• A Civil War Captain and His Lady: Love, Courtship, and Combat From Fort Donelson through the Vicksburg Campaign
edited by Gene Barr (Savas Beatie, 2016).
Born in Ireland, but raised since infancy in the United States, Josiah Moore was a 27 year old university student at the outbreak of the war. Joining the 17th Illinois, Moore was elected captain and served with the regiment in Missouri and in the western theater (mostly in Tennessee and Mississippi), emerging unscathed when his term of service ended in June 1864. A Civil War Captain and His Lady is remarkable in that the back and forth correspondence between Moore and wife-to-be Jennie Lindsay for the first three years of the war was preserved together intact. With no published regimental study of the 17th Illinois, the letters along with editor Gene Barr's extensive supporting narrative and notes all serve to provide a good deal of information about the unit's history, as well. Interestingly, Jennie's father, an Illinois state senator, was a Republican during the secession crisis but switched parties to the Peace Democrats during the war.
Hi Drew, thanks for listing this.
ReplyDeleteWhat is also unusual is that this is not a "typical" Savas Beatie title. It was so unique and interesting, however, we could not pass it up. It truly contributes something fresh and original to the literature, especially being Western Theater, all blended with love and home front politics.
It does have some interesting features. Due to the backlog of Booknotes posts, I've actually already read this one and sketched out a review.
DeleteDrew
ReplyDeleteThanks for the mention. I really appreciate it