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Their All For Freedom: The Civil War Letters of the Mulkin Brothers, 105th Pennsylvania Volunteers. By Ross J. Kelbaugh. Forty-three photos & illustrations, 76
The 105th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry was organized at Pittsburgh, Penn., on September 9, 1861. It was there that James and William Mulkin were mustered into the regiment’s Company H on September 12 to fight for flag and Union. Soon thereafter, the Mulkin brothers began writing home about their experiences with most letters being sent to their younger brother, Thomas P. Mulkin. Their story may have been lost to history had author Ross J. Kelbaugh not discovered and then purchased their few remaining letters in the
to Kelbaugh, that small purchase began a decades-long tale of collecting, research, and discovery that resulte this book. After careful transcription along with resear at the National Archives’ Civil War pension files, the brothers’ story emerged. The first letter is written from Washington, DC, date September 17, 1861, and relays a new soldier’s typical excitement. Two from June and July 1862 describe action at the battles of Fair Oaks and then Malvern Hill We learn how both brothers were captured at Bristol Station on August 26, 1862, but were paroled the next day, then sent by Union authorities to Camp Parole in Annapolis, Md. William’s service record indicates he deserted from August 1862 through October 1863. He eventually returned to his regiment; however, he forfeited nine months’ pay and allowances as punishment for his deed. His lone lengthy letter to home following his return did not mention his desertion. William Mulkin died 44 Civil War News Magazine | May-June 2024
on May 7, 1864, from wounds received at the battle of the Wilderness. James, meanwhile, was medically discharged on February 18, 1863, due to tubercular consumption. He passed away soon thereafter. Their All For Freedom contains a mere eighteen letters, thereby offering the reader only a glimpse into the lives of these two men and the 105th Pennsylvania Infantry. Due to the paucity of letters, this book most likely will offer little to serious students of the war other than those with an interest in the 105th Pennsylvania. On the other hand, it obvious that producing this slender, self-published 8 ½ x 11 inch hardcover book was a labor of love for the author and for that he
of the actual letters with full transcriptions, some contextual r about the regiment’s campaigns and parole camps, along with other numerous Civil War photos and color illustrations pertinent to th brothers’ story. The author rounds out the book by providing info on their father’s successful attempt to access William’s pension lastly, the final search for each brother’s grave. Note that at the time of writing this review, it appears that
Paul Taylor is an award-winning author of eight books pertaining to the Civil War era. His newest book is titled ’Tis Not Our War: Avoiding Military Service in the Civil War North and will be published by Stackpole Books in spring 2024.
Wide Awake: The Forgotten Force Tha Elected Lincoln And Spurred The Civil War. By Jon Grinspan Advance copy with only notes Bloomsbury Publishing,
Reviewed by Wayne Wolf Little did Hartford, Connecticut, 19-year-old clerk Eddie Yergason, and his five fellow clerks, realize that they had started a movement that would help propel Abraham Lincoln to the White House. When they sewed their first black capes and caps, stole a few parade torches, and led a peaceful par for the protection of anti-slavery speaker Cassius Clay, the in motion the phenomena known as the Wide Awakes. This militaristic-looking movement was composed primarily of white, working-class youths but also included Northern antislavery adherents, radical European immigrants, xenophobic Know Nothings, and later women, freed slaves, and even antislavery Southerners. They became Lincoln’s political army an worked for Republican victories against a Democratic Party they felt was dominated by slave-owning Southern extremists. This new “army” reflected the rough and tumble politics of anti-bellum America. It was an outgrowth of the political behavior characterizing the first half of the 19th Century and, in many aspects, reflected the political turmoil still evident in today’s political arena. Wide Awakes were known for the acute imagery they portrayed and their oblique ideals, anti-slavery, pro-democracy, and pro-labor versus old aristocracy and exploiters of class hostilities. To achieve their aims, they dressed alike to promote their equality, organized companies to maintain order, elected officers in a democratic manner, drilled in military style, and cheered in unison. Some estimates placed their membership, which grew rapidly before the 1860 election, at 500,000. After achieving electoral victories at the state level, and then the presidency, they continued by making up the first Union volunteers at the outbreak of the Civil War, volunteered their clubhouses for recruiting stations, and encouraged enlistments to crush the Southern slaveholders. The Wide Awakes had become a symbol of everything Southerners feared about the North. Coincidentally, Northerners were ready to disregard Southern visions of Northern aggression. At the same time, Southerners were willing to follow through on their threats of secession. Thu the greatest political movement in U.S. history brought about a Republican victory and simultaneously a terrible Civil War. Jon Grinspan’s book is exceptionally well written and
creates the sensation that the reader is actually caught up in the marching Wide Awake rallies. It is extensive in its documentation and well infused with primary source material. The only missing elements are the lack of photographs and newspaper accounts, all easily obtained, which would add immensely to the visual enhancement of the book. It is highly recommended for anyone desiring a thorough history of Wide Awakes and their impact on the 1860 election.
Dr. Wayne L. Wolf is Professor Emeritus at South Suburban College and Past President of the Lincoln-Davis Civil War Roundtable. He has written several books and articles on the Civil War including Heroes and Rogues of the Civil War, The Last Confederate Scout, and Two Years Before the Paddlewheel. He frequently lectures at Civil War roundtables and events and extensively researches the life of the common soldier.
Josette and Friends Cook a Gumbo, by Elista Istre, illustra by J oy Dabby University of Louisian at Lafayette Press, ulpress.org. 2023. 36 pp., illustrations,
One of the least favorite scho subjects for many young students is history because date and personages don’t always engage them. Fortunately, I ran across a children’s book that effectively bridges the gap from ambivalence to interest. The subject of this volume is one of Louisiana’s most popular culinary specialties, gumbo and the various cultures that contribu their ingredients to the dish over the years. To enhance the speci of this volume, author Dr. Elista Istre actively engages the youth attending her book signings. The kids are encouraged to follow the characters along in the story by adding handmade felt ingredients to the gumbo pot she suspends from a tripod over a faux campfire. This book is an excellent primer for gumbo and its varied histo throughout the state. After the story of Josette and her friends concludes, the author added a wonderful history of the meal and even the first documented mention of filé, a major ingredient in gumbo, by slaves in 1764. Let’s hope we see more history books like this one that cover the Civil War era. I highly recommend this book for both children and those young
at heart. It is a great history lesson kids can relate to and learn from. The best part is when the author mentions, “Just like people, no two gumbos are alike.” What an impactful statement demonstrating to kids that no matter where you’r from, like gumbo, it’s okay to be different!
Richard H. Holloway is an author and former senior editor of both Civil War Times and America’s Civil War magazines.
Editor of Update Calls Letters “Clear-eyed, Candid, Informative”
Revised and Expanded Edition. Edited by J. Gregory Acken. Maps, photographs, bibliography, footnotes, index. 312 pp., 2023. The Kent State
Gregory Acken is an independent historian specializing in the writings of Civil War soldie In addition to the book under review, he has edi three collections of letters and diaries of othe Federal officers. In this work, Acken presents 1 letters written by a Boston blueblood who served in the Army of the Potomac. Charles J. Mills was a member of a well-to-do Boston family and a Harvard graduate, class of 1860. Failing in his effort to secure an army commission, Charley enlisted as a private in a
Massachusetts militia unit which, unfortunately, was disbanded almost as soon as he signed up.
He tried again to earn a commission by recruitin men for a regiment of volunt eers, but failing t bring in enough recruits, he was again disappointed. His efforts finally paid off when, in August 1862, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in
the 2nd Massachusetts Infantry. Lt. Mills’s first letters home describe
comrades endured as they moved toward the battles in Northern Virginia and Maryland. The regiment was not engaged at Bull Run, but was in the
thick of things at Antietam, where, after serving only one month, Mills was severely wounded by a shot which passed through both thighs. For most men, such a wound would mean a one-way ticket home and a permanent goodbye to the military.
However, after a year, Mills reentered the service, even though his wounds left him partially lame. From the fall of 1863 through March 1865, he served as a staff officer, first under a regimental commander, then at the division level, and ultimately at the headquarters of the IX and then the II Corps. Charley’s letters home, most to his mother, some to his father and a few to others, offer good descriptions of the movements of the army and the fighting; they comment on the qualities of the generals in charge and other officers nearer to his own rank; they express opinions on the larger issues military and political; and convey news about his college friends and others who served in various capacities. From time to time, Charley showed his opinionated side as well as his superior attitude toward people n of his class and education. He preferred the company of gentlemen to that of roughs and had a rather odd prejudice against Pennsylvanians. He also had a low opinion of black soldiers and often, in a very casual way, used an impol word in lieu of “black.” The reader also learns about his literary and sarto preferences from the list of items he requests from home. The last letter written by Mills was penned on March 31, 1865, addressed to his mother, hours before he was struck by a solid shot and killed instant How this book came to be is an interesting story. In 1977, Gregory A. Coco bought a collection of artifacts that once belonged to Major Mills. Among th collection was a leather case of letters. Coco transcribed and edited the le which he self-published in 1982. The originals have been lost, both the 118 published and the 80 or so others. Coco’s edition (only 300 copies) has been by historians: I quickly found the 1982 edition listed in the bibliographies books on my own shelves. Aken’s edition builds on Coco’s original by providi useful footnotes and detailed editorial comments which add context to Mills’ account and supply information on the many characters who appear in the lett With the publication of this book, the letters of Maj. Charles J. Mills can by a much wider range of Civil Warriors.
Gould Hagler is a retired lobbyist living in Dunwoody, Ga. He is a past president of the Atlanta Civil War Round Table and the author of
Georgia’s Confederate Monuments: In Honor of a Fallen Nation, published by Mercer University Press in 2014. He has been a regular contributor to
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Never Such a Campaign: The Battle of Second Manassas, August 28-30, 1862. By Dan Welch and Kevin R. Pawlak. Maps, images, appendices,
This short, easy-to-read book is one of the newest additions to the popular Emerging Civil War Series. What makes this book particularly appealing is that Second Manassas (or Bull Run) is arguably the most overlooked and least documented major campaign of the entire Civil War. According to campaign scholar John Hennessy in his foreword to the text, this book i only the seventh study that “focus[es] in any signific way on the Second Manassas campaign.” No sooner had General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia blunted the spring 1862 attempt of Maj. Gen. George McClellan’s Army of the Potomac to capture Richmond, than a new threat to Lee’s army and Virginia materialized. Unhappy with McClellan’s generalship, President Lincoln had summoned Maj. Gen. John Pope from the Western Theater to take command of the new Army of Virginia, which consolidated all Union troops in the East except those under McClellan. Just football team with two quarterbacks has no quarterback Lincoln’s decision to divide command of Union forces i Virginia between two generals, especially two generals who both disliked and distrusted each other, would pro to be self-defeating. Puffed up by his successes against lackluster Confederate commanders in the Western Theater, Pope brought to the East a harsher philosophy of war, one that targeted the Confederacy’s civil population as we as its military. In Lee’s eyes, Pope was not only a th to Confederate communications and supply points in Central Virginia, he was also a “miscreant” who had to be suppressed. The authors’ account of the campaign proceeds in chronological order, beginning with Lee’s July 27 decision to send the wing of his army commanded by
Maj. Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson northward from Richmond to seek out Pope’s army, and ending
with the Battle of Chantilly (or Ox Hill) fought in a
thunderstorm on September 1. Between these two dates
Jackson’s command waged several pitched battles with Pope’s troops, including Cedar Mountain on August 9 and the Brawner farm on August 28. Jackson’s famous flanking march around Pope’s
right in late August resulted in the destruction of th Federal supply depot at Manassas Junction and the temporary interruption of the Federal railroad network
Outnumbered and threatened with imminent attack, Jackson then formed a defensive line in an unfinished railroad cut near the First Manassas battlefield, just
Longstreet’s wing of Lee’s army was threading its way through lightly guarded Thoroughfare Gap, en route to linking up with Jackson’s wing. On the morning of Aug. 29, Pope unleased the first of a series of disjointed attacks on Jackson’s entrenc
line, employing troops from the Army of the Potomac as well as from his own Army of Virginia. Jackson’s line bent but did not break. The next day, still obsessed with crushing Jackson and falsely believing Jackson was retreating, Pope ordered renewed assaults on Jackson’s hardpressed troops. Dismissing reliable intelligence that Longstreet’s men had arrived on the battlefield, Pope’s decision left his and McClellan’s attacking forces vulnerable to the powerful counterattack that Longstreet launched in late afternoon. As the afternoon waned, only a spirited stand by an Ohio brigade on Chinn Ridge saved the Federals from a total rout. As it was, when darkness ended the fighting on August 30, all Federal troops were in steady retreat towards Washington. Lee had won his most thorough tactical and strategic victory of the war, although at the cost of at least 8,300 Confederate dead and wounded, Co-authors Dan Welch and Kevin Pawlak are current or former Park Rangers in Virginia; and they are intimately familiar with the Manassas Campaign battlefields. They write well, too. Ten well-drawn maps and a profusion of photos and other illustrations complement and enliven the te The several appendices include an incisive essay by Pawlak on how mistrus and miscommunication within the Federal high command contributed to the eventual Union defeat. The supplements also include a proposed driving to of the campaign and an order of battle. There are no footnotes or endnote the book ends with a “Suggested Reading” for those who want to dig deeper into the relatively thin historiography of Second Manassas. This book merits a wide readership, especially by those interested in learning more about the Second Manassas Campaign and the battle, but who lack the enthusiasm or time to undertake John Hennessy’s near 500-page definitive history that Welch and Pawlak laud in their “Suggested Reading
C. Michael Harrington is a retired lawyer, residing in Houston and Galveston. He has authored several published articles on South Carolina soldiers, and lectured to Civil War organizations in Houston on multiple topics, including Yale’s Confederate alumni and South Carolinians in the war. He is a past president of the Houston CWRT.
“I Thank Eliza Frances Andrews (1840–1931) received a strong education and was
the Lord I a successful writer and educator. Her War-Time Journal of a Georgia Girl Am Not a surely ranks among the most observant Yankee...” and intelligent wartime memoirs by a Southern woman.
Edited with commentary by Stephen Davis, I Thank the Lord I Am Not a Yankee includes selections of her wartime and postwar journals which are most expressive of her Confederate patriotism and Southern pride.
Stephen Davis is author of ten books on the Civil War, most of which treat Atlanta Campaign. His two recent volume on Confederate General John Bell Hood have won several prizes, including the F Pratt Award of the New York CWRT.
