes more thought which could have given the book a boost. One has to remember that the Indians were suppose to run and the Colonel that failed to sustain an attack for Crook that March was almost court martialed.

1 comments about The Valley of the Shadows: The Coming of the Civil War in Lincoln's Midwest, A Contemporary Account.

1. I have great interest in the troublesome years of the War between the States, but have lacked insight into the mind bent of those who would play great roles in that battle torn period. Mr. Grierson whos own relation ,General Grierson, played a not insignificant role in the proceedings, has given me that much longed for insight. His ability to discern the underlying currents of American religious leaders striving to develop their own religion in a new nation while still clinging to their long entrenched stoicism influenced by the great religions of Europe, the ever changing developing political forces and the common mind of the common people is uneqauled by any other author in my mind. Truly a must read for anyone interested in that great conflict among people belabored by slavery and the role government should or should not have played in its abolishment.

No comments about Landscape Turned Red: The Battle of Antietam, Library Edition.

No comments about The Papers of John Marshall: Volume IX: Correspondence, Papers, and Selected Judicial Opinions, January 1820-December 1823 (Papers of John Marshall).

No comments about The Civil War Diary of Charles A. Leuschner.