or slightly used, when I first sta ed reading about the Civil War, to today, when many are now true
collector’s items. These are the books published during the Civil War Centennial years of 196165, along with a number of works that were penned in the decades just before, an era of remarkable publishing and publishers, and of authors who could really write. Plus the artwork on the dust jackets of these little jewels is uniq and exciting, and unlike anything produced today. (If anyone has a fine-plus copy of Eckenrode and Conrad’s “James Longstreet, Lee’s War Horse,” please give me a call!).
So, now we know what books have value, and why, but exactly how do we determine realistic
conservatively, as we are in it fo the long haul and strive for an
active turnover of stock. Others are happy to shoot for the strato-
sphere, and set a price that will almost insure that the book will
gather dust while awaiting that rare “Price is no Object” kind of customer. If you have gone to the
internet and observed the wide range of prices for the same title in like condition, you have seen what I mean; an asking price can be very different than a selling
price. Our method is first based upon what we paid for it, and
secondly, what we sold it for last time. There was a time that Civil War books, like real estate, appre ciated in value every year at an almost predictable rate. No more. Except for the true rarity, a firs edition signed by an author or
veteran, or a general’s autobiography in pristine condition, price
are currently holding steady, and will probably remain so for some time. That is why the best price guide still on the market, in my opinion, is that by Tom Broadfoot, Civil War Books, A Priced Checklist With Advice, Fifth Edition. It is sixteen years old at t writing, but it is a great place t start, and not too far off in most cases, in spite of the passage of time. It is also an excellent aid to identifying first editions, and determining the number of printings a certain title has enjoyed. Then, AbeBooks or Alibris on the internet might be consulted,
at least to find out what certain known and reputable dealers are selling the same titles for, and how many copies might actually be available. Spending as much
time as possible comparing prices at bookshops, conferences,
Civil War shows, and antiquarian book fairs is also a good ide and always a productive and enjoyable way for the bibliophile to deepen his knowledge, and maybe even get lucky from time to time. My advice when pricing a book that you want to turn int currency of the realm is to find
the average price for a particul title, and then price your copy somewhere below that. Finally,
when in doubt, think about asking an expert, another bookselle or maybe an appraiser. Many of us don’t really charge very much and we always love to share our opinions. The bottom line is, pr the books to sell, not to keep, be happy with a modest markup. Of course, we have been discussing retail values, with an eye to selling to the general public. If, on the other hand, you think about selling to a boo
to negotiate a wholesale price, which can vary widely depending,
once again, upon the content, quantity, and condition of the book or collection involved; wha
say nothing of the predilections of the particular book buyer with whom you are hoping to do business. To sum up, once again, the true value of a book is the price that it is likely to sell for in the current second-hand book market, either wholesale or retail. Happy Hunting, and I hope this
fair market value of your books? I can help. Give me a call for a general or a detailed appraisal, and I will make sure that you are ready for insurance purposes, charitable deductions, estate planning, or for the sale of your book collection, call:
Owens & Ramsey Historical Booksellers 2728 Tinsley Drive, Richmond, VA 23235
Marc is the co-owner of Owens & Ramsey Booksellers and the author of The 7th South Carolina
The American C The war’s impa lie at the hea through time i
ase send your book(s) for review to: Book Review Editor, Stephen Davis
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Federal Intelligence Was Super Much Embarrassed: Civil War Intelligence and the Gettysburg Campaign. By George Donne. Illustrated, photos, ma 201 pages, 2016, Helion & Com-
The role and impact of milit intelligence are critical aspe Civil War history. Yet the yie this subject has been limited, the harvesters few. As a resul George Donne’s effort to amend this deficiency is welcomed. The title Much Embarrassed requires explanation. The author drew it from Gen. Robert E. Lee’s official report (date January 1864 not “end of July” 1863) in which he stated, “the movements of the army preced-
nfederates’ In Gettysburg Campaign ing the battle of Gettysburg had been much embarrassed by the absence of the cavalry.” In 19th century military parlance, “embarrassed” meant “hampered” or “impeded,” rather than the modern connotation of “shamed” or “humiliated.” Donne specifies that the separation of Maj. Gen. Jeb Stuart’s cavalry brigades from the main army translated into a loss of Lee’s main source of intelligence during the battle of Gettysburg. The saga of Stuart’s adventures during the Rebel forces’ march northward from Virginia toward Pennsylvania is a central theme of this insightful examination of the disparity between Union and Confederate intelligence resources during the Gettysburg Campaign. The author narrates events from early June to mid-July. He describes the broad-based intelligence capability of the Union Army of the Potomac in comparison to woefully inadequate resources of Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. To his detriment, Lee retained old-army methods learned during the Mexican War and frontier days of the 1840s and 1850s, and spurned modern techniques for gathering and communicating information about the enemy. Much Embarrassed illustrates intelligence operations during the Gettysburg Campaign as a
progression from earlier engagements, including on the Virginia
Based in Military history to Chambersburg, on the Frontier” wi
Corinth, Ms. Theater.’ Tours o Tupelo, and more July 26-30 “on to richmond” Based in Conference will Richmond, Va. McClellan, The 7 by Robert E. L. sEpt 21-24 lincoln At AntiEtAm Based in Featuring bus t Chambersburg, Pa. Antietam with J
Peninsula, Antietam, Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville as practiced by Lee on the one hand and Gens. George McClellan, Ambrose Burnside and Joseph Hooker on the other. Hooker’s establishment of an intelligence staff, the Bureau o Military Information (BMI), in early 1863 to support the Army of the Potomac is featured as ke to Union success at Gettysburg. Donne takes Lee to task for his myopic mindset regarding intelligence operations, and his all-eggs-in-one-basket approach that primarily relied on a single source — the cavalry. This over-dependence came a cropper when Union intelligence operatives generated reports while th armies were on the march northward from Virginia. Stuart’s separation from Lee several days prior to and during confrontation of the opposing forces at Gettysburg proved to b a handicap that Lee did not over come. It should be noted, however, on June 28, Lt. Gen. James Longstreet’s spy, Henry Thomas Harrison, provided timely warning about approaching Union forces that preempted a threat to Lee’s vulnerable army, which was dispersed across Pennsylvania from Chambersburg to the Susquehanna River. The author holds a degree in military history from the Univer sity of Buckingham in England,
and lives in Guildford, Surrey. This lucid analysis of Union and
y Ed Bearss of “George Washingto of the ill-fated Braddock Campa
, Corinth, Brice’s Crossroads, g Tim Smith, Tom Parson, others.
tours of Stuart’s Ride around the Lower Peninsula. Tours & ta dwin Bearss, John Querstein, oth
Lincoln’s October 1862 visit to ldt and others.
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Confederate intelligence-gathering functions, and services provided the respective commanders, is based on his master’s thesis. Although Donne highlights the U.S. Bureau of Military Information’s role in the Gettysburg Campaign, he did not consult the BMI files held at the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. These documents are vital to understanding the full story. Several anomalies: the author labels Lee’s captured Special Order 191 during the 1862 Maryland campaign as SIGINT (signals intelligence); states that Brig. Gen. John Imboden commanded two cavalry brigades rather than one; places Lee’s provost guard, Maj. David Brigford’s 1st Battalion Virginia Infantry, with Lt. Gen. Richard Ewell’s advance corps; misidentifies BMI spy George S. Smith as Union Maj. Gen. Alfred “Pleasonton’s informant”; places Frederick and Middletown in Pennsylvania, not Maryland; and mentions that the Union army had six corps — it had seven. For all students of Gettysburg, Much Embarrassed is a mustread for its incisive rendition of the battle of wits which occurred between Union and Confederate commanders. Caution is given regarding the above anomalies
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How many Northern or Southern general officers kept diari Not too many. And of these, we can assume that most have long since been published. That’s why Robert Patrick Bender, ed., Worthy of the Caus For Which They Fight: The Civil War Diary of Brigadier General Daniel Harris Reynolds,
Published by the University of Arkansas Press in 2011—just a half-dozen years ago—it’s the journal kept from May 1861 to June 1865 by Daniel Reynolds, an Arkansan who rose from captain to brigadier general in th Confederate army. He fought from Wilson’s Creek to Bentonville, itself a rather astonish feat. More, Reynolds served in the Army of Tennessee from
Chickamauga on. Publication of his diary is thus a notable eve in the still-growing literature the Confederacy’s second-most famous army. The title thus appropriately fits into “The Civi War in the West Series” of the University of Arkansas Press (s ries editors are T. Michael Par and Daniel E. Sutherland). The story of how such an important manuscript came to light is in itself interesting. Bender, who teaches at Eastern New Mexico University in Roswell, most kindly shared it with me. A descendant of General Reynolds, living in South Carolina, donated the typescript of Reynolds’ diary t the University of Arkansas in 1956. The original manuscript, if extant, remains in private hands somewhere; Bob could not track it down. He was a history graduate student at Arkansas, working in the university libra when he learned of the Reynolds diary. He secured permission for publication and set to
work editing. I’ll say he did; Bender meticulously identifies all manner of individuals and places referred to in the text. conscientious notes run almost
itic ’ s C orner a hundred pages of the book. With good reason, Series Editors Parrish and Sutherland claim that Bender’s edition of General Reynolds’ Civil War diary is “the closest thing to a biography that we are likely to have” of this Confederate brigadier. I emailed Dr. Bender—he’s a most cordial gentleman—asking if he were aware of the Reynolds typescript having been used by scholars before he brought it to publication; he told me no. “That was part of what drew me to the project,” he added; “it
seemed like a manuscript that should be made more available to research.” Corroboration came when I contacted Dr. Lawrence L. Hewitt of Chicago, who wrote the biographical article on Reynolds for the National Historical Society’s six-volume The Confederate General (1991). He did not know about it when he was writing, though of course, he wishes that he had. “Obviously,” Larry wrote me, Reynolds’ published diary “will forever remain the capstone of the Daniel Harris Reynolds bibliography.” (Coincidentally, at the time of this wri ing, I notice that Gary Ecelbarge cites Bender, ed., Worthy of the Cause For Which They Fight in his new history of the battle of Ezra Church.) Descended from colonial Virginians, Reynolds was born in Ohio in December 1832. He was raised on the family farm, but both parents died before he turne
eighteen. He resolutely pursued an education at Ohio Wesleyan and at law school. He moved to Lake Village, Arkansas, a town in the southeastern part of the stat near the Mississippi, and set up his law practice. He bought land (but no slaves) and rose as a loc political leader. In early 1861 h announced as a staunch secessionist. When war loomed, Reynolds helped recruit a company of mounted rifles, which elected him captain. His diary opens on May 25, 1861, as Reynolds and his company set out for mustering in at Little Rock. With the 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles, Reynolds rode in Ben McCulloch’s brigade and saw his first action at Sprin field/Wilson’s Creek. Ensuing camp life brought its customary boredom; on Christmas Day 1861 Captain Reynolds noted in his diary, “all the boys distress ingly sober.” After fighting at P Ridge, the Arkansawyers* were ordered across the river, none too cheerfully. They were further
displeased when ordered in April ’62 to give up their horses and serve dismounted. Reynolds rose through the ranks: major in April ‘62;
lieutenant colonel on May 1. The 1st Arkansas in July was ordered to Kirby Smith’s force in East Tennessee. In the Smith-Bragg raid into Kentucky, Reynolds led the regiment in the Battle of Richmond on August 30, calling the Confederate victory there “a fine day’s work.” They were not at Perryville, but afterward join in the retreat back to Tennessee. In the spring of 1863, Reynolds and his comrades were sent to Mississippi as a relief column as Grant neared Vicksburg. “June 11,” he recorded, “can distinctly
hear cannonading at Vicksburg. We are anxious to move forward and relieve the place as soon as possible.” As we know, that was not to be. After the fall of the river fortress, the Arkansawyers joined Bragg’s army just in time for Chickamauga. On the second day, September 20, as part of Evander McNair’s brigade, they participated in the Confederate attack which swept the Federal right and center from the field. After the battle, McNair’s brigad was sent to Mississippi. There Reynolds’ fellow officers began calling for his promotion to brig adier general, and so signed a pe tition in mid-December 1863 to Secretary of War Seddon, which General McNair himself warmly endorsed. On the last day of 1863, Reynolds penned in his diary his hope that “our cruel enemies will ceas a hopeless war and acknowledge our independence.” “Our
independence once gained,” he commented, would lead to a “glorious and prosperous” future for the Southern people. “If we are true to ourselves,” Reynolds added, “we will be a beacon light to guide the oppressed of other nations in future times.” In March 1864, a brigadier’s commission was granted, and Reynolds took command of what came to be called “Reynolds’ Arkansas brigade.” In early May, the unit was transferred to North Georgia and joined Gen. Joseph E. Johnston’s Army of Tennessee. From then on Reynolds and his troops fought to hold Sherman’s armies at bay in North Georgia. Resaca, Cassville, New Hope Church and Kennesaw Mountain followed. The Arkansawyers kept their spirits durin Johnston’s retreats; “my men can bear almost anything and be cheerful,” Reynolds recorded in his diary on June 4. After the Confederates withdrew into the defenses of Atlanta, the Arkansas brigade saw action at Peachtree
Creek, July 20. His command “as usual acquitted itself with credit” in their attack late that afternoon, albeit failing to carr the enemy works. After John B.
Hood replaced Johnston, he set the troops to fortifying around the city. “The whole army is busy at work,” Reynolds noted on July 24. Five weeks later Atlanta fell when Sherman cut Hood’s last railroad into the city. Reynolds recorded no words of lament at the loss. Indeed, several days later, he entered in his diary on September 4 his satisfaction that the Democrats’ Chicago Platform still offered some political hope for the Confederacy. Indeed, Daniel Reynolds commendably maintained his morale
through the war’s final months. “All with us are in fine spirits,” he wrote on Oct. 16, 1864, adding somewhat remarkably, “Hood is becoming more popular daily.” Indeed, even after the disastrous Tennessee Campaign, Reynolds clung to the colors, traveling wit the remnants of Hood’s army into North Carolina. At Bentonville, March 19, 1865, he caught a shell fragment in his left leg; amputation above the knee resulted. In hospital at Charlottesville, he re ceived his parole. General Reynolds limped home to Lake Village. In his last diary entry, June 15, 1865, he reflected on his four years’ service and sacrifice. “The war is over and we failed,” he acknowledged. I have many things to regret an many things to be proud of, but of none am I prouder than that of
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having commanded “Reynolds’s Arkansas Brigade” and nothing do I regret so much as the loss of our cause. We lost many brave men, but those who did their duty like men will ever be held in grat ful remembrance by their relatives and friends, and by the friends of constitutional liberty everywhere. Peace to their ashes. Daniel Reynolds thus furled the colors of his country’s cause as he closed his diary. We owe great thanks to Robert Bender and the University of Arkansas Press for having brought this valuable doc-
ument into print. *I know we usually call resident of the 25th state ArKANsuns, but Dr. Bender uses Arkansawyers. He explained to me that both terms ar used by people of the state. Citiz preferring Arkansawyers do so because it sounds more like the stat name, as opposed to -KANsans.
Steve Davis of Atlanta is a regula is the Book Review Editor. His new book, A Long and Bloody Task: The Atlanta Campaign from Dalton through Kennesaw Mountain to the Chattahoochee River May 5-July 18, 1864, has just been published as part of Savas Beatie’s Emerging Civil War paperback series. The companion volume, carrying the Atlanta Campaign to the city’s surrender on September 2, 1864, will be published early next year.
ompany of Military Historians Society of Appraisers C Division, SCV
How To Win A Prestigious Book Aw Book Review Editor’s note: After our column in the Novem-
ber issue about distinguished book awards given by several Civil War Round Tables around the country, we decided to ask one of our veteran book reviewers, Tom Ryan of Bethany Beach, Delaware, how it felt when his book was bestowed such an honor. Here’s his story.
By Thomas J. Ryan Writing is a demanding, yet self-rewarding craft. Motivation to meet its demands stems from the people who find your prose interesting and enjoyable. Recognition of your work by a peer group, however, is the equivalen of reaching nirvana. Nirvana visited the Ryan house hold in June when the telephone rang, and on the other end was John Zervas calling on behalf of the R.E. Lee Civil War Roundtable of Central New Jersey. To my welcome surprise, John’s group selected my book Spies, Scouts, and Secrets in the Gettysburg Campaign as the recipient of the Bachelder-Coddington Literary Award for the best book about Gettysburg in 2015. A press release announcing this prestigious award states, “This year brought forward several excellent candidates: While [the] decision was a challenge, our members found one winner to be most true to our tradition … ‘Spies, Scouts, and Secrets in the Gettysburg Campaign.’” The award is given to the work that “most significantly contributes to the knowledge of the Gettysburg Campaign or to its memorialization.” It is named “for t two most preeminent historians of Gettysburg, and this award en courages the continuation of the legacy.”
The process of putting this boo together is rooted in a month-long
trip visiting Civil War battlefiel in 1995. After serving 35 years in intelligence-related capacities with the Department of Defense, my goal in retirement was to visit the sites of our country’ deadliest conflict. Proceeding from home in Maryland, I drove through West Virginia and Ohio to Lincoln country in Indiana and Illinois. I crossed the Mississippi River into Missouri and south into Arkansas before re-crossing the river into Tennessee. From there, I went down into Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas, returning via Louisiana to Alabama and Georgia, before heading back home through the Carolinas and Virginia. Visiting innumerable sites and meeting people from all walks of life along the way, this trip covered over 6,000 miles and imbedded the geography, history, and persona of the Civil War into my psyche. Desiring to share this information with others, I contacted Woody West, editor of the “Civil War” page of the Washington Times. Beginning in 1997, the Times published more than sixty of my articles and book reviews over the next twelve years — including several dealing with intelligence operations. Expanding selected articles for publication in Gettysburg Magazine from 2003 through 2005, I wrote a five-part series titled “A Battle of Wits: I telligence Operations during the Gettysburg Campaign.” Recognizing these articles were the basis for a book, I divided them into seventeen chapters, and researched the details over the next few years. Since retirement and beginning a new career as a student of the Civil War, Gettysburg became my second home. As a member of the Friends of the National Parks at Gettysburg (Gettysburg Foundation), I attended its seminars and musters, as well as the bi-annual Get tysburg National Military Park seminars that featured various aspects of the battle. Maintaining a broader perspective over these years, I continued to travel exten sively to other cities, towns, and
battlefields to absorb the essenc of the Civil War era. It was instructive to learn what occurred in places that ranged from Wilmington, N.C. to Jacksonville, Fla Biloxi, Miss., Sharpsburg, Md. and Wrightsville, Pa. Having served in intelligence operations, that subject became my primary research initiative. I was evident that intelligence had played important, yet historically undervalued, roles in the outcome of Civil War battles. The number of books published on this subject was minute, and out of proportion to its impact durin the four-year conflict. In particular, of the 70,000-p books written about the Civil War, not one focused on intelligence operations of opposing armies in a particular battle. My goal was to remedy that omission, and the result that evolved over some 15 years was Spies, Scouts, and Secrets in the Gettysburg Campaign. Fortunately, Savas Beatie, Ted Savas’ publishing firm in California, agreed to turn this research into a publish product. The Bachelder-Coddington Literary Award for 2015 provides recognition to a small army of dedicated colleagues, friends, and family who played important roles in the development and fruition of this project. Foremos among them is my wife, Fil, who partnered with me from beginning to end, and to whom this work is dedicated. An announcement, I’m told, will soon be made that Spies, Scouts, and Secrets in the Gettysburg Campaign will be the recipient of a second major literar award. This second award will truly be icing on the cake. While the creative art of writ ing remains its own reward, it is nonetheless inspirational to know that an unseen audience is applauding your accomplishments.
The Civil War Memoirs of a Virginia Cavalryman. By Lt. Robert Hubbard Jr. Edited by Thomas P. Nanzig. Illustrated, photos, maps, 328 pp., 2016, Uni-
After the Civil War’s guns fel silent, those who fought for and supported the Confederacy had to not only pick up the pieces which remained in the conflict’s wake, but attempt to make sense of the war and come to terms with why the Confederate nation collapsed. For many former Confederates the quest to make sense of the defeat compelled them to take up their pens and write about the wa For some, it took years for them to realize that writing would hel sort out their wartime experience But for Lt. Robert T. Hubbard Jr. of the 3rd Virginia Cavalry, the impulse to engage in the cathartic experience of memoir writing began several months after the surrender at Appomattox. Hubbard’s Memoirs, first released in 2007 and now available for the first time in paperback, has been made available to Civil War historians through the effort of Thomas P. Nanzig, the author of several books, including a his tory of Hubbard’s regiment published in 1989. Nanzig has done a splendid job editing Hubbard’s Memoirs — he provides a con-
Publishers: Please send your book(s) fo CWN Book Review Editor,
520 Folly Road, Suite P-379, Email cover image to bookrevi unsolicited books wil
cise biographical sketch of Hubbard and appropriately notes the text, but does not provide excessive commentary overburdening this rich account. The greatest value of Hubbard’s Memoirs is that it offers enormous insight into the operations of the 3rd Virginia Cavalry and to a degree the operations of Confederate cavalry in the war’s Eastern Theater. Hubbard’s “straightforward narrative” will aid historians in not only garner ing a deeper understanding of the ebb and flow of such engagements as Aldie, Todd’s Tavern,
and Five Forks (a battle in which Hubbard was wounded), but also bringing clarity on how soldiers dealt with a battle’s outcome and coped with the loss of comrades. However, this volume offers much more. Hubbard’s postwar musings, enhanced by the editor’s inclusion of 16 wartime letters, offer insight into how s diers managed with being away from loved ones, dealt with issues of rampant sickness, and pondered the war’s international dimensions. Additionally, Hubbard’s Memoirs offers much valuable insight into the complexities of what compelled him, a law student at the University of Virginia at the conflict’s outset, and those of h generation to support secession and enlist. This volume’s richness is magnified by Hubbard’s candid assessment of his superiors and foes. Although he admired Gen. Robert E. Lee, Hubbard criticized him as being somewhat overconfident. Throughout the memoir Hubbard heaps praise on various Confederate commanders, most notably Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson and Gen. J.E.B. Stuart, but at times finds admirable qualities in his battlefiel counterparts, including George Armstrong Custer — a man Hubbard believed to be a “very brave officer.” Hubbard’s honest assessments extend to his fellow soldiers in the Confederate army. Unlike so
unending patriotic zeal permeating Confederate ranks until the war’s close; instead he saw the army’s “martial spirit” in “rapi decline” by the end of 1862. In fact, Hubbard believed that dete riorating morale compelled some of his fellow troopers to abuse their horses so that they would not have to fight and risk undue harm. This memoir, richly illustrate with maps tracing the 3rd Virginia Cavalry’s movement from their time on the Virginia Peninsula to the time of Hubbard’s
Encyclopedia Of Black Powder Projectiles Found In North America; 1759 – 1865 Volume III. Confederate Rifled Projectiles. By Col. John Biemeck (Ret.). Black Powder Artificer
The second installment of essentially the last word on North American black powder projectiles has arrived and because of the amount of information contained therein, the number of pages, and the heavy, high-quali glossy stock paper used, it weig as much as any large caliber Civ War siege artillery projectile. is 485 pages in length, contains 447 pages of illustrations, data charts and text explaining 650 Confederate and British rifle pr jectiles to include their histor patent numbers, usage, production, functioning, measurements, fusing, sabots, bursting charges payloads, and more. It is the most complete and detailed listing of Confederate projectiles that has been published to date and includes many projectiles that are extinc with no known surviving specimens. It lists virtually ev rifled projectile used by the Confederate service and many that have not been previously reported in any of the current
wounding at Five Forks on April 1, 1865, should appeal to a wide array of historians interested in the war’s Eastern Theater, the life of Confederate cavalrymen, and soldiers’ perceptions of thei superiors, comrades-in-arms, and enemies.
Prof. Jonathan A. Noyalas is the director of the McCormick Civil War Institute at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Va. He the author or editor of 11 books Civil War era history, including most recent Civil War Legacy in the Shenandoah: Remembrance, Reunion, and Reconciliation.
books. It includes imported projectiles that are being sold a Civil War relics, which they are not. It also has a section on “Miscellaneous rifled projectiles,” Union and Confederate. This includes the German Krupp and French Enfold munitions which are often misidentified and sold as Armstrong projectiles. It details how they can be identified because they have different features and diameters. It also includes all known rifled canister, Confederate and Union, because they were similar and often used by both sides. It is safe to say the author k more about such projectiles than the manufacturers or users did at the time. Nonetheless, the author appeals to anyone interested in the subject with new or correcting information to forward same to him. This is literally a oncein-a-lifetime opportunity to make this reference work as complete as humanly possible. The book is indexed and contains a thorough bibliography of all references (most published). And again, the author rightly and forcefully and repeatedly warns throughout against playing with or attempting to deactivate rounds of unknown origin or type because they can be extremely dangerous. A reference work of monumental proportions by an author with extensive military experience, it is a necessary addition to any military reference library and fo anyone interested in 19th century artillery. The two volumes are available directly from the author, and if both published vol umes are purchased together, a discount is given. Volume 1 will be published last.
Peter Frandsen is a regular book reviewer for The Artilleryman, ou sister publication. This review appears in the Winter 2016 issue of the magazine.
The Fifth Massachusetts Colored Cavalry in the Civil War. By Stephen M. LaBarre. Illustrations, bibliography, index, 232 pp., 2016, McFarland & Co.,
The history of the 5th Massachusetts Colored Cavalry reached its apex on April 3, 1865 when it became the first colored regiment to enter the defeated city of Richmond. The troopers, swelled with pride, wore neat uniforms and sat erect in their saddles. “Goin through the city, we passed thousands of citizens, colored and white, who cheered and cheered us as we rode in triumph through the streets,” recalled one troope “They shouted, ‘God Bless You! We have been waiting for you and looking for you and looking for you for a long time.’ The event could be viewed as ironic. While the slaves saw the troopers as conquering heroes, some of the Northern military commanders had a more ambivalent attitude. In fact, as soon as the 5th moment of glory was over, the regiment was transferred out of Virginia — for fear of racial ten sion with local white residents. This regimental history pays homage to the bravery of the 5th’ enlisted men — most of whom were ex-slaves — who chose, despite the risks, to fight for t own liberation. It also casts lig on the occasional shabby treatment of colored soldiers. The 5th for example, was often underestimated and underutilized and frequently assigned to noncombat jobs involving manual labor. The troopers of the 5th were among 180,000 African Americans comprising 166 regiments who, starting in 1863, served in the Union Army. Most of the recruits came from border states or from Southern states occupied by Federal troops.
The 5th was unique in that it was the only colored cavalry regiment that recruited exclusively among Northern African Americans. For this and other reasons, the regiment acquired the reputation of being an elite, prestigio unit. The 5th was created at the same time as two other showcase colored units, the 54th and 55th Massachusetts Infantry Regiments. (The 1989 movie “Glory” was based on the history of the 54th Massachusetts.) The 5th Cavalry’s first commander was Col. Henry Sturgis Russell, a Boston Brahman raised
in an abolitionist household. He was also a cousin of 54th Massachusetts commander Col. Robert
Gould Shaw. Similar to other colored regiments, the 5th had mostly white officers. Many whites still believed that African Americans were not capable of being officers). While the top-ranking officers often had abolitionist sympathies, the same was not true for junior officers, who oft volunteered strictly for the oppo tunity to receive a promotion. As a result, a degree of racial tens existed between enlisted men and junior officers. After training in a camp outsi Boston, the 5th Regiment in May 1864 expected to go immediately into combat as a cavalry regiment. Instead, it was stripped o its horses and sabers and assigne as infantry in Maj. Gen. Benjamin Butler’s Army of the James, which was located at Bermuda Hundred, northeast of Petersburg. There, the regiment was used mainly for picketing and reconnoitering until June 15, 1864, when, along with several other colored regiments, it attacked an captured a Southern breastwork in the Petersburg defenses. After this, the regiment suffe another letdown when it was assigned to guard duty at Point Lookout, a Maryland prisoner of war camp on a promontory of the Chesapeake Bay. “The men’s morale would descend to a low point with
the realization that the 5th Massachusetts Cavalry had been ordered there by General Butler to perform more menial tasks than that of a fighting soldier the author notes. The regiment was reassigned to the Petersburg trenches just days before the war’s end. In addition to its triumphal parad into Richmond, the 5th also had the honor of providing troopers escort Lincoln’s carriage durin a portion of his ride through t captured city. The author deserves commen-
dation for his exhaustive resea that uncovered personal letters and diaries as well as obscure
documents and newspaper articles. He also tracked down photographs of most of the promine people mentioned in the text. This book should serve as the most comprehensive compendium of the Regiment’s war record for many years to come.
Walt Albro is an editor and wri living in Rockville, Md. His co on a proposal to remove the Confederate monument there appeared in our August issue.
Southern Illinois Reissued Home in A mere When Lincoln Came to Egypt. By George W. Smith. Illustrated, photos, 158 pp., 2016, Southern Illinois University
This book is clearly a paean to Abraham Lincoln — perhaps meant as a peace offering by the author to a fellow Illinoisan who during his lifetime received littl political support in the southern part of the state known as “Egypt.” Written in the style of a serie of essays, When Lincoln Came to Egypt — a reissue of George W. Smith’s book of 1940 — describes Lincoln’s occasional forays into Egypt to seek support for his candidacy for various politica offices in the 1840s and 1850s. It is essentially a travelogue with details about dates, methods of travel, accommodations, persons visited, and the nature of Lincoln’s activities. Smith apparently wrote this book for readers who would be familiar with the general locality and subject matter; therefore, he provided limited explanation or clarification of some points. The author explains the geographic makeup of southern Illinois where the mighty Ohio and Mississippi rivers meet. Similarities of terrain features and commercial/agricultural potential of this area with the Nile River in Africa account for the “Egypt” connotation. Migrants into southern Illinois from states such as Kentucky and Virginia maintained adherence to the Southern way of living, which
fostered empathy for the Democratic Party. As the slavery issue exacerbated relations between North and South in the mid-19th
century, many in this region adopted “Copperhead” allegiances to states that eventually seceded to form the Confederacy.
reet Museum Celebrates 10 Years im Massey sellville, Tenn. was ade ago, the Nenney Stephen Douglas, Lincoln’s friend and political opponent on more than one occasion, receives considerable attention. The author characteriz Lincoln as friendly to practicall everyone he came into contact with, notwithstanding political differences. When Lincoln Came to Egypt is a refresher on the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the issue of slavery spreading into the Western territories. Smith praises Douglas for nurturing the bill throug to passage, despite the political price he paid with slaveowners in the South when Kansas came into the Union as a free state. Considerable space is allotted the Lincoln-Douglas senatorial debates of 1858, with emphasis on logistics involved in getting the competing candidates to the Illinois towns where verbal jousting, mainly over the slavery issue, took place. The brief closing chapters summarize Lincoln’s presidential years and his “short sad career.” The prose is frequently anecdotal. A back cov blurb praises the book as “the culmination of fifty years of extensive research,” but provides no supporting evidence. The original publication did not include explanatory notes or list of sources. However, the author refers to sources in the text, su as letters and newspaper articles Occasionally, he makes vague attribution (“another writ says”), or cites the name of an informant without further identification. Despite the book’s emphasis on the Southern Illinois geography and terrain, no maps are included Assignment of this reissued volume to an editor for critique and annotation prior to publication would have been helpful. Lincoln aficionados who do not own a copy will likely want to add When Lincoln Came to Egypt to their collection. Despite its limitations, general readers will be enlightened by Lincoln’s interactions with the inhabitants o the least politically friendly ar of his state.
Thomas J. Ryan of Bethany Beach, Del., is the author of Spies, Sco and Secrets in the Gettysburg Campaign (Savas Beatie, 2015).
on the block to be sold. It was overgrown, deteriorating, and fast becoming an eyesore. Local Civil War historian Mike Beck discovered that a contractor had asked for rezoning of the property to allow a retail store to located there. Beck immediately contacted Reece Sexton and the two, along with others in th community, sprang into action to save the historic 1820’s stru ture. As the historic marker in the front yard notes, Gen. James Longstreet billeted here during the winter of 1863-64. Since the developer was waiting on the zoning request to be approved, no contract had been signed. Beck and Sexton, along with Jack Fishman, quickly founded the Lakeway Area Civil War Preservation Association. This group was able to purchase the property which, as Sexton mentioned during the ceremonies, was a dream. “It was a dream with a lot of hard work at tached,” he said. It was a dream that came true. One of those brought on board in the beginning, was Dr. Carrol Van West, Tennessee State Historian, and director of the Cent for Historic Preservation at Mid dle Tennessee State University. Sexton credited Dr. West with th preservation of the museum and its being where it is today. West called it “truly a dream that became a reality.” West described the group as “True Tennessee Volunteers, who stepped up and refused to allow history be destroyed. They did not step aside and watch progress happen; they stepped in the way of progress to see this story saved.” W
The Tennessee Historical marker marked the location of Longstre
continued, “This place matters. This story matters. Who we are and what we went through, our families and region during the Civil War, it transformed us in the nation and the region we ar today. We need this to remind u of that important period of our history.” He continued, “People stepped up, looked each other i the eye and said ‘let’s get it and you have.” Dr. West, through his positi at MTSU, provided the interpretive panels in the exhibit room He also provided books for the library including a full set of OR’s (Official Record of the Wa of the Rebellion). Longtime Tennessee Department of Tourist Development and museum supporter Lee Curtis spoke next. She recalled to ing the home ten years earlier and expressed her amazement at just how far the museum had
street’s Billet has long quarters in Russellville.
progressed. “I remember standing in front of the garage whil they were pointing out where th
would be doors,” she said. “I r member thinking, ‘Gosh, I hope this comes to fruition because this is wonderful.’ Absolutely, has.” Hamblen County Mayor Bill Brittain presented a proclamation from the County Commission honoring the museum. State Representative Tilman Goins and State Senator Steve Southerland also spoke during the pr gram. It was noted that Hamblin County Historian Bill Henderson played an important part as wel in saving the Nenney home from demolition. Henderson has also provided many of the furnishing and artifacts on display. Bill White, who has portraye Gen. Longstreet at the museum the past ten years, spoke brief
