Booknotes: The Chicago Board of Trade Battery in the Civil War

New Arrival:
• The Chicago Board of Trade Battery in the Civil War by Dennis W. Belcher (McFarland, 2022).

Organized during the summer of 1862 and serving for the duration, the Chicago Board of Trade Battery (an independent light artillery company sponsored by its namesake) merited on numerous battlefields its reputation as one of the western theater's most renowned Union batteries. Dennis Belcher's The Chicago Board of Trade Battery in the Civil War is the first full history of the unit. The only other publication I came across in my admittedly cursory search is a veteran-authored sketch published in Chicago in 1902 (and a brief skim of Belcher's introduction seems to confirm that).

From the description: "During the Civil War, the battery was involved in 11 major battles, 26 minor battles and 42 skirmishes. They held the center at Stones River, repulsing a furious Confederate attack. A few days later, they joined 50 other Union guns in stopping one of the most dramatic offensives in the Western Theater. With Colonel Robert Minty's cavalry, they resisted an overwhelming assault along Chickamauga Creek." From there, the book "chronicles the actions of the Chicago Board of Trade Independent Light Artillery at the battles of Farmington, Dallas, Noonday Creek, Atlanta, in Kilpatrick's Raid, and at Nashville, and Selma."

Union Army western and Border State unit and formation histories (before now cavalry and infantry) are Belcher's specialization, so this is his first foray into the artillery. Belcher is one of those authors whose work seems to get better and better with each new publication, and the exhaustive nature of this battery history looks to be a real treat for artillery students and enthusiasts. In addition to photographs and other illustrations, there are numerous charts and tables that regularly update organizational matters, losses, and replacements. As is the case with his other books, full-page George Skoch maps of high quality are very generously sprinkled about. Finally, a detailed battery roster and casualty list are also included in an appendix section. I'm looking forward to reading this one.