Upon the Fields of Battle: Essays on the Military History of America’s Civil War. Edited by Andrew S. Bledsoe and Andrew F. Lang. Notes, index, 304 pp., 2018. Louisiana State University Press, www.lsupress.org. $48 cloth.
Reviewed by Thomas J. Ryan
Andrew S. Bledsoe and Andrew F. Lang set as their goal with this collection “to rectify the disparities between military and other histories of the Civil War” in order to bring a balance to the field of traditional or conventional military history and the “new” school of thought that links military history to broader themes in society. As a result, the editors see the essays in this collection as pushing the boundaries of the
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current state of the field through innovation, and serving as an “antidote” for the type of Civil War scholarship that sows confusion about the Civil War and its consequences.
In his Introduction, Gary W. Gallagher characterizes these articles as a reflection of the “sea change” that Civil War military history has undergone over the past 20 years, while Earl J. Hess urges practitioners of battle history to widen the field by questioning past research and plotting a new agenda.
In this collection there are five articles in “The Contested Battlefield” category. First, Kenneth W. Noe tackles the subject of how the weather contributed to Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan’s misfortune on the Virginia Peninsula in 1862 during a five month-long siege and slog campaign that hampered his strategy and tactics. These weather-induced problems continued after Gen. Robert E. Lee took command of Confederate forces following the wounding of Gen. Joseph Johnston. However, Lee managed to gain a string of victories within a relatively brief period despite the poor weather conditions.
Next, Jennifer M. Murray examines Maj. Gen. George G. Meade’s “Golden Opportunity” to destroy the Army of Northern Virginia following the Union victory over Robert E. Lee’s army at Gettysburg in July 1863. Murray defends Meade against “detractors,” and stresses that Meade’s “primary objective was the protection of Washington, D.C.” Yet President Abraham Lincoln desired Meade to follow Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s example of forcing the surrender of the Confederate army at Vicksburg. Though Meade wavered in his resolve to contest Lee once again, Murray concludes that Meade’s failure was “less of a damning testament of his leadership than an observation of a broader reality in military history.”
Andrew Bledsoe contributes an article examining “the unpredictable human element” in the art of command. Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg is featured in this discussion, especially with regard to written orders. Bragg’s inability to convey clear and concise directives was exacerbated by his unpopularity with subordinates. As a result, Bragg’s failure to establish an effective command and control system is cited as the reason his forces were unable to gain a victory at McLemore’s Cove in Georgia in September 1863, despite the odds in their favor.
“The Looting and Bombardment of Fredericksburg” is John J. Hennessy’s contribution. Was Robert E. Lee’s decision to occupy the town of Fredericksburg the main cause of its eventual destruction in 1862, or were Union forces given a free hand to seek retaliation the primary factor? Hennessy examines this question in the context of a war in transformation, in which the standard rules would not be followed.
The final essay in this category addresses the existence of guerrilla warfare on both the battlefront and the home front. Brian D. McKnight states this violence was “a means to an end.” Along the borderlands of Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky, widespread deprivation and fear resulted. Destruction of personal property and disruption of the normal lifestyles of perceived enemies generated retaliation from those with competing loyalties.
Another section is devoted to “The Soldiers’ War,” and also contains five articles. Andrew Lang begins with “The Limits of American Exceptionalism,” that evaluates how white Federal soldiers occupying the Confederacy in wartime understood the requirement for military power to preserve their “exceptional nation,” while at the same time they were also concerned about the transformation that would inevitably occur. In particular, black liberation would present imposing challenges to the liberators, former slave owners, and the newly-freed population as well.
Kevin M. Levin contributes an analysis of Confederate military executions that reveals surprising statistics about the frequency of this type of punishment. Executing soldiers, primarily for desertion, had a sobering effect on army units that were required to attend these frightening exhibitions. Nonetheless, Confederates on the whole tended to support execution as a deterrent for would-be deserters.
In the third piece, Keith Altavilla writes about Democrats in the Union army at the time of the 1864 presidential election. In “McClellan’s Men,” he describes the political atmosphere after almost four years of war during which the Lincoln administration had been unable to crush the rebellion, and the effect that had on the way in which Union soldiers would vote. Despite McClellan’s popularity among the rank and file, Lincoln won their vote by a wide margin.
Brian Matthew Jordan focuses on the heavy losses the 107th Ohio Infantry Regiment sustained during the Gettysburg campaign, and its enduring aftereffects. In “The Hour That Lasted Fifty Years,” he recounts how the substantial casualty list led to additional suffering for members of the regiment in later years, particularly as a result of non-responsive governmental policies in caring for the needs of the 107th’s families and survivors.
In the final contribution in this segment, Robert L. Glaze examines how the reputation of military leaders who succumbed early in the Civil War evolved based on emotion rather than performance. Albert Sidney Johnston had been the target of criticism for his performance as commander of a military department in the west, and there were calls for his resignation. However, his death on the battlefield led former critics to bemoan his loss as “a potential savior” of the Confederacy. Glaze concludes that “Johnston meant more to the people of the Confederacy in death than he ever did in life.”
Bledsoe and Lang set out to present a balance between traditional and more modern approaches to Civil War history and interpretation, and insure that these presentations would be the product of qualified professionals. Judging from the variety of themes the authors chose to address, they achieved the first part of their objective. The qualifications of the contributors are aptly reflected in the clear, concise and well-researched essays in this collection.
How service and sacrifice have preserved our freedom
Brothers in Valor: Battlefield Stories of the 89 African Americans Awarded the Medal of Honor. By Robert F. Jefferson Jr. Photos, appendix, endnotes, index, 248 pp., 2018. Lyons Press, www.rowman.com. $26.95 cloth. Reviewed by David Marshall
African Americans have served in the American military throughout its history with distinction, but not always with equality. Robert Jefferson Jr. has provided readers with insight into eightynine heroic individuals who have been awarded the country’s highest military award, the Medal of Honor. Since creation of the award in 1862, only 3,500 men and women have been recognized for their gallantry above and beyond the call of duty. Students are provided with lessons that everyone can learn from in this book.
Each individual recognized was courageous during military clashes of the past. Jefferson makes an important point: how these brave individuals had to deal with segregation and discrimination in their military service, as well as in their daily lives. The author makes an excellent point that U.S. citizens, soldiers and politicians have often questioned the capability and courage of African Americans on the battlefield.
Brothers in Valor is split into seven chapters, covering the Civil War, Indian Wars, Spanish American War, World Wars I and II, Korea, Vietnam as well as heroism in the twenty-first century. Biographies and photographs are provided for the 89 black soldiers, sailors and marines. Two of these recipients were Sgt. William H. Carney and Pvt. Milton Olive III.
William H. Carney was born a slave in 1840 but in January of 1863 gained the opportunity to serve in the 54th Massachusetts following the Emancipation Proclamation. During the second battle of Fort Wagner, South Carolina on July 18,1863, despite wounds in his right arm and both legs, Sergeant Carney picked up the fallen regimental flag after the color bearer was hit. He waved the flag for all to see and led the way to the parapet to plant the colors. After Col. Robert Gould Shaw was killed, Carney inspired his fellow soldiers forward. Even after sustaining his severe wounds, Carney proudly declared, “Boys, the old flag never touched the ground!” After this battle, Carney became the first African American to receive the Medal of Honor.
Born in Chicago in 1946, Milton Olive III enlisted in the army and was assigned to a company in the famed 503rd Infantry Regiment, one of the most elite airborne units in the military. In the Vietnam War he fought in numerous combat actions in the Phu Cuong jungle against the Vietcong. During a firefight, a grenade was thrown in his comrades’ direction. Without thinking of his own safety, Olive picked up the live grenade and fell on it. He thus died a hero, saving several of his fellow soldiers from death and serious injury. Jefferson reports that President Lyndon Johnson awarded the MOH to this fallen hero on April 21, 1966. The author makes a significant point that this soldier’s record never mentioned his race or racial origin.
Eighty-seven other fascinating stories are included in this detailed, richly researched and comprehensive volume. Photographs of many of these brave men appear in a Pantheon of Heroes.
I wish Jefferson could have provided more examples of the racial hardships that the recipients endured during their service and in their private lives. Additionally, maps of the many wars and locations of the distinguished actions would have enhanced the narrative.
With these eighty-nine portraits, Brothers in Valor provides enthusiasts with a fresh perspective on the accomplishments and bravery of African Americans in the conflicts of the United States.
David Marshall has been a high school American history teacher in the Miami-Dade School district for the past thirty-two years. A life-long Civil War enthusiast, David is president of the Miami Civil War Roundtable Book Club. He has given presentations to Civil War round tables on Joshua Chamberlain, Ulysses S. Grant, Abraham Lincoln and the battle of Gettysburg.
A Different Approach to a Familiar Subject
The War for the Common Soldier: How Men Thought, Fought, and Survived in Civil War Armies. By Peter S. Carmichael. Illustrations, notes, bibliography, index, 392 pp., 2018. University of North Carolina Press, www.uncpress.org. $34.95 hardcover.
Reviewed by Jeffry D. Wert
Billy Yank and Johnny Reb have been the subjects of a shelfful or more of books. From Bell Irvin Wiley’s pathbreaking two volumes (1943, 1952), to more modern studies by such esteemed historians as James McPherson and James I. Robertson, Jr., their lives during the war have undergone detailed examinations and re-examinations.
Most, if not nearly all of the books, have focused on the daily lives and experiences of the common soldiery. What they wore, what they ate, the weapons they carried, their beliefs in their respective causes, their performances in combat, and even their sexual activities have garnered study. We know much about them from their own words in letters and diaries.
This new work by Dr. Peter S. Carmichael presents a different approach to the subject. He delves into not what the Billy Yank and Johnny Rebs thought, but “how” they thought about the reality of soldiering and the terrible conflict in which they found themselves.
Carmichael argues that soldiers on both sides entered into military service within cultural and ideological frameworks. He uses the term sentimentalism to describe these beliefs, asserting that the citizen-soldiers and their respective societies saw them as courageous and devoted to the cause. In their view, an individual soldier with physical and moral discipline formed the foundation of a victorious army.
For the men in the ranks, however, the experience of a soldier’s existence in camp, on the march, or in battle made them pragmatists in how they viewed their lives in an army. The author maintains that the majority of Civil War soldiers adhered to cultural sentimentalism throughout the war, but their pragmatism caused conflicts within themselves in how they described the conflict’s reality. This caused the manner in which soldiers crafted letters to family and friends.
The author relies upon case studies of individual Union and Confederate soldiers to present his findings. Carmichael has selected men, as he states, of “all backgrounds.” Whether the men chosen by the author reflect the views of a majority of their comrades will likely generate debate among fellow scholars and serious readers of Civil War studies.
These case studies are supplemented by the voices of many of their comrades. The author’s research in unpublished material and published works is impressive, if not impeccable. He covers a gamut of topics—comrades, camp life, combat, bravery, cowardice, desertion, military justice, facing the enemy, and defeat. He addresses even the relics and trophies that veterans either sent home or carried with them after the war and how those items affected the veterans’ connections to their own experiences and to the war itself.
Unquestionably, there were differences between the viewpoints and beliefs of Union and Confederate soldiers. The Federals tended to be empathetic to the plight of their foes and could look at defeats, such as the slaughter at Fredericksburg, with a critical detachment. Rebels, however, had nothing good to say about their enemy, and their adherence to the cause and the denial of impending defeat were characteristic of many of them. Each side reflected, in turn, the divergent cultural attributes of their respective societies.
The War for the Common Soldier is a serious and important work. Not all readers will agree with some of its arguments or conclusions, but the book merits an audience. It is both a thoughtful and thought-provoking study.