Spring/Summer university press pickings

A few Spring/Summer 08 online catalogs are out. The list is not exhaustive, just those university presses with the information publicly available [the book lists below don't include the reprints or paperback reissues of earlier hardcover titles]:


Alabama:

• Battle: The Nature and Consequences of Civil War Combat.
• Henry Hotze, Confederate Propagandist.
• Unfurl Those Colors!: McClellan, Sumner, and the Second Army Corps in the Antietam Campaign.

Arkansas:

• Guide to Missouri Confederate Units (I got an early look at rough drafts of the artillery and cavalry sections of Jim McGhee's manuscript. This will be a very valuable reference work).

Kansas:

• Guide to the Atlanta Campaign: Rocky Face Ridge to Kennesaw Mountain.
• Grant’s Lieutenants: From Chattanooga to Appomattox.

LSU:

• Encyclopedia of Civil War Shipwrecks.

Mercer:

• Saddle Bag and Spinning Wheel: Being the Civil War Letters of George W. Peddy, M.D., Surgeon, 56th Georgia Volunteer Regiment, CSA.

North Carolina:

• Wade Hampton: Confederate Warrior to Southern Redeemer.
• Causes Won, Lost, and Forgotten: How Hollywood and Popular Art Shape What We Know about the Civil War.
• Lincoln and the Decision for War: The Northern Response to Secession.
• Freedom for Themselves: North Carolina's Black Soldiers in the Civil War Era.

Oklahoma:

• Three Days in the Shenandoah: Stonewall Jackson at Front Royal and Winchester.
  

South Carolina:

• Vital Rails: The Civil War History of the Charleston & Savannah Railroad.
• Guardian of Savannah: Fort McAllister, Georgia, in the Civil War and Beyond.

Texas A&M (Consortium):

• Planting The Union Flag In Texas: The Campaigns of Major General Nathaniel P. Banks in the West.
• As It Was: Reminiscences of a Soldier of the Third Texas Cavalry and the Nineteenth Louisiana Infantry.
• Fire in the Cane Field: The Federal Invasion of Louisiana and Texas, January 1861–January 1863.
  

Lowe: "Walker's Texas Division"

[Walker's Texas Division, C.S.A: Greyhounds of the Trans-Mississippi by Richard Lowe (Louisiana State University Press, 2006).Softcover reprint, photos, 12 maps, 9 tables, casualty appendix, notes, bibliography. Page total/main: 344/262. ISBN:978-0-8071-3153-4. $24.95]

Truly the "Greyhounds of the Trans-Mississippi", Walker's Division marched over 3,500 miles in military operations criss-crossing the states of Arkansas and Louisiana. These footsore men fought at Perkins Landing, Milliken's Bend, Bayou Bourbeau, Mansfield, Pleasant Hill, and Jenkins's Ferry. 12,000 strong at formation, Walker's Division was reduced by discharge and disease to 6,000 men before it ever fired a shot. The organization's entire combat history spanned a period lasting less than one year--from May 1863 to April 1864--, and, in that time, the unit suffered almost 40% combat casualties. With his book Walker's Texas Division, CSA, historian Richard Lowe provides us with the first complete history of this remarkable group of men.

Prior to Lowe, perhaps the most well known chronicler of the division was Joseph Palmer Blessington, a private and later a non-com in the 16th Texas Infantry. His classic history The Campaigns of Walker's Texas Division was first published in 1875 [and recently reprinted by State House Press]. Additionally, a handful of Greyhound regiments have received recent scholarly attention, perhaps most notably by M. Jane Johansson [28th Texas Cavalry]¹ and Thomas Reid [13th Texas Cavalry]².

For his division level study, Lowe's depth of original research into manuscript and other primary source materials is exceptional, allowing him the large sample size (1,557 men) needed for meaningful social history and analysis. Undoubtedly, the difficult task of assembling the data was helped by the formation's unusually uniform composition (every unit was from Texas) and its organizational stability, but Lowe richly deserves accolades for his diligence. Useful unit demography data is presented to the reader in a number of easy to read tables. Formed in the period after the initial wave of patriotic fervor (but before conscription), the men of Walker's Division were slightly older, much more likely to be married, less wealthy, and less likely to be a slaveholder³ as compared with earlier volunteers. Lowe's lengthy chapter detailing soldier letters home to their wives provides the reader with an insightful and often touching picture of the domestic life these men left behind.

While the author's recounting of the campaigns of the Greyhounds is not likely to lead to significantly new interpretations of these events, the battle depictions are highly detailed (often at regimental level). The maps are helpful and original to the work. As for relevant strategic assessments of the Confederate army's Trans-Mississippi high command, Lowe's views are largely conventional. The author gives high marks to the leadership abilities of division commander John G. Walker, who led the Greyhounds through all the key moments of its history, and also to the quality of direction at brigade and regimental levels³. The fact that the division was able to train for an entire year before it ever participated in battle undoubtedly contributed to its unit cohesiveness and combat effectiveness.

Division histories remain sparse in the Civil War literature, but Richard Lowe's well written and exhaustively researched study of Walker's Texas Division is exemplary. Lowe's efforts transcend the inherent difficulties of research into the Trans-Mississippi theater, and the result is a complete, model study of a truly unique unit. Highly recommended.

--------------------------Notes:
1 - Peculiar Honor: A History of the 28th Texas Cavalry, 1862-1865
2 - Spartan Band: Burnett's 13th Texas Cavalry In The Civil War
3 - Although still slightly overrepresented, the number of members of Walker's Division hailing from slaveholding families roughly matches that of the general population of Texas.
4 - Lowe's characterization of John H. Forney, who led the division during the war's latter moments when Walker was transferred to a district command, is enlighteningly shocking. In comparison with the personal behavior of Forney, Earl Van Dorn was an ascetic!

New UT Press Civil War series

The latest issue of North and South [10:4, pg. 41] contained an announcement for a new Civil War series to be edited by Gary D. Joiner. The Western Theater in the Civil War series "is to publish cutting-edge scholarship on the Civil War and Reconstruction" and "may include monographs or edited volumes," joining Tennessee's already impressive Voices of the Civil War catalog of books. I certainly appreciate the enlarging commitment of UT Press to Civil War publishing, especially with the western focus.

I hope everyone had/is having a great Christmas holiday, surrounded by family and too much food [or the other way around]!

Edwards: "The Prairie was on Fire: Eyewitness Accounts of the Civil War in the Indian Territory"

[The Prairie Was on Fire: Eyewitness Accounts of the Civil War in the Indian Territoryby Whit Edwards (Oklahoma Historical Society, 2001) Hardcover, 1 map, photos, notes, bibliography, index. Pp. 180 ISBN: 0941498727 $24.95]

With The Prairie was on Fire, author Whit Edwards provides the reader with a compilation of primary accounts dealing with the many campaigns and battles fought throughout the Indian Territory. Limiting himself to strictly military matters, Edwards nevertheless consulted upwards of 70 manuscript repositories and numerous secondary sources to put together this useful volume. This is not a narrative history. Short contextual passages serve only as introductions and transitions for the minimally edited primary accounts. Helpfully, each account included is fully annotated so interested readers and researchers can seek out the materials themselves.

While the book is well constructed hardcover (at a very reasonable price to boot) and nicely illustrated, it would have benefited from more maps. The single map included is a reproduction of an 1866 study of the eastern half of the territory. Both experienced readers and those new to these obscure events will likely have trouble visualizing the terrain. Granted, the actual location of many of these military actions are highly controversial even today, but useful maps do exist [some in the publisher's own Chronicles of Oklahoma journal]. Cartographic quibbles aside, this book should serve as a useful compilation of source materials for those whose research interests extend to the Civil War in the Indian Territory.

Staff ride downloads available from publisher

The press of the Combat Studies Institute and Command and General Staff College (CSI/CGSC Press) has made available some interesting .html or .pdf downloads [or both] available on their website. The six Civil War staff rides are some of the more recognizably germane items. I've only glanced through the Wilson's Creek staff ride, but it looks useful. For the best visual clarity, I would highly recommend the .pdf versions over .html viewing (as usual).

Cooper-Wiele: "Skim Milk Yankees Fighting: The Battle of Athens, Missouri, August 5, 1861"

[Skim Milk Yankees Fighting: The Battle of Athens, Missouri, August 5, 1861 by Jonathan K. Cooper-Wiele (The Camp Pope Bookshop, 2007) Softcover, 55 photographs, 3 maps, home guard roster¹, notes, bibliography, index. Pages total/main: 168/80. ISBN 978-1-929919-12-3. $14.95]

Five days before the larger, headline-stealing Battle of Wilson's Creek was fought, Missouri State Guardsmen led by Martin Green attacked a smaller² Northeast Missouri Home Guard force under David Moore in the streets of Athens, Missouri. While Green's command had the luxury of artillery support, Moore's men had a decided advantage in quality of small arms. Repulsing enemy probing attacks on both flanks, and aided by supporting rifle fire from Iowa infantry across the Des Moines River, the main body of the Home Guard drove the MSG from the field with a furious bayonet charge on their center.

Until now, no satisfactory account of the Battle of Athens has made its way into print. That's not to say the subject's been completely ignored. Previous investigators (most notably Ben F. Dixon and Patricia Mullenix) have collected and published source materials, and historian Leslie Anders contributed a nice synopsis of the battle for the journal Missouri Historical Review³. Room was left for an in-depth study, and happily for those of us endlessly fascinated with the Civil War in Missouri, author Jonathan Cooper-Wiele has stepped up to the plate nicely with his book Skim Milk Yankees Fighting.

Cooper-Wiele deserves a great deal of credit for his ability to construct a useful and coherent battle narrative from such a limited array of available source materials. On the other hand, the fact that the Home Guard viewpoint predominates will likely disappoint readers wishing to find a more detailed discussion of the role of the Missouri State Guard in the battle. It is unclear to this reviewer if this was by design or was dictated by the availability of sources⁴--it is certainly well known to researchers that MSG documentation is riddled with gaps. In addition to providing a fine description of the battle itself, the author's political history of Missouri from the antebellum period through the secession crisis helps place these later events within larger state and national contexts.

The explanatory notes deserve special mention. Expansive passages evaluating various source materials provide detailed insight into the author's thought processes for reconstructing events and analyzing the battle. Useful comparisons are drawn between Cooper-Wiele's interpretations and those of previous writers and historians. Perhaps to a greater degree than most, a careful review of the notes provided in this work is essential in piecing together a basic understanding of what occurred at Athens⁵.

Skim Milk Yankees Fighting is also heavily illustrated. Dozens of photographs (the majority published for the first time) of individuals, buildings, and landscapes were included. Based on current archaeological survey work, the maps⁶ are excellent, and, in combination with the modern and period photographs, very useful in visualizing the battlefield.

Expertly edited, meticulously researched, astutely analyzed, and persuasively argued, Skim Milk Yankees Fighting is a unique contribution to the military history literature of the Civil War. 'Original research' is probably a label too carelessly bandied about by commentators, but in this case, the approbation is fully deserved. Jonathan Cooper-Wiele's book is one of those small gems of Civil War publishing; likely to be overlooked by the generalist, but treasured by dedicated readers and researchers of the conflict in Missouri.
------------------------Notes:
1 - Roster compiles members of the 1st and 2nd Northeast Missouri Home Guard, a task undertaken by the 1863 Hawkins Taylor Commission.
2 - For both sides, a wide range of strength numbers were reported by the various sources. Numbers present vs. engaged, and to what degree the MSG outnumbered the Home Guards, remain unsettled issues.
3 - Anders, Leslie. "‘Farthest North:’ The Historian and the Battle of Athens" (Missouri Historical Review, Vol. 69 (Jan 1975), pgs. 147-168.
4 - Some interesting State Guard insights can be found in the endnotes.
5 - The question of what to include in the notes vs. the main text certainly has no correct answer, but [and I have to admit my own bias here] I couldn't help but wonder if the reader would have been better served by incorporating more of the material from the endnotes into the main text.
6 - Drawn by Athens Park Ranger Matt Kantola, maps include a large scale representation of NE Missouri, a detailed streetmap of Athens, and another similar map superimposed with troop positions and movements.

A welcome Petersburg reprint - "Breaking the Backbone of the Rebellion"

A. Wilson Greene's Breaking the Backbone of the Rebellion: The Final Battles of the Petersburg Campaign is by all knowledgeable estimations an excellent military study, originally published by Savas Publishing in 2000 and later reissued by Da Capo. Of course, I delayed purchasing a copy, and now prices for these out of print editions are getting a bit too steep. Fortunately, University of Tennessee Press will soon be rescuing people like me with its new reprint, scheduled for Feb 2008.

Alternatively, interested readers who do not wish to read an entire book on the subject may consult Greene's excellent distillation of the book in Blue & Gray Magazine (Vol. XVIII #3). It's a very well done issue and covers some of the same ground.

Speaking of B&G, the current issue, mailed this week, is my most anticipated of recent memory. The Battle of Davis Bridge is one of the few battles I've done original research for [much of this work went into the Corinth campaign wargame I designed with John Tiller, published by HPS Simulations]. Note the picture here of my wife holding the issue. That little devil.

Whitlock: "Distant Bugles, Distant Drums"

[Distant Bugles, Distant Drums: The Union Response to the Confederate Invasion of New Mexico by Flint Whitlock. (Boulder, CO: University Press of Colorado, 2006). Pp. 266, $29.95, Hardback, 23 maps, drawings, photos, notes, bibliography. ISBN-13: 978-0-87081-835-6 (ISBN-10: 0-87081-835-X)]

Although even dedicated students of the 1861-62 New Mexico Campaign will perhaps question the need for the publication of another overview history, Distant Bugles, Distant Drums author Flint Whitlock is largely correct in his assertion that previous works shade their focus toward the Confederate side of the story. By placing the Union effort at the forefront, Whitlock sets out to restore a balance to the campaign’s historiography, and succeeds admirably. Beginning with an introduction to the U.S. army’s pre-war role in the desert southwest, the author quickly centers his attention on the emerging strategic importance of the Colorado territory. With conflicting popular loyalties threatening trouble during the secession crisis, the territory was largely unified in its support of the Union by the time actual hostilities broke out in 1861. According to Whitlock, much of this success should be attributed to the political leadership of Governor William Gilpin. The depth of coverage for this period in Distant Bugles is one of its major strengths. This original contribution alone warrants the book’s placement on a list of standard reference works for the campaign.

After setting the stage, Whitlock, integrating his own original research with some of his predecessors’ specialized work, also constructs a creditable if not groundbreaking military history of the campaign. The author’s analysis of military events and his leadership assessments for both sides will be familiar to those already up to date with the current literature. Coverage of the campaign’s key battles at Valverde and Glorieta Pass is reasonably detailed, with much of the action conveyed to the reader through extended passages gleaned from participant accounts. To a small degree, this narrative structure can be mildly disruptive to the text’s flow, but it’s well executed for the most part. Another source of minor criticism would be the book’s light coverage of the other Union responses to the Confederate invasion (i.e. Carleton’s California column and the additional Federal relief forces assembling in Kansas). On the other hand, both author and publisher deserve high praise for the decision to include over two dozen fine maps. Ranging from large-scale operational overviews to detailed tactical maps, the book’s cartography contributes greatly to reader understanding. Other visual aids sprinkled throughout the text include a number of thoughtfully chosen photographs of people and places.

By focusing on the Federal response to the Confederate invasion of New Mexico (and Colorado’s political and military role in particular), author Flint Whitlock has made an important contribution to the literature of the campaign. While casual Civil War readers can certainly benefit from this enjoyable and eminently readable volume, Distant Bugles, Distant Drums should be considered required reading for researchers and students of the campaign.


(Review reprinted with the permission of North and South Magazine, originally appearing in vol.10 #3, pp. 90, reviewed by Andrew Wagenhoffer)

Burlingame update

Thanks to The Biographer's Craft editor James M. Morris for the newsletter link that updates us on the progress and specs of Michael Burlingame's upcoming Lincoln biography project [seeing the photo, I wonder how often Burlingame gets "Sen. McCain, you've lost weight" when strolling around in public]. I am pleasantly surprised at how reasonable the price will be for this monster 2-vol. set. With extra notes and a wiki-type associated online version, the cross media aspects are interesting as well. Finally, the last two paragraphs of the article remind us of the indispensability of university presses.

Briefly - "To Take Charleston: The Civil War on Folly Island"

Pictorial Histories has been publishing noteworthy heavily illustrated books since the late seventies, but their output, at least that segment dealing with the Civil War, appears to have ceased. Over the past few years (as long as I've known of its existence) the website catalog of Civil War books hasn't included any new additions -- in fact, the site doesn't appear to have been updated since 2004.

However, there are some interesting out-of-print volumes to discover or rediscover. I recently picked up James W. Hagy's To Take Charleston: The Civil War on Folly Island [Pictorial Histories, rep. 1997]. It's an oversize 8 1/2 x 11 paperback^* that is chock full of maps, illustrations, tables, and photographs in addition to the text narrative.

The book follows the initial Union occupation of Folly Island on through its use as a fortified jumping off point for the assault on Morris Island. The author also includes a long chapter detailing the rigors of camp life on the island. Some information about the Federal units serving there is also included. To Take Charleston is a documented and worthwhile volume to add to the collection of readers interested in the lengthy, difficult coastal operations around Charleston. As of this writing, the few copies I've seen on the secondary market can be obtained inexpensively.

* = The first edition is staple bound with wraps (1993) and the reprint is a better quality adhesive bound paperback (1997). I've read both at different times, and while the page numbers vary (87 vs. 91), the content appears unchanged if memory serves me correctly. Whether the length difference is indeed due to additional content or simply format changes, I cannot say as I don't have current access to the 1st edition.

Booknotes (Dec 07)

Regular rundown of book purchases and review copies received:

Skim Milk Yankees Fighting: The Battle of Athens, Missouri, August 5, 1861 by Jonathan Cooper-Wiele (The Camp Pope Bookshop, 2007). The first detailed study of this early, northeast Missouri battle between the Unionist Missouri Home Guard and the Missouri State Guard. A review will be up for this one very soon.

A Slight Demonstration: Decatur, October 1864, Clumsy Beginning of Gen. John B. Hood's Tennessee Campaign by Noel Carpenter (Legacy Books & Letters, 2007). Thanks to Carol Powell for publishing her late father's manuscript and for sending me a copy; and also to Paul Taylor for bringing it to my attention in the first place on his blog.(add. inquiries to: Legacy Books & Letters, Publisher, 8308 Elander Dr., Austin, TX 78750-7842, 512-340-0321). You won't find much info online; the Decatur Daily article link appears dead but the one from the Hartselle Enquirer is still up here.

Counter-Thrust: From the Peninsula to the Antietam by Benjamin F. Cooling (University of Nebraska Press, 2008). The latest and 10th volume from Nebraska's Great Campaigns of the Civil War Series.

“We Are Coming Father Abra’am”: The History of the 9th Vermont Volunteer Infantry, 1862-1865 by Don Wickman (Schroeder Publications, 2005). These three books are my first exposure to Schroeder Publications. I am interested in this one mainly for the Vermonters' participation in the North Carolina & SE Virginia campaigns. Looks like a high quality publication, heavily illustrated with detailed, annotated text.

Shepherdstown: Last Clash of the Antietam Campaign by Thomas McGrath (Schroeder Publications, 2007). This is the first book length study of this battle.

Tarheels: Five Points in the Record of North Carolina in the Great War of 1861-65 (Schroeder Publications, 2000 reprint w/ new intro).

Geier and Potter (eds): "Archaeological Perspectives on the American Civil War"

[Archaeological Perspectives on the American Civil War edited by Clarence R. Geier and Stephen R. Potter (University Press of Florida, 2003). Softcover, maps, drawings, photos, notes, glossary, bibliography, index. Pages: 448. ISBN 13: 978-0-8130-2651-0 $27.95]

A fascinating 1980s National Geographic article on the projectile mapping of the Little Bighorn battlefield was my introduction to modern battlefield archaeology. The technology and methodology introduced was truly novel and supplied a professional model for others to follow. Much of this legacy is wonderfully displayed in Archaeological Perspectives on the American Civil War.

Considering the mainstream popularity of both the ACW and archaeology, it is a bit surprising to see so few books utilize the intersection at depth [Earl Hess's scholarly field fortification studies published by UNC Press immediately comes to mind]. This volume, edited by anthropologist Clarence Geier and archaeologist Stephen Potter, makes a very strong case for promoting the role of inter-disciplinary archaeological study in the examination of Civil War history. Archaeological Perspectives contains a great number of articles that should enlighten interested readers as to method & technique, and how they can be used to draw conclusions about not only battles and battlefields, but also everyday life in camps, hospitals, farms, towns, and forts -- the material culture and lifestyle of both soldiers and civilians.

At the heart of this collection of essays is the view of the Civil War battlefield as a "cultural landscape" that cannot be fully understood without input from a variety of academic disciplines. Historians, archaeologists, and anthropologists take the lead in this cooperative effort. While the focus is on the work of professionals in these fields, it is refreshing to see an acknowledgment of the pioneering work done by amateurs in the use of metal detection technology.

The book's eighteen chapters [see this link for a complete table of contents] are too densely detailed and variable in content to independently cover in a review of this length, but some general comments are in order. The volume is divided into three main parts [I - Tactics and the Conduct of Battle, II - The Home Front and Military Life, III - New Methods and Techniques]. Articles in Part I discuss the use of archaeological data in determining battle lines and tactical movements [at Brawner's Farm and Cool Spring]. Other chapters deal with archaeological issues surrounding the submarine C.S.S. Hunley, field fortifications at Atlanta, and the interdisciplinary approach used to identify individual remains on the battlefield. In Part II, readers learn about artifact analysis and its role in the study of the material culture of military camps, along with farms, towns, and other aspects of domestic life affected by the conflict. Part III details the field's use of modern technology and methodology. Survey techniques (including metal detecting) are discussed, as well as projectile analysis and artifact distribution mapping and analysis. Rarely does an edited compilation cover so much ground, and in such depth of detail and analysis. Additionally, the reader is struck throughout by the practical (and broad) usefulness of the research data obtained by these studies. Rather than providing incremental advancements to narrow specialties, the knowledge gained from these studies overlaps expansively into other fields.

In addition to the quality of the text, Archaeological Perspectives is wonderful to look at. It is profusely illustrated with photographs, drawings, battle maps, tables, artifact maps, and distribution plots. These figures and illustrations are intimately tied to the text, an essential aid to reader understanding.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this fascinating survey of Civil War archaeology to a broad range of readers. It's detailed enough for a specialist to appreciate, yet will not overwhelm the interested generalist with technical minutiae. Highly recommended.

--------------------------------------------------
See also, a companion volume Huts and History: The Historical Archaeology of Military Encampment During the American Civil War (Univ Press of Florida, 2006).

2007 Book Prizes

The A.M. Pate, Jr. Award winner is Steven Mayeux for his book Earthen Walls, Iron Men: Fort DeRussy, Louisiana, and the Defense of Red River (University of Tennessee Press, 2007). The honor conferred upon Mr. Mayeux is well deserved. I reviewed this book earlier in the year (link).

And, from a comment to a previous post:

Speaking of Civil War book awards, as the Chairman of the Robert E. Lee Civil War Library & Research Center, I would like to announce that this year's winner of the Dr. James I. Robertson Jr. Literary Prize for Confederate History is Brian D. McKnight for his book Contested Borderland: The Civil War in Appalachian Kentucky And Virginia. The Robertson Prize, which honors Dr. James I. Robertson, was established in 2000 and confers the award to the author of the best orignial work of published scholarship in the field of Confederate History for a calendar year. Past winners of the Robertson Prize have included Rod Gragg, Frank O'Reilly, G. Ward Hubbs, John Fox, Earl Hess, and Kent Masterson Brown.

Lawrence Korczyk
Chairman-Robertson Prize

If you'd like to read my review of McKnight's book, or refresh your memory if you already have, click on this (link).

Others:
The 2007 Laney Prize (sponsored by the The Austin Civil War Round Table of Austin) went to A. Wilson Greene for his book Civil War Petersburg: Confederate City in the Crucible of War . I'd never heard of this award before, which is devoted to ACW political and military history scholarship.

I may have mentioned this one previously, but Russell Bonds' Stealing the General: The Great Locomotive Chase and the First Medal of Honor won the 2007 Richard Barksdale Harwell Book Award. Certainly one of my 2007 favorites.

The Barondess/Lincoln Award (CWRT of NY): Gabor Boritt for The Gettysburg Gospel: The Lincoln Speech That Nobody Knows.

The Lincoln Book Prize: Douglas L. Wilson for Lincoln’s Sword: The Presidency and the Power of Words.

Briefly - "Images of Civil War Medicine"

Images of Civil War Medicine: A Photographic History [by Gordon Dammann DDS and Alfred Bollett MD, Demos Medical Publishing, 2007] is a profusely illustrated (photos, maps, drawings) general introduction to the people and practices of Civil War medicine. As indicated by the title, photography is the book's main focus, and according to the authors, many of the selections are published for the first time. The image subjects range from individual CDVs (of surgeons, nurses, wounded men, etc.) to photos of field stations and hospital buildings.

The text is a brief but comprehensive overview of a variety of topics (e.g. photographic technique, medical education, nursing, dentistry, ambulances, hospitals, wounds, and disease). While the ARC has some issues of image quality and presentation, these would presumably be addressed in the final publication. Also, while notes were included, it is hoped that a full bibliography will be added. With its large collection of previously unpublished surgeon CDVs from both sides, this volume should be of interest to students of Civil War medicine and photography.

New Camp Pope release: "Skim Milk Yankees Fighting"

As announced today in the newsletter, and just in time for Christmas, the Camp Pope Bookshop has just released Skim Milk Yankees Fighting: The Battle of Athens, Missouri, August 5, 1861 by Jonathan K. Cooper-Wiele [(The Camp Pope Bookshop, 2007) Softcover, 168 pages, 55 photographs, 3 maps, roster, notes, bibliography, index, paperback 6 x 9. ISBN 978-1-929919-12-3. $14.95]. As regular readers know, I've been following the progress of this project from afar for quite some time, and I am excited to see the final results. I should have a copy fairly soon.

Like all Camp Pope publications (see this link for a complete list of titles), I am anticipating a high quality effort. From the book description on the publisher website:

Using dozens of contemporary and historical sources never before brought together in one book, author Jonathan Cooper-Wiele places a detailed narration of the battle against the backdrop of the historical events in Missouri and the rest of the nation that led to the Civil War. The maps are new, drawn by Athens Park Ranger Matt Kantola, making use of archaeological discoveries of the last 20 years. And most of the 55 photographs have never before been published. Skim Milk Yankees Fighting is a 168 page quality paperback, with 55 illustrations, three maps, notes, bibliography, index, and, published here for the first time ever, the reconstructed rosters of men sworn to the service of the United States in the 1st and 2nd Northeast Missouri Home Guard, as gathered in 1863 by the Hawkins Taylor Commission.

Until now, the fine but short Missouri Historical Review article by Leslie Anders was pretty much the only thing going in terms of published information about this battle. Can't wait.