Civil War Book Reviews
Originally published May-June 2026 · pp. 64–72
CIVIL WAR
Book Reviews Civil War News book reviews provide our readers with analysis of the latest and most significant Civil War research and scholarship. Contact email: BookReviews@CivilWarNews.com.
In-depth account of the 1st and 2nd U.S. Sharpshooters Thunderbolt to the Rebels: The United States Sharpshooters in the Civil War. By Darin Wipperman. Maps, tables, notes, appendix, bibliography, index. 362 pp., 2025. Hard cover. $34.95. Reviewed by Robert L. Durham
In the early months of the Civil War, engineer, inventor, and noted marksman Hiram Berdan proposed organizing a group of accomplished marksmen from across the United States. The U.S. government approved the formation of two regiments, the 1st and 2nd U.S. Sharpshooters. To be
selected by Berdan, the men would have to pass a hard test: place 10 shots within a 10-inch-diameter circle at 200 yards. In this volume, Darin Wipperman tells the story of these two remarkable regiments. Although Berdan enlisted his soldiers with a promise they would be armed with Sharps rifles, many would first be armed with standard issue rifles. Clothed in green uniforms for camouflage, the distinctive uniforms made them conspicuous focuses for Confederate skirmishers. The green uniforms also warned the Confederate troops that they were facing expert marksmen. Berdan imagined the sharpshooters would be used in front of the main command. There, they would especially target enemy officers. However, many Federal officers did not appreciate or fully understand what the 1st and 2nd had to offer. They often placed these special soldiers in the main battle lines to fight as infantrymen, a waste of a unit that was ahead of its time. Berdan considered the two regiments a brigade, with himself as the brigadier general. He constantly lobbied Congress and President Lincoln to allow him to raise more sharpshooter companies. However, this never happened; instead, he was commissioned as a colonel, in command of the 1st Sharpshooters only. The two regiments never served together, often serving in separate corps. During the Peninsula Campaign, they did not even serve in the same army. The 1st served on the Peninsula with the Army of the Potomac, taking part in the Seven Days Battles. The 2nd served in the Army of Virginia, with little to do until the Battle of Second Bull Run. Antietam, Gettysburg, the Overland Campaign, and the Petersburg Campaign would be major trials for the sharpshooters. In all, their casualty rates were high. The Petersburg Campaign, especially, served to highlight the special talents the men of the sharpshooter regiments offered. Manning the trenches fronting Petersburg, enemy troops soon learned to keep their heads down when facing the deadly Sharps rifles of the 1st and 2nd U.S. Sharpshooters. Wipperman inserts many tables, providing numbers and names, for the wounded and dead. This book is a treasure trove for genealogists with an interest in the 1st and 2nd U.S. Sharpshooters. The author provides personal information on many of the Federal marksmen. He has found many eyewitness accounts, which he uses to enliven his book with quotations. Through these primary sources, we learn much about the daily lives of these remarkable soldiers, and piercing details of their battle experiences. This is an excellent source on the 1st and 2nd Sharpshooters and should be of interest to all Civil War buffs. One thing to note: Simon and Schuster has acquired Stackpole Books, and there is no longer a link to Stackpole. When I checked, Simon and Schuster does not have this book in its catalog. However, it is available on various online bookstores. Robert L. Durham retired from the Defense Logistics Agency in 2004. He is now a freelance writer and has had numerous articles published in various historical publications.
Extensive Work With Solid Research Antebellum America, 1787–1861: A Sourcebook on States’ Rights, Limited Government, Slavery, Political Violence, and the Road to the Civil War. Compiled and Edited by Thomas J. Ebert and Allen Carden. Appendix, Bibliography, and Index, 364 pp. 2025. McFarland & Company, Softcover, $95. Reviewed by John D. Fowler
The American Civil War is arguably the single most important event in the history of the United States, rivaled only by the American Revolution and the Second World War. Yet, while the Revolution brought the republic into existence and World War II made the nation the dominant power on the planet, the Civil War largely determined what sort of nation the republic would be. Long-held disputes concerning national versus state power, along with the paradox of slavery in a republic based on freedom, were finally resolved on the nation’s battlefields during the great calamity of 1861–1865. The story of how the nation reached the point of civil war is the subject of Antebellum American, 1787–1861. Thomas J. Ebert, a retired reference and documents librarian at California State University, Fresno, and associate vice president for academic personnel, along with Allen Carden, a professor emeritus of history and former president of Fresno Pacific University, offer readers a treasure trove of more than 145 documents in an effort to explore the coming of the conflict. Any documentary collection must focus on a theme since all documents on a particular subject cannot possibly be included or organized. The theme of this volume is essentially to describe how slavery became intertwined with the broad political debate on the nature of the federal system. From the beginning of the new American nation, a divide existed over whether the nation should have a
strong national government or be a loose confederation of states. This divide was ignored by the Founders, who hoped debate would eventually solve the issue. Moreover, they also ignored the incompatibility of slavery with the ideas of the Revolution and again hoped that debate and time would solve the problem. The authors offer a compelling look at the nation as it moves forward and tries to reconcile two major issues that ultimately prove beyond political compromise or resolution. The book begins with a short preface that sets the stage for an analysis of the period. The main text is organized into four sharply chronological chapters covering the Federalist Era (September 17, 1787–March 4, 1801), the Age of Jefferson (March 4, 1801–March 4, 1829), the Age of Jackson (March 4, 1829–March 4, 1849), and the Road to Civil War (March 4, 1849–April 12, 1861). Following the chapters is a small appendix providing extremely short biographical sketches of major figures in antebellum America. The bibliography is brief but includes noteworthy works covering the period, and the large, detailed index is quite useful. This volume is actually a companion to another documentary collection by the authors, Abraham Lincoln and His Times: A Sourcebook on His Life, His Presidency, Slavery and Civil War (McFarland, 2023). This collection is organized similarly, but with eight chapters and more than 400 primary sources, making it a truly nice companion volume to Antebellum America. In sum, Ebert and Carden have compiled an excellent collection of primary documents for historians interested in the coming of the Civil War. This is not a volume for the casual reader. It is clearly geared to the serious student who wants a detailed examination of the major issues of the period. Official documents, including speeches, letters, essays, and legal documents, make up the bulk of the book. It is a valuable resource. It walks the reader through the political philosophies, debates, and clashes that characterized the establishment and maintenance of the American republic from the Constitution to the Civil War. Together with the Lincoln sourcebook, the primary source documents allow readers to understand various perspectives and to form a more complete picture of a complex and important era. The only downside is the price, especially given that these documents are widely available at no cost to anyone willing to search for them. While historians and serious students of the war may decide to purchase either or both books for their collections, college students and the average reader may find it far too cost-prohibitive. This is a shame because the editors have presented two solid volumes that deserve a wide audience. John D. Fowler, Ph.D., is the author of several books and
articles on the Civil War era. He is the author of Breaking the Heartland: The Civil War in Georgia.
The Fighting Paymaster Ink, Dirt, and Powder Smoke: The Civil War Letters of William F. Keeler, Paymaster on the USS Monitor. Edited
by Charles W. McLandress. Photographs, maps, drawings, footnotes, appendix, biographical notes, bibliography, index, abbreviations, 647 pp., Seal River Publishing, softbound, $33.87. Reviewed by William Dyer
the gold fields of California. For a landsman, he had a good understanding of the nautical world he lived in. He was forever explaining nautical procedures, customs, and manouevres to Anna using nautical terms and using them correctly. One interesting example, from a letter dated March 4, 1862, was about the effect of the wind related to Monitor’s sailing because of her almost nonexistent freeboard: “We are finally ready for a start & are now only waiting for a favorable wind, not to fill our ‘billowing’ sails, but to give us smooth water.” While he didn’t have a battle station, he always tried to be useful in combat. In the March 9, 1862, battle with the Virginia (which he always refers to as the Merrimac), after the voice pipes went out, he passed messages from the captain in the pilot house to other parts of the ship as needed. Keeler was a typical low-level Federal Navy staff officer, someone even Civil War navy buffs probably couldn’t identify. If you are interested in the day-to-day life of such a character during the war, you will enjoy this book. William Dyer is a retired architect living in Atlanta, GA. For the last few years, he has been the proofreader for Civil War Navy—The Magazine, focused especially on the accuracy of nautical references. He has written articles for that magazine, and he created the Nautical Terminology page for the Resources tab on its website, civilwarnavy.com.
The title of this book is slightly misleading; it is a biography of Keeler from birth to death, divided into three parts: before the war, during the war, and after the war. As expected, during the war, the preponderance of the text is at 96%. Parts 1 and 3 are worth reading; they give a complete picture of an interesting, although obscure, Civil War veteran. A paymaster in the Federal Navy (called purser in other navies and the merchant service) was the ship’s shopkeeper; he provided clothing, stationery, and small stores, such as tobacco, soap, candles, thread, buttons, needles, jack knives, etc. He also kept the ship’s accounts and paid the officers and crew. The letters are mostly in chronological order; exceptions are explained. They are mostly about service on either the Monitor or the Florida. Most of the letters are to his wife Anna, so there is almost always a paragraph or two about friends and family. The editor does an impressive job of identifying these people and their relationship to Keeler in footnotes. Readers can be thankful that most of these paragraphs are short. The letters confirm the veracity of the well-known aphorism that war is long periods of boredom interrupted by short periods of terror. The Monitor went down on December 31, 1863, in a storm off Cape Hatteras. Keeler described his escape as “narrow.” In February of 1864, Keeler joined the Florida as paymaster. The Florida was a side wheel steamer that spent the rest of the war blockading Wilmington, North Carolina, with the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron. Keeler was not a sailor; he had, however, spent a couple of years at sea as a passenger going to and from
Vicksburg: A Two-Volume Engaging Set The Vicksburg Campaign, 1863: Grant’s Failed Offensives. By Chris Mackowski. Illustrations, Photographs, Artworks, Maps, Bibliography, and Index, 128 pp. 2025. Casemate Publishers, Softcover, $24.95 The Vicksburg Campaign, 1863: The Inland Battles, Siege, and Surrender. By Chris Mackowski. Illustrations, Photographs, Artworks, Maps, Bibliography, and Index, 128 pp. 2025. Casemate Publishers, Softcover, $24.95 Reviewed by John D. Fowler The Union campaign for Vicksburg is one of the great struggles of the Civil War. The fall of the Confederate bastion gave Federal forces control of the Mississippi, provided relief to Midwestern farmers who now had access to the Mississippi River and New Orleans, and demonstrated Ulysses S. Grant’s ability as an operational commander. In a two-volume set by Casemate Publishers, historian Chris Mackowski explores this pivotal campaign. The first volume covers Grant’s failed offensives in the early stages of the campaign, while the second covers the final Union drive for the city, including the various battles, the siege, and the surrender of Vicksburg. These books by Casemate are reminiscent of their publishing rival Osprey’s campaign series volumes. Profusely illustrated with
the Jandoli School of Communication at St. Bonaventure University in New York, which helps explain the wellwritten nature of his works, including the two discussed here. Taken together, the volumes offer a nice overview of the campaign. The first, Grant’s Failed Offenses, begins with an introduction that places the campaign in context. The preceding chapters discuss the first attempts to capture the city with greater detail given to Chickasaw Bayou, Yazoo Pass, and Steel’s Bayou. The volume also contains short profiles of the various commanders as well as interesting discussions of technology, especially in regard to naval weaponry, ship design, and fortifications. The second, Siege and Surrender, is similar, with solid coverage of the assault at Port Gibson, the battles of Raymond, Jackson, and Champion Hill, as well as the siege and the surrender of the city. The sidebars covering command profiles are also present. In sum, these volumes were designed as an introduction to the subject and are best suited for those unfamiliar with the Vicksburg campaign who desire a quick and entertaining overview. In that role, they are excellent resources. Although the two books are technically designed as separate volumes, to really understand the campaign, one would need both. Another group that might appreciate the texts is battlefield visitors who would enjoy the succinct text, the maps, and the general overview of the campaign as they explore the places where actions occurred. However, while wargamers and military history buffs will find the maps, artwork, and illustrations they have come to expect, these Casemate books lack the same level of detail on troop movements, uniforms, and weapons as is normally found in the Osprey texts. John D. Fowler, Ph.D., is the author of several books and
articles on the Civil War era. He is the author of Breaking the Heartland: The Civil War in Georgia.
period and contemporary photos, maps, and sidebars, the volumes are a visual delight. Moreover, the text is clear and engaging and provides the reader with a solid account of the campaign without unnecessary detail. For the novice who is unfamiliar with the campaign, the books would be an amazing introduction, but for well-read students of the war, they hold nothing new. The story of Vicksburg has been told many times in numerous volumes. However, Casemate is writing for a specific audience, one that is generally not knowledgeable of the campaign and one that appreciates the production value of a plethora of glossy images. The author, Chris Mackowski, is perhaps best known as the editor and chief of the digital history platform Emerging Civil War and as the managing editor of the award-winning Emerging Civil War Series published by Savas Beatie. He is a prolific author, having written or edited more than two dozen books. Interestingly, he is also a writing professor at
Inside Baseball Conflict and Controversy in the Confederate High Command: Davis, Johnston, Hood and the Atlanta Campaign of 1864. By Dennis B. Conklin, II. Maps, photographs, bibliography, footnotes, index, appendices, 320 pp., 2025. Savas Beatie, www.savasbeatie.com. $32.95, hardcover. Reviewed by Gould Hagler Mitch: So you hate baseball? Bonnie: No, I like baseball. I just never understood how you guys can spend so much time discussing it. I have been to games, but I don’t memorize… who played third base for Pittsburgh in 1960. Mitch and Ed (simultaneously): Don Hoak
Many people who read Civil War News are like the characters played by Billy Chrystal and Bruno Kirby in the 1991 movie City Slickers, while in the broader world, most people resemble the character played by Helen Slater. Conflict and Controversy in the Confederate High Command by Dennis Conklin is written for the Eds and Mitches of the Civil War world. In this careful study, Conklin delves into the history and historiography of the Atlanta Campaign in a way that will grab and hold the attention of readers who (if I may continue the metaphor) already know who played third for the Pirates in 1960. These readers want to learn more about Hoak’s batting average and other stats; about controversies involving him and other players; about questionable plays and disputed calls; about a manager’s decision to put him back into the lineup after an injury. And, of course, they want to know how sportswriters have judged the third baseman and his team throughout his career. The foregoing, from the review’s title on down, is a nearly identical repeat of what I wrote in a 2021 review of a previous book on the Atlanta Campaign. I could think of no better way to begin this review. Conflict and Controversy is an updated version of the author’s 2013 doctoral dissertation at the University of Southern Mississippi. In this analysis of the Atlanta Campaign, Conklin provides a well-written narrative of the action and an assessment of the key figures whose decisions affected the course of the fighting. Many readers will be familiar with what the participants themselves wrote and what historians have written about this decisive and muchstudied campaign. Conklin offers a critical review of the literature, with emphasis on writers who have delved into some of the more controversial issues. In the opening chapter, Conklin states three fundamental problems which contributed to the Confederacy’s failure in this vital campaign, all of which were under the control of the president: lack of a centralized command system; Davis’s tendency to allow personal animus to influence his decisions about strategy and personnel; and back-channel
communications, outside the chain of command, tolerated and even encouraged by the commander-in-chief. These and other controversies are well-known. Regarding such issues, Conklin does not present any strikingly different assessments. Rather, his conclusions are more a matter of emphasis than a radical re-interpretation of characters and events. Davis gets poor marks, perhaps the poorest in the class. Johnston comes off better, getting more credit for a willingness to attack than is usually attributed to him. Hood earns a low score for several reasons, including his direct communications with Davis and his angling to get the top job. Conklin is also critical of Hardee, bitter about being passed over for command. Some lines on this scorecard are devoted to Georgia’s governor, Joseph Brown, whose stubbornness kept the state’s militia out of the action at the first stage of the campaign, at Dalton, where a little bit of extra help could have gone a long way. A lack of resources plagued the Confederacy from its beginning to its end, further hampering its efforts to win independence. There was plenty of blame to go around. One controversial aspect of the campaign, the affair at Cassville, is discussed at some length. First, the planned attack was called off. The second plan, to stand and fight, was also aborted. An appendix is devoted to the diary of Lt. Thomas Mackall, a member of Johnston’s staff. One’s assessment of the Cassville controversy will depend largely on which version (there are five) one accepts as the most reliable. (Read this appendix when you are well-rested and fortified with strong coffee.) Much has been written about what the Army of Tennessee did, and didn’t do, at Cassville and other places on the map between Dalton and Atlanta. I am sure there is more to come. Stay tuned. Gould Hagler is a retired lobbyist living in Dunwoody, Ga. He has been a regular contributor to CWN since 2016. He can be reached at gould.hagler@gmail.com.
Never Before Published Accounts The National Tribune Remembers the Atlanta Campaign–Battles, Skirmishes, Marches, and Camp Life as Recalled by the Union Veterans Themselves. Stephen Davis, editor. Notes, Photos, Maps, Bibliography, Index. Savas Beatie. www.savasbeatie.com. $24.95 Reviewed by Tom Elmore The National Tribune was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1877 as an eight-page monthly publication. In its first issue the paper declared itself to be “A monthly journal devoted to the interests of the soldiers and sailors of the late war.” A year later it started printing soldier’s reminiscences of the Civil War. This was so successful that in 1881 the paper became a weekly publication and became a counter point to Confederate Veteran magazine. The Tribune ceased publication in 1943.
Logan took pity on the family and ordered his men to fix up the cabin and “suggested” that the soldiers present should share their rations with the family. In addition, Logan gave the mother a gold coin. The stories are annotated by Davis who points out what the authors got right, or wrong. He also provides background in the events surrounding the tales. Often in other books this reviewer finds such annotations excessive to the point of annoying, but Davis found the right balance and his comments help but never hinder the narrative. For anyone with an interest in the Atlanta Campaign, this book is must read. Tom Elmore wrote about Sherman’s Army in 2012’s A Carnival of Destruction published by the Joggling board Press as well in numerous magazine articles. Transparency Note: Elmore and Davis have collaborated in the past.
This is familiar territory for Stephen Davis, a columnist for Civil War News and the author of numerous books and articles about Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign. Out of almost one thousand articles published in the Tribune about the campaign, he has selected 118 articles, arranged chronologically in the order that the events happened. Some of them have never been published before in a book. Within the book the reader will find fascinating pieces, such as the belief among many of Sherman’s staff officers that Maj. Gen. James Birdseye McPherson, commander of the Army of the Tennessee, was almost fired after his failure at Snake Creek Gap. There is also debate over which regiment deserved credit for the artillery fire that killed Confederate corps commander Lt. Gen. Leonidas Polk, at Pine Mountain, Ga. Tales of the jubilation within Sherman’s army of Confederate Gen. Joseph Johnston being replaced By Gen. John Bell Hood. And who captured and recaptured Union Capt. Francis DeGress’ artillery at the Battle of Atlanta. There are also stories of human drama. One soldier recounted assisting in the amputation of the leg of Col. Americus V. Rice of the 57th Ohio, which was the first article about the Atlanta campaign published in the Tribune in June 1879. Another soldier writes about finding McPherson’s body during the Battle of Atlanta. There is even a letter from Sherman himself dated August 10, 1864, to a pre-war friend in Tennessee blaming the South for the war. Arguably, the most poignant account deals with Union medical personnel coming across a damaged cabin occupied by an old woman and the young widow of a Confederate soldier who had just given birth. The staff immediately gave the mother and child as much care as they could provide and sent for a Chaplin to baptize the child. (The child was christened “Shell-Anna.”) Soon afterwards, Maj. Gen. John “Black Jack” Logan, commander of the XV Corps came by to see what was going on and was informed that he was the child’s godfather.
The Fifth and Sixth Installments On Mosby A Tour Guide and History of Col. John S. Mosby’s Combat Operations in Central Virginia. By Donald C. Hakenson and Charles V. Mauro. Illustrated, bibliography, index, HMS Productions, Inc., 2025, 354 pp., softcover. $30. Reviewed by Wayne Wolf This book is the fifth in a monumental series covering the exploits of Col. John S. Mosby and his Rangers. It thoroughly details 145 locations in Virginia, principally in the counties of Alexandria, Clarke, Culpepper, Fairfax, Fauquier, Frederick, Madison, Orange, Rappahannock, Shenandoah, and Warren Counties, where Mosby’s
independent command operated. Officially known as the Fortythird Battalion Virginia Cavalry from its inception on December 30, 1862. This book meticulously details every encounter with Union troops, historical markers identifying these locations, and the personal stories of the Rangers that participated in the skirmish, raid, or battle. Likewise, the graves of Mosby’s Rangers are located, photographed, and included in the comprehensive tour directions. In this manner, the exploits of the most successful guerrilla unit in American history come to light in an engaging yet horrifying way. As a protege of General J.E.B. Stuart, and one of his most trusted scouts, Mosby began his career as an independent commander with a mastery of the art of scouting, raiding, foraging, and eluding his Union pursuers. This earned Mosby the title of the “Grey Ghost” of the Confederacy. (A title that would be turned into a television series in the 1960s.) Mosby is thus portrayed as a mixture of Robin Hood, the fighting Crusaders, the mystique of Caribbean pirates, and the stealth of Indian fighters. Every skirmish that Mosby’s Rangers were involved in, from Berryville to Rectortown, Winchester, Miskell’s Farm, Ashby’s Gap, and Beverly’s Ford, and countless smaller actions, is thoroughly covered and liberally infused with purported conversations, mysterious happenings, acts of bravery, executions, prisoner escapes, and individual Ranger vignettes. Additionally, grave sites are noted, historical photos added, and modern places of interest are also detailed, e.g., The Grey Ghost Winery. Ranger profiles with data on each postwar accomplishment are added, along with heartwarming poems, letters home, and the remembrances of friends and family that kept the Rangers’ heroics alive. The authors have demonstrated an encyclopedic knowledge of not only the individual exploits of Mosby’s Rangers, but also the heroics of that small cavalry band that caused the Union so much grief that they offered a bounty for Mosby’s capture, one never paid out. My only suggestion for improvement is the inclusion of pages from Civil War Trails, which are so small that a magnifying glass is needed. Yet, this information is important. Regardless, this book is recommended for any student of the Grey Ghost who wants to tread in his footsteps and relive his glory.
A Tour Guide and History of Col. John S. Mosby’s Combat Operations in Southern Virginia and Other States. By Donald C. Hakenson and Charles V. Mauro. Illustrated, bibliography, index, HMS Productions, Inc., 2025, 344 pp., softcover. $30. Reviewed by Wayne Wolf This book is the sixth volume detailing the history and exploits of Colonel John S. Mosby and his Forty-third Battalion of Virginia Cavalry. It encompasses the counties of Southern Virginia as well as his incursions into Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. It comprehensively follows Mosby’s band of a few hundred men on their quest to steal horses and mules, capture prisoners, confiscate
valuable supplies, and generally harass Union troops before disappearing into the countryside. Not only did their exploits provide these much-needed supplies for the Army of Northern Virginia, but they kept large numbers of Union troops tied up guarding Washington, D.C., and thus away from General Robert E. Lee. This volume begins with a history of John S. Mosby from his birth to his college days at the University of Virginia. Included is the trial of Mosby for shooting a college bully that landed him in jail for seven months, a period of time he spent studying law and eventually getting admitted to the bar in 1855. Mosby then married Pauline Clark in 1857 and quickly fathered two children. But his quiet family life was put on hold when Virginia seceded-the South was Mosby’s country and, right or wrong, he would stand by it. The next section of this volume then combines his military career with personal anecdotes. He initially joined William “Grumble” Jones Washington Mounted Rifles, where he served until joining General J.E.B. Stuart as an independent scout. On a courier mission for Stuart, he was captured by the Second New York Calvary and imprisoned in Washington, D.C. After ten days, he was paroled, returned to the Confederate Army, and on June 10, 1863, mustered 60 men into Company A of the Forty-third Battalion Virginia Partisan Rangers. His independent command was now a reality, and his daring exploits began in earnest. This volume then catalogs his exploits at Mercersburg and travels through skirmishes at Kabletown, Rector’s Crossroads, Charles Town, Outfield’s Depot, Adamstown, The Greenback Raid, Myerstown, Kinsale, and countless other raids, skirmishes, and diversions. As the war ended, Mosby dismissed his men on April 26, 1865, and headed back to his father’s home, Idyle Wilde, in Amherst. His post-war career is then illuminated as U.S. Counsel at Hong Kong. He was severely wounded in a carriage mishap, losing an eye, was injured again by being struck by a bicyclist, and recovering from both, he moved in with his daughter until his death in 1916.
This volume does a commendable job of weaving the personal histories of Colonel Mosby and some of his Rangers into their exploits. All of the locations, travel directions, and points of interest are included so that the historian of the Civil War can relive the life of the Grey Ghost. This text is recommended for anyone fascinated with the most famous guerrilla band of the Eastern Theatre of the Civil War. Dr. Wayne L. Wolf is Professor Emeritus at South Suburban College and the author or coauthor of numerous Civil War books and articles, including Two Years Before the Paddlewheet, Heroes and Rogues of the Civil War (4 volumes), They saw the Elephant, and The Last Confederate Scout. He is the past president of the Lincoln-Davis Civil War Roundtable and a frequent lecturer.
Stonewall Jackson vs. The Iron Brigade: The Opening Shots of 2nd Manassas Opening Manassas: The Iron Brigade, Stonewall Jackson, and the Battle on Brawner’s Farm August 28, 1862, by Lance J. Herdegen and Bill Backus. Acknowledgments, introductions, appendix, notes, photographs, drawings, maps, bibliography, index, 276 pp, 2025, Savas Beatie, www.savasbeatie.com, hardback, $32.95. Reviewed by Joseph A. Derie Opening Manassas tells the story of the opening moves of the 2nd Manassas Campaign from the movement of Jackson’s Corps from the Peninsula and the early movements of what would eventually became the Iron Brigade under John Gibbon, to the evening of August 28, 1862, following the fight at Brawner’s Farm. The book’s chapters are told alternately from the perspective of Jackson’s Corps and the Iron Brigade. Coauthor Bill Backus tells the story of Jackson’s Corps, and co-author Lance J. Herdegen tells the story of the Iron Brigade. Both are eminently qualified to write their chapters. Alternating chapters to tell the story is an excellent device to engage the reader and explain the movements and actions of the two protagonists, as well as the fog of war at the time. Brawner’s Farm was the Iron Brigade’s first battle as a unit and the first battle as a brigade commander of John Gibbon, who had, until a few weeks prior, commanded a regular army field artillery battery. The 2nd Wisconsin had seen action at 1st Manassas, and the 19th Indiana had done some skirmishing, but the remaining regiments of the brigade, the 6th and 7th Wisconsin, had seen no action and were concerned they would never see any. That would all change at Brawner’s Farm when they finally “saw the elephant.” As Major Rufus Dawes, the author in later years of Service with the Sixth Wisconsin Volunteers would pen: “Our one night’s experience at Gainesville (Brawner’s Farm) eradicated our
yearning for a fight. In our future history we will also be found ready, but never again anxious.” Besides the Brawner’s Farm action, other actions are also well examined and documented. This includes the capture and sacking of the stores at Manassas Junction, attempts to stop various moving trains, as well as sharp fights at Kettle Run and Thoroughfare Gap. Stonewall Jackson’s penchant for operational security, which he carried to the extreme by not informing subordinates of his plans, is well documented and explained, showing how it was often frustrating to his subordinates and detrimental to the efficient operations of his Corps. Opening Manassas: The Iron Brigade, Stonewall Jackson, and the Battle on Brawner’s Farm, August 28, 1862, is thoroughly researched and readable. It is very highly recommended. CAPT Joe Derie is a longtime Civil War buff with a special
interest in Civil War naval history and the Civil War in the
West. He is a retired USCG officer and a licensed officer of the Merchant Marine, currently self-employed as a marine surveyor and marine accident investigator in Portland, OR.
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