The Civil War Shelf

The Men of the 16th Massachuseets
Alden C. Ellis, Jr.
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476689937, $49.95, PB, 331pp

https://www.amazon.com/Men-16th-Massachusetts-Roster-History/dp/1476689938

Synopsis: The 16th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was one of a few Massac= husetts regiments whose history was not recorded. From 1861-1864, it was de= eply embroiled in the operations of the Army of the Potomac. Suffering from=
a lack of skilled leadership and later from horrific living conditions, th=
e 16th saw heavy casualties. Of more than 1300 men, 112 were killed in batt= le, 360 were wounded and 52 died from their wounds. Disease claimed 115 and=
65 were taken as prisoners of war, 32 of them dying in Confederate prisons=
.. Another 344 went home afflicted with wounds or disease as disability disc= harges.

"The Men of the 16th Massachusetts: A Civil War Roster and History" by Alde=
n C. Ellis, Jr. is comprehensive biographical study that chronicles for the=
first time the story of the 16th Massachusetts and the lives of most of it=
s men, with all available genealogical details provided.

Critique: A masterpiece of historical research, "The Men of the 16th Massac= husetts: A Civil War Roster and History" is features a number of historical=
images, and is informatively enhanced for the reader with an impressive In= troduction, the history of the regiment laid out in five detailed chapters,=
a 242 page Roster and Biographical Sketches, a two page Bibliography, and =
an eighteen page Index. Bringing this Union regiment out of an undeserved o= bscurity, "The Men of the 16th Massachusetts: A Civil War Roster and Histor=
y" must be considered an essential, core addition to personal, professional=
, community, and academic library American Civil War history collections an=
d supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted that "The Men o=
f the 16th Massachusetts: A Civil War Roster and History" is also available=
in a digital book format (Kindle, $29.99).

Editorial Note: Alden C. Ellis, Jr., is the author of one other book about = Massachusetts's role in the Civil War (The Massachusetts Andrew Sharpshoote= rs, McFarland & Co.) and served as a consultant and advisor for the Civil W=
ar movie Lady in Black.

Northern Duty, Southern Heart
H. Leon Greene
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476689616, $45.00, PB, 307pp

https://www.amazon.com/Northern-Duty-Southern-Heart-Proctor/dp/147668961X

Synopsis: Before the Civil War, George Proctor Kane had been a businessman,=
thespian, political appointee, philanthropist and militiaman. During the w= ar, as Baltimore's chief of police, he harbored the divided loyalties famil= iar to the border states -- Southern in his sentiments yet Northern in his = allegiances.

As the city's top lawman, he sought to reform Baltimore's "Mobtown" image. =
He ensured that President-elect Lincoln, passing through on the way to his = inauguration, was not assassinated. He protected Union troops marching to d= efend Washington, D.C.

But he was eventually imprisoned as a Southern sympathizer, denied habeas c= orpus as his captors transferred him from prison to prison.

With the publication of "Northern Duty, Southern Heart: George Proctor Kane=
's Civil War", Professor H. Leon Greene recounts Kane's enigmatic public li=
fe before and during the Civil War, his Confederate activities after prison=
and his return to serve as mayor of Baltimore.

Critique: Enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of illustrations, and = informative Introduction, an Epilogue, a ten page Appendix, twenty-four pag=
es of Chapter Notes, a four page Bibliography, and a sixteen page Index, "N= orthern Duty, Southern Heart: George Proctor Kane's Civil War" is an impres= sive and unreservedly recommended contribution to personal, community, and = academic library American Civil War History & Biography collections and Ame= rican Civil War curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, = academia, historians, and Civil War enthusiasts that "Northern Duty, Southe=
rn Heart: George Proctor Kane's Civil War" is also available in a digital b= ook format (Kindle, $27.99).

Editorial Note: H. Leon Greene (https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B001KJ= 3GW4/about (is a cardiologist living in Bellingham, Washington. As emeritus=
professor of medicine, he has published two books, authored or co-authored=
more than 30 book chapters and sections and more than 250 medical scientif=
ic articles.

Colonel Hans Christian Heg and the Norwegian American Experience
Odd S. Lovoll
Minnesota Historical Society Press
345 Kellogg Boulevard, West, St. Paul, MN 55102-1906
www.mnhs.org/mhspress
9781681342504, $24.95, PB, 224pp

https://www.amazon.com/Colonel-Christian-Norwegian-American-Experience/dp/1= 681342502

Synopsis: Hans Christian Heg (December 21, 1829 - September 20, 1863) was a=
Norwegian American abolitionist, journalist, antislavery activist, prison = reformer, politician, and soldier. Best known for leading the Fifteenth Wis= consin Volunteer Regiment on the Union side during the Civil War, Heg died =
of wounds received at the Battle of Chickamauga in September 1863.

While Heg's achievements earned him a statue on the Wisconsin state capitol=
grounds, behind his public persona was a life emblematic of his generation=
.. Heg's family hailed from Lier, Norway; economic as well as religious chal= lenges led them, like so many others, to leave their homeland for the promi=
se of a better life. Heg himself trod multiple paths: joining in the Califo= rnia Gold Rush, pursuing a political career in support of the Free Soil Par=
ty and then the newly formed Republican Party, and taking up the role of Wi= sconsin state prison commissioner. Like his fellow immigrants, he made a li= ving and nurtured a family at the same time that he was defining what it me= ant to be both Norwegian and American.

Heg's remarkable leadership of the Fifteenth Wisconsin, the "Norwegian regi= ment," is the stuff of legends. But "Colonel Hans Christian Heg and the Nor= wegian American Experience" by Odd S. Loveoll is more than a biography of o=
ne man: it is the story of a generation of immigrant citizens who contribut=
ed politically, economically, and socially to the American Midwest and beyo= nd.

Critique: Informatively enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of a Pre= face, sixteen pages of Notes, and a fourteen page Index, with the publicati=
on of "Colonel Hans Christian Heg and the Norwegian American Experience", a= uthor and historian Odd S. Lovoll rescues from an undeserved obscurity a si= gnificant American Civil War battlefield figure with this impressive biogra= phy of a Union General who died in service. Nicely illustrated with histori=
c black/white photos, "Colonel Hans Christian Heg and the Norwegian America=
n Experience" is a fascinating and welcome pick for personal, professional,=
community, and academic library American Civil War History/Biography colle= ctions. It should be noted for students, academia, Civil War
historians, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subj= ect that "Colonel Hans
Christian Heg and the Norwegian American Experience" is also available in a=
digital book format (Kindle, $8.99).

Editorial Note: Odd S. Lovoll (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odd_S._Lovoll)=
is the author of several books on the Norwegian American immigrant experie= nce, including Norwegians on the Prairie, Norwegian Newspapers in America, = and Across the Deep Blue Sea. He was born in Sande, in More og Romsdal, Nor= way, and immigrated to the United States in 1946. Lovoll was educated at th=
e University of Bergen and the University of Oslo before receiving an M.A. = from the University of North Dakota and a Ph.D. from the University of Minn= esota. He taught for three years at Minnesota and then spent 30 years as a = professor of history at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, where he=
is professor emeritus. Lovoll also served for 20 years as publication edit=
or for the Norwegian-American Historical Association.

Heavy Marching
Lucius S. Moseley, author
Sara DeLuca, editor
University of Wisconsin Press
728 State Street, Suite 443, Madison, WI 53706-1418
www.uwpress.wisc.edu
9780299342708, $29.95, HC, 306pp

https://www.amazon.com/Heavy-Marching-Letters-Moseley-Wisconsin/dp/02993427=
00

Synopsis: Lucius "Lute" Moseley was a nineteen-year-old student at Beloit A= cademy when he enlisted in the Union Army. Moseley grew up on a family farm=
outside Beloit, Wisconsin, where his father operated the first dray servic=
e before opening a blacksmith shop and lumber yard. His father lost most of=
his modest assets through litigation of a building contract he had receive=
d, which likely influenced his son's decision to enlist in the army.

From 1862 to 1865, Moseley fought in the Civil War as an infantry soldier i=
n Wisconsin's 22nd Volunteers. Briefly captured and interred in a Confedera=
te POW Camp, he returned to action and participated in Sherman's Atlanta ca= mpaign. He marched in the Washington, D.C., Grand Review before returning t=
o the Beloit area, where he remained for the rest of his life.

Mosely wrote detailed missives to his family in Beloit about his wartime ex= periences, demonstrating a flair for describing both camp life and battles.=
Frank and forthright, he was remarkably articulate, insightful, and though= tful, whether describing mundane activities or the nearly unfathomable deat=
h of President Lincoln. These 125 letters, never before made available to s= cholars or students of the war, became touchstones and sources of pride for=
the Moseley family-and provide a uniquely candid and vivid view of this tu= multuous period in US history.

Critique: Fascinating, informative, unique, memorable, "Heavy Marching: The=
Civil War Letters of Lute Moseley, 22nd Wisconsin" is deftly compiled and = edited by Sara DeLuca. This compilation of personal letters from the battle= fields of the American Civil War is a welcome, seminal, and highly recommen= ded acquisition for personal, professional, community, college, and univers= ity library American Civil War History/Biography collections.

Editorial Note #1: Lucius "Lute" Moseley (1843-1923) fought in the Civil Wa=
r as a soldier in the Union Army from 1862 to 1865. After the war, Moseley = became a farmer, and would remain in Beloit for the rest of his life.

Editorial Note #2: Sara DeLuca (https://www.wpr.org/people/sara-deluca) is = the author of the memoir Dancing the Cows Home, the family biography The Cr= ops Look Good, and three chapbooks of poetry. Her work appears in Atlanta R= eview, Lullwater Review, North Coast Review, and elsewhere.

Such a Clash of Arms
Kevin R. Pawlak
Casemate Publishers
1940 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083
www.casematepublishers.com
9781636242668, $24.95, PB, 128pp

https://www.amazon.com/Such-Clash-Arms-September-Illustrated/dp/1636242669

Synopsis: By the late summer of 1862, it appeared as though the United Stat=
es would be permanently split in two, and by the beginning of September, Ge= neral Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia was on the doorstep of Wash= ington, D.C. Panicked and defeated Federal soldiers huddled behind the capi= tal's defenses. Rather than attacking the city, Lee turned his attention no= rth into Maryland, seeking a decisive battlefield victory to influence publ=
ic opinion at home and diplomatic opinion overseas. Major General George B.=
McClellan led the reorganized Army of the Potomac into the state to meet L= ee.

Over a span of 18 days, the two armies fought four significant battles, inc= luding the climactic engagement along Antietam Creek outside Sharpsburg on = September 17, 1862. The battle there still holds the distinction as the blo= odiest single day in American military history. Forced from Maryland, Lee w= ithdrew into Virginia, leaving President Abraham Lincoln free to follow up = this strategic victory with the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, a me= asure that changed the nature of the American Civil War.

Critique: With the publication of "Such a Clash of Arms: The Maryland Campa= ign, September 1862", civil war historian Kevin R. Pawlak provides a compen= dium of illustrations and maps paired with a detailed text. While also avai= lable for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.95),=
"Such a Clash of Arms" is a particularly recommended pick for community, c= ollege, and university library American Civil War history collections and s= upplemental curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note: Kevin Pawlak (https://emergingcivilwar.com/contributor/kevi= n-pawlak) is the Director of Education for the Mosby Heritage Area Associat= ion and works as a Licensed Battlefield Guide at Antietam National Battlefi= eld. He also sits on the Board of Directors of the Shepherdstown Battlefiel=
d Preservation Association and the Save Historic Antietam Foundation. Kevin=
also serves on the advisory board at Shenandoah University's McCormick Civ=
il War Institute and Shepherd University's George Tyler Moore Center for th=
e Study of the Civil War.

In the Shadow of the Round Tops
Allen R. Thompson
Knox Press
c/o Permuted Press
https://permutedpress.com/knox-press
c/o Simon & Schuster (distribution)
https://www.simonandschuster.com
9781637585238, $24.00, PB, 528pp

https://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Round-Tops-Countermarch-Reconnaissance/dp/163= 7585233

Synopsis: James Longstreet's countermarch and Samuel Johnston's morning rec= onnaissance are two of the most enigmatic events of the Battle of Gettysbur=
g. Both have been viewed as major factors in the Confederacy's loss of the = battle and, in turn, the war. Yet much of it lies shrouded in mystery.

Though the battle of Gettysburg is one of the most well-documented events i=
n the history of the American Civil War, the vast majority of our knowledge=
comes from the words of the veterans and civilians who experienced it. Wit= hout action photography, video, or audio recordings, our primary window int=
o what happened is the memory of those who were there. The story of the Bat= tle of Gettysburg is simply the compilation of the memories of those who fo= ught it. But memory is anything but objective.

Recognizing the multitude of factors that affect human memory, with the pub= lication of "In the Shadow of the Round Tops: Longstreet's Countermarch, Jo= hnston's Reconnaissance, and the Enduring Battles for the Memory of July 2,=
1863", Allen R. Thompson explores how the individual soldiers experienced,=
remembered, and wrote about the battle, and how those memories have create=
d a cloud over James Longstreet's bewildering countermarch and Samuel Johns= ton's infamous reconnaissance.

Each soldier had a particular view of these historic events. Because many p= eople saw part of the story, but no one saw all of it, each memory is a cri= tical piece to the puzzle. By comparing the veterans' memories and sifting = through the factors that affected each memory, the picture of the counterma= rch, reconnaissance, and the entire battle, comes into sharper focus.

Critique: A seminal work of ground-breaking American Civil War history and = scholarship, "In the Shadow of the Round Tops: Longstreet's Countermarch, J= ohnston's Reconnaissance, and the Enduring Battles for the Memory of July 2=
, 1863" by Allen R. Thompson is informatively enhanced with the inclusion o=
f a thirty-four page Bibliography, twelve pages of Notes, eight pages of Ma= ps, and an eighteen-page Index. A brilliant and dedicated study, "In the Sh= adow of the Round Tops" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended ad= dition to personal, community, college, and university library American Civ=
il War history collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It sh= ould be noted for students, academia, civil war historians, and non-special= ist general readers with an interest in the subject that "In the Shadow of = the Round Tops" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.99)=
..

Editorial Note: Allen R. Thompson (https://www.allenrthompson.com) is a pra= cticing attorney in New Jersey. His writing focuses on reevaluating primary=
source materials to examine the standard interpretations of historical sub= jects, from legal doctrines to historical events. His articles have appeare=
d in the St. Thomas Law Review and Gettysburg Magazine.

"The Bullets Flew Like Hail"
James L. McLean Jr.
Savas Beatie
www.savasbeatie.com
9781611216677, $32.95, HC, 240pp

https://www.amazon.com/Bullets-Flew-Like-Hail-Gettysburg/dp/1611216672

Synopsis: On the morning of July 1, 1863, Confederate forces pressed east t= oward the important crossroads town of Gettysburg. The only Union soldiers = standing in their way were stalwart cavalrymen under Brig. Gen. John Buford=
.. Luckily for the Federals, Brig. Gen. Lysander Cutler arrived with his 1st=
Corps brigade of infantry just in time to relieve Buford's hard-pressed ca= valry. The fighting spread quickly. Cutler's stubborn defense, together wit=
h the arrival of the famous Iron Brigade, stopped the Confederate advance l= ong enough for other Union troops to reach the field. The desperate fightin=
g that morning helped save the important high ground upon which the battle = would be fought - and won - over the next two days.

"The Bullets Flew Like Hail": Cutler's Brigade at Gettysburg, from McPherso= n's Ridge to Culp's Hill by civil war historian James L. McLean Jr. is the = only complete account of this brigade's critical contribution to the grand = victory in Pennsylvania.

This completely revised and updated edition describes the brigade's origins=
, its march to the field, and how it went into action, piecemeal and vulner= able. Two of Cutler's regiments, the 14th Brooklyn and the 95th New York, a= long with the Iron Brigade's 6th Wisconsin, participated in one of the most=
famous assaults of the war. The trio of regiments simultaneously charged a= cross open ground, repulsed the attack of Brig. Gen. Joseph Davis's Rebel b= rigade, and captured a large number of Mississippi and North Carolina troop=
s in an unfinished railroad cut.

By the end of July 1, Cutler's command had faced off against Confederate br= igades led by James Archer, Joseph Davis, Alfred Iverson, Junius Daniels, a=
nd Alfred Scales. The brigade was one of the last to leave the field of bat= tle and successfully reformed on Cemetery Hill. The brigade was sent to Cul= p's Hill on July 2, where that evening and during the early morning hours o=
f July 3, Cutler's men assisted Brig. Gen. George Greene's 12th Corps briga=
de in repulsing spirited Southern attacks against the Union right flank. In=
doing so, Cutler's veterans held the distinction of being among the few Un= ion troops who fought all three days of the battle. The performance of the = brigade came at a great cost. Only five Union and Confederate brigades sust= ained 1,000 or more casualties at Gettysburg, and Cutler's was one of them.

McLean's study is grounded in primary research and a thorough understanding=
of the complex terrain across which Cutler's men fought and died. The more=
than two dozen maps that accompany the text, which depict troop movements = throughout each phase of the battle, complement the photos of the battlefie=
ld and key personalities who had a hand in the bloody action. The re-releas=
e of this outstanding book by Savas Beatie fills an important gap in the Ge= ttysburg literature.

Critique: Significantly enhanced for the reader, this new edition of "The B= ullets Flew Like Hail": Cutler's Brigade at Gettysburg, from McPherson's Ri= dge to Culp's Hill includes three informative Prefaces, an Epilogue (The Co=
st of Valor), a postscript (The Aftermath), nine Appendices, a ten page Bib= liography, and a seven page Index. While available for personal reading lis=
ts in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.95), "The Bullets Flew Like Hail":=
Cutler's Brigade at Gettysburg, from McPherson's Ridge to Culp's Hill" mus=
t be considered a core and essential addition to community, college, and un= iversity library American Civil War collections.

Editorial Note: James L. McLean Jr. taught mathematics for 30 years. Along = with his wife, Judy, he co-owned Butternut and Blue, a Civil War book busin= ess, from 1983-2016. Jim and Judy sold new, used, and rare books, and also = published nearly 100 titles. McLean has been fascinated with Gettysburg sin=
ce childhood and has been visiting the battlefield and studying the battle = for decades. Jim's articles have appeared in The Lincoln Herald, The Genera=
l, and The Gettysburg Magazine.

The Civil War on the Water
Dwight Sturtevant Hughes, editor
Chris Mackowski, editor
Savas Beatie
www.savasbeatie.com
9781611216295, $32.95, HC, 336pp

https://www.amazon.com/Civil-War-Water-Perspectives-Anniversary/dp/16112162=
9X

Synopsis: Nothing in the history and traditions of the U.S. Navy from 1776 =
to 1860 prepared it for civil war. The sea service expanded tenfold from a = third-rate force to, at least temporarily, one of the most powerful and adv= anced navies in the world. Former shipmates now serving in the Confederacy,=
meanwhile, struggled to construct some semblance of a navy from practicall=
y nothing, applying innovative technologies and underdog strategies that wo= uld achieve more than anyone thought possible.

The resulting civil war battles on the water stretched from the Arctic Circ=
le to the Caribbean in a stunning display of machine-age technologies that = included ironclads, torpedoes, submarines, steam propulsion, and improved h= eavy artillery. Swift Rebel raiders like the CSS Shenandoah decimated Union=
commerce while hundreds of storm-tossed blockaders patrolled the meanderin=
g southern coastline from Hatteras to Galveston to interdict enemy commerce=
..

Titanic clashes erupted between seacoast fortifications and President Linco= ln's warships at Port Royal, New Orleans, Charleston, Wilmington, and Mobil=
e. Massive amphibious operations on the Virginia Peninsula, in the North Ca= rolina Sounds, and at Fort Fisher presaged 20th-century conflicts. Farther = inland, the two services invented various riverine warfare tactics that pla= yed decisive roles at Memphis, Forts Henry and Donelson, Vicksburg, Island = No. 10, and elsewhere.

"The Civil War on the Water: Favorite Stories and Fresh Perspectives from t=
he Historians at Emerging Civil War" continues the celebration of Emerging = Civil War's 10th anniversary with a compilation of favorite navy tales and = obscure narratives by the group's distinguished public historians. This ecl= ectic collection of more than three dozen essays offers fresh accounts on u= nfamiliar topics as well as second looks at familiar battles, ships, leader=
s, and events. There is something here for everyone, neophyte and veteran r= eader alike.

Critique: Collaboratively compiled and deftly co-edited by American Civil W=
ar historians Dwight Sturtevant Hughes and Chris Mackowski, "The Civil War =
on the Water: Favorite Stories and Fresh Perspectives from the Historians a=
t Emerging Civil War" is comprised of forty-five succinct articles that Ame= rican Civil War buffs and scholars alike will find fascinating, informative=
, and insightful. A seminal work that is especially and unreservedly recomm= ended for personal, professional, community, college, and university librar=
y American Civil War history collections, it should be noted for the person=
al reading lists of students, academicians, civil war history fans and hist= orians that "The Civil War on the Water" is also available in a digital boo=
k format (Kindle, $17.95).

Editorial Note #1: Dwight Hughes is a public historian, author, and speaker=
in Civil War naval history. Lt. Cmdr. Hughes graduated from the U.S. Naval=
Academy in 1967 and served 20 years aboard warships, on navy staffs, and w= ith river forces in Vietnam. He is the author of Unlike Anything That Ever = Floated: The Monitor and Virginia and the Battle of Hampton Roads, March 8-=
9, 1862 (Savas Beatie, 2021) and a contributing author at the Emerging Civi=
l War blog.

Editorial Note #2: Chris Mackowski, Ph.D., is the editor-in-chief and a co-= founder of Emerging Civil War. Chris is a writing professor at St. Bonavent= ure University, where he also serves as the associate dean for undergraduat=
e programs, and is the historian-in-residence at Stevenson Ridge, a histori=
c property on the Spotsylvania Court House battlefield.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

The Midwest Book Review is an organization of volunteers committed to promo= ting literacy, library usage, and small press publishing. We accept no fund=
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(dot) com

Anyone wanting to submit books for review consideration can send them to:

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129

To submit reviews of any fiction or non-fiction books, email them to Frugal= muse (at) aol (dot) com (Be sure to include the book title, author, publish= er, publisher address, publisher website/phone number, 13-digit ISBN number=
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James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review

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