The 21st North Carolina Infantry: A Civil War History, with a Roster of Officers
Lee W. Sherrill, Jr.
McFarland
526 pp. + 10 pp. introduction, 2015, softcover, $45
ISBN: 9-780786-476268   
Image courtesy of amazon.com

​There are a great number of regimental histories being written during the Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War and some of them easily stand out.  The 21st North Carolina Infantry: A Civil War History, with a Roster of Officers is one of those which stands out.  This massive work is easily one of the most in depth and well written regimental histories which I have read not just within the breadth of the Sesquicentennial Civil War histories, but within regimental histories as a whole.  Lee W. Sherrill,, Jr., has delivered one of the most fascinating works on this regiment and should be considered the archetype for the future formula for the writing of regimental histories.
            Lee W. Sherrill, Jr., has been researching the 21st North Carolina and their role in the Army of Northern Virginia for twenty years visiting places between Carlisle, Pennsylvania and Atlanta, Georgia.  He has also written numerous articles on the regiment along with many presentations not only about the regiment, but of Kirkland’s Confederate Brass Band which belonged to the 21st North Carolina. 
            One of the things which stuck out to me when I first began to read this book was that it was a different type of regimental history.  Just by reading the opening chapters, you can tell the great amount of depth which Sherrill put into this work.  Never before have I read a regimental history which gave the depth to the subject which Sherrill has given here.   One of the most interesting sections which the book gives us is the descriptions of the Battle of Gettysburg and the first day’s combat which the regiment took part of.  In the annals of Gettysburg history, the Brickyard Fight can easily be considered the most ignored part of the battlefield.  Here, Sherrill gives us one of the best written accounts of this part of battle.  Not only does the author give us a great look into what the 21st North Carolina did during this part of the battle, he gives us a great look into the entire look of the Brickyard Fight.  While most regimental histories only give us history, this book gives us a complete roster of officers in the back of the book.  This roster breaks down the officers, gives us a little information about them, and goes into the companies of the regiment.  The book is accompanied by incredible photographs and maps which aid the flowing narrative and incredible stories of this regiment.
            I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in regimental histories of the American Civil War.  I also recommend this book to anyone interested in the Battle of Gettysburg since it deals with parts of the battlefield which are generally ignored.  Sherrill has definitely given us a work which is different and should be noticed among Civil War historians and students.  This is how regimental histories should be written.  This book has some incredible research and Sherrill should be praised for the amount of work which he has placed in this tome.    

Patrick Henry Jones: Irish American, Civil War General, and Gilded Age Politician
Mark H. Dunkelman
Louisiana State University Press, 2015, 254 pp., $45.00
ISBN: 978-0-8071-5966-8
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When it comes to the overall demographic of the Union Army, there are many stories of immigrants which come to mind.  The most prominent group of immigrants in the Civil War which get attention are the Irish, but the story of Patrick Henry Jones is largely ignored in the annals of the war.  Now, thanks to Mark H. Dunkelman, there is a full fledged biography on the man who has such an interesting history, is makes me wonder why it took so long to get a book written about him. 
                Mark H. Dunkelman is an accomplished author of the American Civil War.  Some of his works include Brothers One and All: Espirit de Corps in a Civil War Regiment, War’s Relentless Hand: Twelve Tales of Civil War Soldiers; and Marching with Sherman: Through Georgia and the Carolinas wih the 154th New York.  Dunkelman is most famously known for his work on Amos Humiston, Gettysburg’s Unknown Soldier, in his work Gettysburg’s Unknown Soldier: The Life, Death, and Celebrity of Amos Humiston. This work is part of Conflicting Worlds, a series of books printed by the Louisiana State University Press which prides itself on printing some of the most excellent works on the American Civil War. 
                When speaking to others about famous Irishmen during the war, Patrick Henry Jones is not the first name to come up in conversations which I’ve had with people, but it will now.  What I found most fascinating about this man’s life before the Civil War was his attachment to the Democratic Party, but his disgust with them over the secessionist movement led him to serve in the Union army.  Dunkelman’s writing about his time in the Civil War really speaks to people as a man who entered as a private and rose the ranks throughout his time.  Dunkelman also gives us a human narrative which is greatly appreciated in a biography on man such as Jones.  Overall, the incredible stories about Jones throughout his narrative give way for many more discussions about him then there have been.  But the stories and life experiences about this man grow even more after the war when he became a politician.  While the end of his life had some sad moments, I felt that this biography was quite excellent and Dunkelman should be praised for bringing us the story of a man whom we hardly knew. 
                I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the people of the American Civil War.  While you may have never heard of Patrick Henry Jones, I found this work to be enthralling and a welcome addition to the biographies of the war.  The narrative is amazing, which is something I’ve known of Mr. Dunkelman’s work, and he treats his subject as a human instead of a god.  So many times we pay attention to the larger people but these works are a reminder that it was not only Grant and Sherman who fought the war for the Union.  Another fine work by Mr. Dunkelman, Patrick Henry Jones is one of those biographies that I will be talking about for years to come.    

​The Civilian War: Confederate Women and Union Soldiers during Sherman’s March
Lisa Tendrich Frank
Louisiana State University Press, 2015, 238 pp., $42.50
ISBN: 978-0-8071-5996-5
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When it comes to the study of Sherman’s March to the Sea, there have been many analyses on the civilians during these encounters with the Union army.  One thing which I found interesting about The Civilian War, was that the entire study was devoted to the ways in which the women of Georgia and the South encountered the Union army.  Lisa Tendrich Frank has brought new information to solidify the writings within her work.  The result is a very thought provoking work which not only involves those within the subtitle, but the rest of the participants as well. 
                Lisa Tendrich Frank is the author and editor of many Civil War works, many of which include the civilian aspect of the Civil War.  Some of her works are Women in the American Civil War and the soon to be released The World of the Civil War: A Daily Life Encyclopedia.  She received her Ph.D. in history from the University of Florida.  She has also taught at colleges and universities around the country.  The Civilian War is part of the Conflicting Worlds collection printed by the Louisiana State University Press which prides itself on printing some of the most excellent works on the American Civil War.
                There is an image cultivated in the minds of people when the March to the Sea is mentioned.  Most prominently is the image of the carnage within the city of Atlanta from the Union army, but Frank does not remain on that topic.  She brings forward some interesting pieces of information which change the ideals of what women did in order to protect their homes.  Frank makes one statement that most Union soldiers expected women to act like ladies when their homes were being ransacked and burned to the ground.  Frank’s analyses on the types of behavior which women brought about because of this is fascinating and brings a new light to the March to the Sea.  The book also goes to point out that some of these large homes were targets by Sherman and his army since Sherman, himself, blamed slaveholders for secession.  This would lead to the behavioral study which Frank brings about in this work.  Frank also does not bog down the book with heavy military documents, but brings about the human side to the war.  This is where many books on the March to the Sea eventually fail when trying to talk about the civilians experience with Sherman, but here in The Civilian War, Frank succeeds in bringing us a thrilling narrative and study about the women of the South and their interactions with Union soldiers.
                I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Sherman’s March to the Sea, or anyone interested  in the Civilian life during the entire war.  This study not only brings about new thought to Sherman’s March to the Sea, but it makes readers think about the whole operation.  It shows what some of these women had to do in order to survive and make their voice heard.  The narrative is thrilling and the research is amazing.  Overall, this is one not to be missed.