Category Archives: Book Review

Book Review: The Families’ Civil War: Black Soldiers and the Fight for Racial Justice

Posted on December 1, 2022 by Meg Groeling

As Civil War history becomes more specific, books like Holly Pinheiro’s The Families’ Civil War use case studies of particular groups to show readers how the methods of microhistory are well-suited for issues relating to minorities, ethnicity, race, and gender. … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Colonels in Blue: A Civil War Biographical Dictionary – U.S. Colored Troops, Armed Forces, Staff Officers and Special Units by Roger D. Hunt

Posted on November 17, 2022 by Jon-Erik Gilot

With some notable exceptions, Civil War colonels are frequently overlooked in our historiography in favor of those officers of higher rank. Even so, attrition often resulted in colonels commanding numbers of men far beyond their military experience or pay grade, … Continue reading →

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Book Review: The Civil War in Maryland Reconsidered

Posted on November 3, 2022 by ECW Guest Post

Reviewed by Zachery A. Fry Among the more common images in Civil War political history is that of Maryland being held in the Union at the point of the bayonet. That traditional view—Maryland loyalty enforced by cold steel—highlights a military … Continue reading →

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Review: The Real Horse Soldiers by Timothy B. Smith

Posted on October 11, 2022 by Chris Mackowski

I recently had the opportunity to spend some time with The Real Horse Soldiers—no, not John Wayne and William Holden. But rather Timothy B. Smith’s book, which recounts “Benjamin Grierson’s epic 1863 Civil War raid through Mississippi.” It is a … Continue reading →

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Book Review: The Black Civil War Soldier: A Visual History of Conflict and Citizenship

Posted on September 22, 2022 by Brian Matthew Jordan

This handsomely produced, visually stunning book “examines the public’s memory of the Civil War and how the presence and lack of images of black soldiers influence our modern perceptions of the war in the archive.” Carefully curating a vast collection … Continue reading →

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Book Review: All For The Union: The Saga of One Northern Family Fighting the Civil War

Posted on September 8, 2022 by Sheritta Bitikofer

To have the opportunity to transcribe and study a massive collection of primary source letters from one family during the Civil War comes all too infrequently for historians and museum professionals. But such an opportunity was gifted to John Simpson … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Hidden History of Civil War Florida

Posted on September 6, 2022 by Phill Greenwalt

One would be hard pressed to convey Florida’s connection to the Confederacy and American Civil War history more succinctly than author and historian Robert Redd did in his book, Hidden History of Civil War Florida. Published by HistoryPress in June … Continue reading →

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Book Review: The Left-Armed Corps

Posted on September 1, 2022 by Jon Tracey

“I, without lamentation, bear a deep and lasting memento of the war for the Union in the loss of my right arm. … But thank God, our Country is saved.”– Private Henry L. Krahl, 13th US Infantry, October 27, 1865.[1] … Continue reading →

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Book Review: The Wharton’s War

Posted on August 19, 2022 by Steve Davis

Gabriel Colvin Wharton, Virginia-born in 1824, ranks among the Confederacy’s 425 generals, but not among those best-known. Or illustrious, for that matter, despite a colorful Confederate career. VMI-trained, he was elected major in the 45th Virginia. He then raised the … Continue reading →

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Book Review: The Lion of Round Top: The Life and Military Service of Brigadier General Strong Vincent in the American Civil War by H.G. Myers

Posted on August 17, 2022 by Jon-Erik Gilot

Reviewed by Jon-Erik Gilot While there were many personalities on or about Little Round Top during the Battle of Gettysburg, none loom larger than the man whose majestic mustache is outdone only by his impressive ego. See…I didn’t even have … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Review, Leadership--Federal | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments