Booknotes: The 54th Pennsylvania Infantry in the Civil War

New Arrival:

• The 54th Pennsylvania Infantry in the Civil War by Christopher A. Baran (McFarland, 2026).

It's understandable that publication of Union regimental histories of units that served in the eastern theater is still heavily weighted towards those attached to the Army of the Potomac for most of the war. At the same time, eastern regiments that didn't fit that mold are still fairly well represented in the literature. Part of that group is Christopher Baran's The 54th Pennsylvania Infantry in the Civil War.

Dyer tells us that the 54th was organized during the war's first summer and was initially attached to the Washington defenses. Much of its early to mid-war service was spent behind the scenes in the Middle Department and Department of West Virginia. However, the 54th entered the war's main stage during the 1864 fighting in the Shenandoah Valley before joining the Army of the James in 1865. Captured on April 6, 1865 during the Union raid on High Bridge, the regiment's own war did not end on a particularly high note, but ultimate triumph at Appomattox was not far off.

From the description: "For the first two years of their service, the men in the 54th Pennsylvania felt forgotten. Assigned to guard the vital B&O Railroad, they received little press coverage. Many wondered if their service mattered and worried their entire war would be "fought" protecting isolated railroad bridges and depots." The first eight chapters of the book, a bit over 100 pages in total, cover this period.

More from the description: "Everything changed in 1864 when the 54th Pennsylvania finally marched onto the field and fought in every major battle of the Shenandoah Valley Campaign. The next year, the regiment joined the Army of the James for the Siege of Petersburg and the Appomattox Campaign." The remaining two-thirds of the book are devoted to these most eventful phases of the 54th's war.  There are chapter-length treatments of the regiment's experience of each battle fought in the Shenandoah, with the final two chapters of the book addressing the Petersburg and Appomattox campaigns.

Employing "extensive use of primary sources including the men's letters and diaries," Baran presents the 54th Pennsylvania's military service in detailed fashion, his narrative supported by numerous full-page maps of very high quality. An epilogue delves into postwar commemoration, and the appendix follows the peacetime activities of a selection of 54th veterans.