General Grant and the Rewriting of History: How the Destruction of General William S. Rosecrans Influenced Our Understanding of the Civil War
Frank P. Varney
Savas Beatie, 2018, 312 pgs, $19.95
ISBN: 978-1-61121-419-2
Image courtesy of amazon.com           


 Ever since I got interested in the American Civil War, I’ve been fascinated with the memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant.  I am aware that most of it is personal memories that are manipulated to better the image of himself, but I still think that it is an important book.  That doesn’t mean historians cannot scrutinize the work that Grant performed in the writing of this book.  General Grant and the Rewriting of History is the book that tackles the subject of how Grant wrote these words and how he used his own standing do defame General Rosecrans.  Frank P. Varney takes us through this journey and understanding of how such a book became a cornerstone in Civil War era writing.
​
            Frank P. Vareny teaches United States and Classical History at Dickinson State University of North Dakota and is also the Director of the Theodore Roosevelt Honors Leadership Program.  He gained his Ph.D. at Cornell University and regularly brings student groups to battlefields.  He is working on an on-site course for both Gettysburg and Chickamauga and has made several appearances before Civil War Roundtables and historical societies around the country.

            One of the first things I learned about the memoirs of U.S. Grant is that they were heavily influenced by Mark Twain.  I have learned since that it’s not quite true, and that has morphed my understanding of this book.  So I’m always excited when a book is released about the creation of this book that so many have in their Civil War collections.  Frank Varney goes deeper than just a simple idea that memoirs are memoirs and should be taken with a grain of salt.  No one wants to write a memoir where they come off looking poorly.  And the same can be said for Grant’s memoirs.  But the main point of this Varney’s book comes in the analysis of what happened to Rosecrans and how Grant treated him in his writing.  While Varney talks about the unreliability of Grant throughout the introduction and the first few chapters, it is his account of the Battle of Iuka where the rivalry between Rosecrans truly begins.  The issues with Rosecrans find its way towards Edwin Stanton, which doesn’t surprise me one bit, and from that, the feud only grows.  

            Varney speaks quite well about the subject matter, and I was pleased to learn that the subject of this book stems from a dissertation he had written.  There is a great passion to the narrative that I have not seen in a book about this subject for some time.  When I started reading this book, I thought it was going to be solely about the memoirs themselves, but instead, it takes the reader through the feud between both Grant and Rosecrans and broadens the horizon when it comes to understanding the memoirs.  The old adage is that “history is written by the victors,” but I never thought I would read an account about how the victors would blame and defame the victors twenty years after the war was over.  I knew about Confederate memoirs often passing blame from one to the other, but for the Union side to play that card as well?  It was surprising to say the least.  It is because of this that I always love reading about Grant’s memoirs and the process through which they were created.

            I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in either the Western Theater of the American Civil War or Ulysses S. Grant.  I think the service Varney has done for the Civil War community here is top notch, and shouldn’t be ignored.  I look forward to what he will offer the scholarship in the future.  Highly Recommended! 

​ The Petersburg Regiment in the Civil War: A History of the 12th Virginia Infantry from John Brown's Hanging to Appomattox, 1859-1865
John Horn
Savas Beatie, 2019, 456 pgs, $39.95
ISBN: 978-1-61121-436-9
Image courtesy of amazon.com        

     I enjoy a number of regimental histories as I grew my Civil War book collection, and I seemed to gravitate towards those units that served throughout the war as a whole, whether it be the eastern or western theater.  And each time a new history came out, I would be drawn to it.  These books gave me a chance to see through the eyes of a soldier through personal accounts and battle reports.  Today’s book, The Petersburg Regiment, is one such unit that served for the entirety of the war, and even serving before the war began.  And just like the subtitle of the book, this addition to regimental studies in the war doesn’t disappoint.
​
            John Horn gained his B.A. in English and Latin from New College in Sarasota, Florida and a J.D. from Columbia Law School.  John has practiced law around Chicago and has also held a local public office.  He has published a number of articles in Civil War Times Illustrated, America’s Civil War, and has authored some books on the subject as well.  Most recently, his work The Destruction of the Weldon Railroad, was republished in 2015 as The Siege of Petersburg: The Battles for the Weldon Railroad, August 1864.  

            If you were to look at a regimental history from the post-Civil War era of publishing, the chapters titles offer a look into each portion of the unit’s history.  While that may have been the style then, it’s no longer the case.  Horn puts out the regiment’s history in easy-to-follow segments, so that anyone looking to gain information on a specific battle or campaign would be able to find it in the table of contents.  But I’m not here to tell you about the table of contents.  But just by looking at the contents of this book, you’ll find that these men who served in the 12th Virginia, witnessed some of the most iconic battles during the war on the eastern theater.  I’ve always been fascinated with the story about the Bliss Farm during the Gettysburg campaign, and I was pleased to see such vivid accounts of the fight there during the battle.  Yet, one of the more exciting and nerve-wracking portions of the book was the account of the Crater.  To hear some of the stories about these men who were fighting in ditches and trying to find safety in this time was some of the best portions of the book.  Overall, the accounts of the battles were solid, well researched, and accompanied by some fine maps.

            But that’s not the only thing this book gave us.  One thing that regimental histories seems to drop during their accounts of the war tends to be the humanity of some soldiers.  The best ones stand out, but most others are there for research purposes.  I’m happy to say that The Petersburg Regiment is one of the regimental histories that humanizes the men in the ranks.  This isn’t just some informative reference guide that deepens histories of the battle.  These people described in this account are people.  By the end of reading this, I felt that some of these men were alive, jumping out of the page, and for that, it is a book that I would recommend.  Horn did an amazing job giving life to those who have passed so long ago.  The narrative is something to behold, and should be read by any regimental enthusiast.

            I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the life of Civil War regiments.  Not only does Horn excellently describe the battles these units took place in, but he brought them to life.  If there is anything an author should be praised for, it is the ability to create a story from the history.  Highly recommended!

The Maps of Fredericksburg: An Atlas of the Fredericksburg Campaign, Including all Cavalry Operations, September 18, 1862 - January 22, 1863
Bradley M. Gottfried
2018, 332 pages, $37.50
ISBN: 978-1-61121-371-3
Image courtesy of amazon.com

If there is one collection of books that have been released in the past fifteen years that I consider essential, it is the Maps of… books by Bradley M. Gottfried.  Not only has he supplied some of the most detailed and researched maps, his narratives that move along with the work are also astounding and can aid anyone who reads them to have a greater understanding of the battles they’re looking into.  Today’s entry into the series is The Maps of Fredericksburg and Gottfried has entered yet another essential into his series.  

            Bradley M. Gottfried holds a Ph.D. in Zoology from Miami University and has served as a teacher for higher education for more than forty years.  He is also a board member of the Central Virginia Battlefield Trust.  Gottfried has authored other works on the American Civil War including Stopping Pickett: The History of the Philadelphia Brigade, Brigades at Gettysburg, and the aforementioned Maps of…series, part of the Savas Beatie Military Atlas titles. 

            When I talk about the Battle of Fredericksburg with other civil war aficionados, the conversation usually strays towards the leadership of Ambrose Burnside, and or Mayre’s Heights.  But even though we continue telling those stories, I know there’s more to the battle than that.  Gottfried helps with those tidbits of knowledge that I was unaware of.  He details each and every movement that pushes itself towards the battle, and even parts of the aftermath.  When one talks about Fredericksburg, they often forget about the participation of Jackson’s forces, and for that, Gottfried has plenty to offer.  While the maps are something to behold, the narrative also offers a well written and cohesive study on the campaign as a whole, starting with the retreats from Maryland all the way to the beginning of the battle.  He chronicles the replacement of McClellan and the assumption of command for Burnside.  It was rather touching to hear the story about the review McClellan gave to the army before leaving, and how the regiments came to him as he made his departure.  That is one of the places where Gottfried’s narrative shines; his ability to take human interest stories and still insert them into a series of maps is what makes this book come alive for many.  Map sets eight through twelve talk about the attacks happening on the southern portion of the line when the battle first began, and is the lesser talked about aspect of the battle.  It was rather refreshing to see that amount of attention set before that portion, and presented in such a way to garner interest.  For those who are new to the battle, it should offer them a chance to reach out to other studies of the fight and gain deeper understanding.  And that’s another gift that Gottfried gives us in these maps.  The narrative is beautiful, yes, but he also gives us motivation to learn more about the campaigns through his extensive research.  

            Mayre’s Heights is presented here just as well as the attack to the south with Jackson and Meade.  And while each map is different, it says something about the command leadership that most of them look fairly the same from page turn to page turn.  That’s not a negative on Gottfried, but on Burnside.  When you hear the horror stories about this battle, it’s right there in front for you to see.  And the portion of the book dedicated to the aftermath of the fight, chronicling the infamous “Mud March” is even more haunting.  There is no doubt for anyone to see as to why Burnside’s tenure as commander for the Army of the Potomac lasted as long as it did.  I remember seeing the political cartoon with Lady Columbia pointing the finger to the high command and asking how it would answer for all Union dead at Fredericksburg.  And as I read through the portions of Mayre’s Heights and the aftermath, it was one of the prevalent images flowing through my head.  
​
            I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the American Civil War as a whole, along with the rest of the excellent atlas series published by Savas Beatie.  The maps are beautiful, giving not only a perfect picturesque representation on the battle, but a wonderful narrative as well.  Not only should Gottfried be praised, but Savas Beatie for continuing to publish these materials.  I look forward to the work of Gottfried, not only in his atlas series, but in his future endeavors as well.  Highly recommended!    

Gettysburg's Peach Orchard: Longstreet, Sickles, and the Bloody Fight for the "Commanding Ground" Along the Emmitsburg Road
James A. Hessler and Britt Isenberg
Savas Beatie, 2019, 416 pp., $34.95
ISBN: 978-1-61121-455-0
​Image courtesy of amazon.com

For many people, the Gettysburg Campaign is a subject of fascination.  And with all of the books written about the battle and the steps leading up to it, and even those in the aftermath, some tidbits and details still bear writing about.  The overall narrative of the battle has changed throughout the years which is one of the major reasons that people continue writing.  But I have always felt that the Peach Orchard is one section of the battle that I’ve always wanted to know more about.  In this new work by James A. Hessler and Britt C. Isenberg, the Peach Orchard comes alive.

    James A. Hessler is the author of Sickles at Gettysburg and Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg.  He was one of the primary content designers for the Gettysburg app for the American Battlefield Trust.  Hessler has also written several articles for publication for the American Battlefield Trust.  Britt C. Isenberg has worked for the Gettysburg National Military Park since 2014 and has published many Civil War periodicals.  He is the author of The Boys Fought Like Demons which chronicled the 105th Pennsylvania Infantry.  Both Hessler and Isenberg are Licensed Battlefield Guides at Gettysburg.  

    As I said in the introduction, I feel like the Peach Orchard often gets ignored when talking about the action of the second day at Gettysburg.  But here, we have an in-depth look at the actions which were taken by all the major players.  The book focuses on two major figures, Generals Longstreet and Sickles, and the coverage on Sickles talks to his advance that has sparked a great deal of controversy throughout the years.  I very much enjoyed the analysis of the advance made by Sickles and the pressure it had placed on Longstreet.  The text makes an interesting point that while Ewell and Hill’s corps were celebrating the success of the first day of combat, Longstreet’s men were mainly on the march and for that, there is an interesting look into the overall mind of not only the commanders but the soldiers as well.  When the narrative reaches combat, it is handled quite well mainly in the understanding of the minutia of what happened there and the research is quite well done.  Hessler’s previous work on both Sickles and Pickett’s Charge only heightens the intricacies of what is presented here.  In some way, there is a grand narrative being written about the battle when reading all three of Hessler's works as a whole.  

    I highly recommend this book, especially to Gettysburg enthusiasts.  I think that it is a welcome addition to the scholarship for a battle deeply covered.  The blend of military tactics with human interest stories is what makes books like these stand out.  The maps are wonderfully drawn and understandable, and the narrative is structure is quite good in the manner of history.  Overall, Hessler and Isenberg should be applauded for the work they have done here.  This should be in every Gettysburg library for both scholars and enthusiasts. 

Targeted Tracks: The Cumberland Valley Railroad in the Civil War, 1861-1865
Scott L. Mingus, Sr. and Cooper H. Wingert
Savas Beatie, 2019, 272 pp., $32.95
ISBN: 978-1-61121-461-1
Image courtesy of amazon.com         
 
For those of you who’ve read my reviews before, there is always one thing which I praise, and that is simply tell me something new.  Thankfully, there have been many works throughout the past few years which have always taught me something I never knew about the American Civil War and Targeted Tracksadds to that.  The railroads in the war is something that has always fascinated me, and with this work by both Scott Mingus Sr., and Cooper H. Winger, I have learned more about this lesser spoken about aspect.  And with the book being centered around the Cumberland Valley Railroad during the war, there was quite a bit to be excited about.

            Scott L. Mingus Sr. is a well known Civil War author who has penned many books and essays.  Overall, he has written nineteen books on the subject, all of which add greatly to the Civil War scholarship.  Confederate General William “Extra Billy” Smith was the recipient of the Dr. James I. Robertson Jr. Literary Award for Confederate History.  Cooper Wingert is also a well known author on the subject, writing both on slavery and the American Civil War.  His book, The Confederate Approach on Harrisburg, won the 2012 Dr. James R. Robertson Jr. Literary Award for Confederate History.

            Targeted Tracksdetails the history of the Cumberland Valley Railroad throughout the Civil War, and in some ways reads like a biography.  The events which unravel along this important railway not only shape some of the most iconic battles in the eastern theater, but had some interesting encounters itself. As the first major war to use the railroad system, there was much to use and exploit concerning this new mode of transportation for both armies and supplies.  The book even details the burning of the railroad bridge at Scotland, Pennsylvania which had crucial ramifications to the proceeding months.  The railroad was under such contention that it often saw more action waged against it than one would expect from a major supply line.  Both Mingus and Wingert detail each attack, each operation, that used the line with excellent research and a wonderful narrative.  You could feel the havoc that the Confederates were creating when they took over the line.  You could feel the tension of the northern officials when they were attempting to protect it.  Overall, the narrative is fueled by primary sources which only stand to enrich the story which is being presented here.  In many ways, we now have the book about the Cumberland Valley Railroad that we always wanted.  The importance of this railroad was always there in the back of my mind, but never before had it been written out so well.
​
            I highly recommend this book.  Not only will fans of the campaigns that this railway surrounded enjoy it, but I think a Civil War reader overall will enjoy this.  It tells the story of a persona in the war that we often put in the back of our minds, but what Mingus and Wingert have truly done is given us a biography of this railroad.  It is a much needed study and it will be greatly appreciated for the coming years. Once again, the attention and detail which these two authors put into this work is outstanding and deserves all the praise it is given.  

The Great Battle Never Fought: The Mine Run Campaign, November 26 – December 2, 1863
Chris Mackowski
Savas Beatie, 2018, 192 pages, $14.95
ISBN: 978-1-61121-407-9
Image courtesy of amazon.com
 
If there is one thing that is certain, the Emerging Civil War Series, has brought some interesting subjects to our attention.  While there are the usual campaigns and battles which the series tackles, the series continues with intriguing studies as well.  Here in The Great Battle Never Fought, Chris Mackowski handles the subject of George Meade and the Mine Run Campaign, along with the mistakes made in the commander’s mind after the Battle of Gettysburg.  Not only that, the book handles some of the political issues, something that the series has knocked out of the park in the past.  The story of pressure from the administration, along with the looming threat of the campaign as a whole, makes for a great read.

                Chris Mackowski is a name many in the Civil War realm know as a major voice in the Emerging Civil War Series.  He also posts on the blog for Emerging Civil War.  He is the editor in chief for that blog and is a writing professor at Saint Bonaventure University.  He is also the historian in residence at Stevenson’s Ridge on the Spotsylvania battlefield.  He has authored a number of works throughout this series, along with Chancellorsville’s Forgotten Front: The Battles of Second Fredericksburg and Salem Church, and Seizing Destiny. 

                When it comes to a study of the Mine Run Campaign, most people tend to forget what happened throughout.  However, Mackowski works hard to detail everything we would need to know about this campaign and the battles fought throughout.  But the other thing which Mackowski does well is the political sphere which Meade suffered through after the major victory in Pennsylvania.  But even though the political sphere is important, Mackowski focuses more on the action which occurred in this campaign.  I enjoyed the great detail which the author placed into the Battle of Payne’s Farm, along with the road which brought the armies there, and even the aftermath of the campaign.  I mention that because it was a pivotal time for General Meade as he juggled the possibilities that he could be removed, while trying to end a campaign at the same time.  His surety of being relieved of command was a great insight into the mind of this commander, and gave me a better outlook onto this man whom many have criticized through the years for not following Lee fast enough after Gettysburg. 
​
                I highly recommend The Great Battle Never Fought to people interested in the Gettysburg Campaign, especially the aftermath of what occurred with Meade.  Mackowski once again brings a great study, along with a tour through the battlefield, to the Emerging Civil War Series.  I always look forward to reading one of these works with they are announced and I am never disappointed.  Accompanied by fine maps and photographs, this is yet another fine addition to this series.  Highly Recommended.  

​I Am Perhaps Dying: The Medical Backstory of Spinal Tuberculosis Hidden in the Civil War Diary of LeRoy Wiley Gresham
Dennis Rasbach, MD. FACS.
Savas Beatie, 2018,  120 pp., $14.95
ISBN: 978-1-61121-450-5
Image courtesy of amazon.com
 
In 2018, one of the most monumental works on the American Civil War was released.  The War Outside My Window not only took the Civil War world by storm, but was ranked as one of the best new releases on the subject.  I, myself, found the narrative of this young boy’s journal to be fascinating, to say the least.  But the subject matter did not end there.  Here, we have I Am Perhaps Dying, which is the story of the medical issues which LeRoy Wiley Gresham underwent through the former mentioned work.  Now, the medical issues were addressed in the young boy’s writing, but this work delves deeper into spinal tuberculosis which he suffered from. 
                Dennis Rasbach, MD., FACS, is a graduate from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.  He is a practicing surgeon and has authored a previous work on the American Civil War.  Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain and the Petersburg Campaign: His Supposed Charge from Fort Hell, his Near-Mortal Wound, and a Civil War Myth Reconsidered, was released in 2016.  He is also a member of the Civil War Round Table of Southwest Michigan. 
                I have always been fascinated by Civil War medicine and every time I read about it, there’s just something missing.  As with Rasbach’s work on Chamberlain, he doesn’t disappoint in this work.  He addressed spinal tuberculosis in such a way that I felt the topic was well drawn out for once.  Once of the book’s portions which I found to be fascinating was the medical history of the condition and how it was diagnosed in previous ages.  While this book mainly focuses on young LeRoy Wiley Gresham, a decent amount of this book talks about medicine in this age while using his story as a backdrop.  For that, Rasbach should be commended.  This is not an easy subject to write about, especially to those who are not in the know of medical jargon, but he makes it understandable for the reader.  As I was reading through the book, I gained a greater knowledge on this era and the medicine which came from it.  As a companion book to The War Outside My Window, this work is perfect.  He even addresses when LeRoy Gresham wanted nothing more than for the doctors to saw off his leg.  While the section is not completely in depth, there are parts within that portion that gives the reader pause to the type of world, medically, that they were living through back then.  It makes one glad to see progression in this field.
                I highly recommend this work to any interested in Civil War Medicine and all who read The War Outside My Window.  Not only is this a perfect companion piece to the aforementioned work, but it is a great resource when it comes to Civil War Medicine.  Rasbach does a phenomenal job in portraying what medicine was like and what Gresham went through in his life with Spinal Tuberculosis.  Those who are not savvy on medical lingo should not be concerned since his writing style allows for an understanding for all who read it.  Highly recommended!

The Real Horse Soldiers: Benjamin Grierson’s Epic 1863 Civil War Raid Through Mississippi
Timothy B. Smith
Savas Beatie, 2018, 336 pp., $32.95
ISBN: 978-1-61121-428-4
Image courtesy of amazon.com
 
I have been enjoying much of the coverage the Western Theater of the American Civil War has been gaining as of late.  With the plethora of works coming out that are paying attention to this conflict, there has been little of that attention paid to Benjamin Grierson’s Raid.  Most of those mentions come within the body of larger works and it is not fully described as much as I wanted it to be.  The Real Horse Soldiers, by Timothy B. Smith is such a work that I have been waiting for.  This book details everything about this raid  and even more so, it gives the reader a deeper understanding of the Western Theater as a whole during the year of 1863. 

                Timothy B. Smith is a professor at the University of Tennessee and has authored many articles and essays.  He also has a number of previous works under his belt including Champion Hill: Decisive Battle for Vicksburg, Rethinking Shiloh, and Corinth 1862.  He received the Fletcher Pratt Award for and the McLemore Prize for Shiloh: Conquer or Perish.  He also won the Tennessee History Book Award for Grant Invades Tennessee: The 1862 Battles for Fort Henry and Donelson.  Timothy B. Smith has also served for the National Park Service.

                To fully understand Grierson’s Raid, there must be a study wholly devoted to it, something Civil War Academia hasn’t had for some time.  This book not only gives us an insight into how the plan was formulated, and how it all began, it is laid out for the reader in an interesting way.  While reading this book, it almost felt like a thriller in many ways.  There were even points where I felt that it read like a heist novel.  It is that type of engaging writing that makes me glad that a book like this exists.  It is informative without being too dry.  But the book is not just about the exciting narrative, though it does help.  This book gives us what we needed: a study on the raid itself.  It was interesting to see the mindset of the man as he reached difficulties throughout the plan.  But I would be remiss if I did not mention the attention to detail that Smith gave to the Confederate side as well.  There were frustrations on Grierson’s part of not completely finding out where the enemy’s position was in certain portions of the book, and it is shown when describing the opposition here.  Pemberton seemed like a force to be reckoned with, but in the end, Grierson overcame them all. 
​
                When I finished reading this book, one thought immediately came into my mind.  Why are there not more works about this raid?  It seems like an event in the Civil War that should be talked about more often, but it is glossed over.  In other books about the Western Theater during the year of 1863, there are only mere mentions of how it aided in the cause, but a serious work was always lacking.  That is one of the reasons that I recommend this book one hundred percent.  I don’t only recommend it for the readers of the Western Theater, I recommend it all Civil War enthusiasts.  This is a part of the war that should not be forgotten and I thank Timothy B. Smith for writing this work.  I am glad to say that there is a well researched work on Grierson’s Raid that we can go to and I can see this becoming a classic.