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Title: That Body of Brave Men: The U.S. Regular Infantry and the Civil War in the West by Mark W. Johnson ISBN: 0-306-81246-0 Publisher: DaCapo Press Pub. Date: 02 September, 2003 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $45.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 5 (2 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: The Regular Brigade Emerges From History's Shawdows
Comment: While the Regulars made up appoximately 3% of the total forces in the Civil War they are rarely mentioned in Civil War literature and when they are the information is usually sketchy or erroneous. This book not only brings light to a story that has remained hidden for 138 years, but it also explains why the fascinating story of the Western Regulars was never been told before. This book will appeal to any Civil War reader interested in the Western Theater, the Regular Army, or the cultural conflicts between the Regulars and Voluteers and how they continued to cast shadows over the truth for over a century.
Mark Johnson brings new perspectives to major western campaigns/battles such as Shiloh, Perryville, Stones River, Tullahoma, Chickamuaga, Chattanooga and Atlanta. While these battles have been all recieved at least one book length study the significant contributions of the Regulars was rarely acknowledged.
Scorned by the volunteer units for their high standards and uncompromising values, the Regulars were ignored or maligned in post war literature that predominately focused on trumpeting the stories of volunteer units to local/state audiences. The Regular's professionalism made those who survived reluctant to tell their own stories.
The author's extensive use of primary source material from the National Archives and many obscure collections brings life to this important story through the voices of men never heard from before. The ricely annotated maps are not only original, but a cut above what is being published by even the most notable contemporary Civil War authors. These maps along with extenisve notes and appendices allow the reader to drill down into the details and further contribute to the insightful nature of this remarkable book.
One of the sub-themes of this book is the results of changing standards in recruitment and training. As the Regular Brigade went through rebuilding cycles to replace its loses it was gradually degraded by Federal regulations that made it more difficult to recruit quality men. It is a lesson that is still applicable today for those who need to be reminded that diminished training, pay and enlistment enticements will eventually impact the quality of the military.
I look for this book to promote the image of the Regular Brigade into the ranks of other notable units such as the Iron Brigade and Irish Brigade. It is the complete historical package. A story never told before using original material and told comprehensively through the voices of the men who have until now been lost to history.
Rating: 5
Summary: An Exceptional Study of a Little Known Brigade
Comment: Mark Johnson, Major, US Army has created a masterfully written, well researched study of an all but overlooked force of men, the Regulars who served in the United States Army, and fought in what was considered the "western" theater of operations of the Civil War - Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, etc.
This book is a rarity in the field of Civil War literature, unlike the plethora of books that continue to plow the same ground with some variations on a theme, "That Body of Brave Men" details the history of a unit that is effectively unknown to all but the most serious students of the conflict - the Regular Brigade of the Army of the Cumberland, the 15th 16th, 18th and 19th United States Infantry Regiments. Not only does this work detail the units, officers and men in a candid and forthright manner, it provides the reader with an excellent understanding of the battles and campaigns that made up the war for Kentucky, Tennessee and the march on Atlanta.
I would be remiss if I did not note that the Major Johnson provides a reader, through his writing style, and his maps which I consider to be some of the best ever presented in a Civil War unit or battle history, with an excellent view of the war in the West from a strategic, operational and most especially unit level. But most of all he tells the story of the men who served in these units through their own words, he shows you the life of a Regular through their eyes, whether it be in bivouac, on the drill field or in combat, and he does so in a masterful style.
As someone who had the honor and privilege to assist Major Johnson with this project, and has spent a lifetime studying the Civil War I have found that on rare occasion, every now and again an exceptional work of Civil War history comes along, this is one of those books.
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Title: Days of Glory: The Army of the Cumberland, 1861-1865 by Larry J. Daniel ISBN: 0807129313 Publisher: Louisiana State University Press Pub. Date: April, 2004 List Price(USD): $44.95 |
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Title: The Bloody Crucible of Courage: Fighting Methods and Combat Experience of the Civil War by Brent Nosworthy ISBN: 0786711477 Publisher: Carroll & Graf Pub. Date: June, 2003 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
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Title: The Union Cavalry Comes of Age: Hartwood Church to Brandy Station, 1863 by Eric J. Wittenberg, Edward G. Longacre ISBN: 1574884425 Publisher: Brasseys, Inc. Pub. Date: November, 2003 List Price(USD): $39.95 |
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Title: The Battle Rages Higher: The Union's Fifteenth Kentucky Infantry by Kirk C. Jenkins ISBN: 0813122813 Publisher: University Press of Kentucky Pub. Date: October, 2003 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
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Title: Testament : A Soldier's Story of the Civil War by Benson Bobrick ISBN: 0743250915 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Pub. Date: 01 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $23.00 |
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