Wipperman, Darin. Burnside’s Boys: The Union’s Ninth Corps and the Civil War in the East. Stackpole Books. (April 1, 2023). 528 pp., maps, illustrations. ISBN: 978-0811772648 Price: $34.95 (Hardcover).

Burnside’s Ninth Corps traveled more and more often than perhaps any other Corps in either army during the entire Civil War.  In Burnside’s Boys: The Union’s Ninth Corps and the Civil War in the East, Darin Wipperman provides a popular history of Burnside’s Ninth Corps backed by a scholarly level of sources. A lack of maps and sometimes lengthy sentence structure prevent the book from being better than otherwise, but readers will enjoy this look at the Ninth Corps across multiple theaters from 1862-1865.

Author Darin Wipperman is a native of Iowa with a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in political science. He worked for the U.S. Government for 17 years and served as an editor and reporter for weekly newspapers in northern New Hampshire. He is also the author of First for the Union: Life and Death in a Civil War Army Corps from Antietam to Gettysburg.

Stackpole has been publishing Civil War books for many years now and has been in existence for 90+ years.  Run by the Detweiler family for many years, it was acquired by Rowman & Littlefield in 2014. The book’s page at Stackpole leads with a curious statement: “Unique among Union army corps, the Ninth fought in both the Eastern and Western theaters of the Civil War.” Veteran students of the Civil War know the 11th and 12th Corps of the Army of the Potomac moved to the Western Theater after Gettysburg and fought at Chattanooga, in the Atlanta Campaign and beyond.

The Ninth Corps’ crossed cannon and anchor badge proudly symbolized its varied service and lengthy travels across both major theaters of the Civil War.  The Corps found its origins from units involved in Ambrose Burnside’s early 1862 invasion of the North Carolina coast as well as Thomas Sherman’s men who saw action at Secessionville near Charleston, South Carolina.  From there, they fought in many of the famous battles in the East with the notable exceptions of Chancellorsville and Gettysburg in 1863. First attached to Pope’s Army of Virginia at Second Manassas and again seeing action at South Mountain, the Ninth Corps saw one of its most iconic and worst days of the war at Antietam, losing 25% of its strength in bloody attacks at what became Burnside’s Bridge and further advances in the direction of Sharpsburg.  Portions of the Ninth Corps were sent forward against the southern end of the famous stone wall at the base of Marye’s Heights at Fredericksburg, all of which met with bloody failure.

The Ninth Corps was transferred to Newport News, Virginia in January 1863.  Two divisions were sent to Kentucky while a third stayed behind and participated in the Siege of Suffolk.  This division would not again serve with the Ninth Corps with the exception of one regiment. The Kentucky stay was brief and most of the two divisions were sent on to the Siege of Vicksburg in June 1863. After the siege was won the Ninth Corps moved east to Jackson, helping to capture the Mississippi capital.  Their next and last assignment of 1863 was to secure East Tennessee for the Union.  This they did, withstanding a siege of Knoxville by Longstreet’s veteran First Corps, ANV in late Fall.  After wintering in East Tennessee the remnants of the Corps were sent to Annapolis to refit and reorganize for the 1864 campaigns. By the time this reorganization finished the Ninth Corps was a vastly changed organization. Men from the Knoxville Campaign, those who stayed in Kentucky during most of 1863, and entirely new recruits and regiments all came together to form this new version of the Ninth Corps.  Every single brigade of white troops was a mix of Ninth Corps veterans and regiments new to the unit.  In addition, a Fourth Division composed entirely of USCT regiments under Edward Ferrero were added to the Ninth Corps.

As the 1864 Overland Campaign kicked off the Ninth Corps was part of an awkward command arrangement.  Corps commander Ambrose Burnside reported directly to Ulysses S. Grant because he ranked Army of the Potomac commander George G. Meade.  This arrangement proved so unwieldy that Grant quickly abandoned the idea after three weeks of combat, getting Burnside to waive his rank and report directly to Meade. Through the month of May 1864, the Ninth Corps was heavily engaged at the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, the North Anna River, Totopotomoy Creek, and Cold Harbor, before moving on to the Petersburg Campaign.

The Ninth Corps was present throughout the Siege of Petersburg.  They participated in three attacks on June 17, 1864 over much the same ground east of Petersburg, each with only one division. The Ninth Corps had center stage for the disastrous Battle of the Crater, and Burnside ultimately lost command of his longtime corps as a result. Soldiering on under longtime Burnside staffer John Parke, the Ninth Corps came to the rescue of Fifth Corps at Globe Tavern on August 19, 1864, suffered another disaster at Pegram’s Farm on September 30, 1864, and suffered relatively few casualties serving as a distraction during the Sixth Offensive in late October 1864. The Ninth Corps had two final major acts at Petersburg in 1865.  On March 25, after losing Fort Stedman and portions of their works, the Ninth Corps mounted a massive counterattack, took back their positions, and captured several thousand Confederates in a major victory.  In what seems to be one of the least known parts of the Third Battle of Petersburg on April 2, 1865, the Ninth Corps divisions of Potter and Hartranft attacked Fort Mahone, gaining a lodgment in the Confederate works and keeping thousands of Confederates busy who were desperately needed elsewhere. The Ninth Corps played a backup role in the Appomattox Campaign.

By my count, this is one of only a handful of modern studies on entire Corps of Civil War armies.  I recall a Second Corps study not too long ago, and Savas Beatie published a two-part history of the much maligned Eleventh Corps by James Pula. Wipperman himself penned a study of the Union First Corps entitled First for the Union: Life and Death in a Civil War Army Corps from Antietam to Gettysburg.

Burnside’s Boys utilizes a “you are there” approach to the Ninth Corps’ experiences during the war.  Although leadership decisions are sometimes discussed and dissected, especially at Antietam and the Crater, the author mainly follows the common fighting men of the Corps.  Utilizing dozens of first-person accounts, many from archival sources, the author was able to provide a wide variety of experiences at every fight and many places in between. Unit histories written by men who fought in regiments were widely used, as well as letters, diaries, and reports to Adjutant Generals of the various states from which Ninth Corps regiments hailed.

This may be a personal preference, but I found the writing style to be somewhat disjointed on occasion.  A better editor might have helped smooth out some fairly unwieldy sentences in places. I’m guilty of too-lengthy sentences myself, and I’d be a hypocrite if I didn’t mention this.  In addition, I found several words misused in a few places, preemptory order for peremptory order (39), internment for interment (199), ordinance for ordnance (4, 237, 242).  Though there were a more than acceptable number of first-person accounts, the letters of Charles J. Mills are absent.  Mills was a staffer in the First Division and later at Ninth Corps HQ during the Overland Campaign and the first half of the Siege of Petersburg.  To be fair to the author, there were only 300 copies of the first edition of a book of Mills’ letters, and Greg Acken’s recent updated version was not yet available.

I don’t want to spoil Darin Wipperman’s conclusions about the various battles in which the Ninth Corps fought.  I thought the author did a fair job of evaluation for the most part and did not fall into the trap of making excuses for his topic of study. In one instance, at the Crater, one of the most important battles in Ninth Corps’ history, I did find myself disagreeing quite often with Mr. Wipperman.  I feel he isn’t nearly harsh enough with regards to division commander James Ledlie.  Ledlie was one of the most incompetent division commanders to ever serve with the Army of the Potomac.  He was in over his head, he had provided evidence of his incompetence several times during the Overland Campaign and at Second Petersburg on June 17, 1864, and his actions were inexcusable on July 30, 1864.  Burnside is given too much of a pass for picking his leading division in the attack by drawing straws.  Under no circumstances should Ledlie have been leading a critical charge where time was of the essence. The author also bizarrely (to me, at least) blames Gouverneur Warren for much of the failure because he did not support the attack well enough.  Ord’s Eighteenth Corps was detailed as the reserve force in the attack, but Eighteenth Corps commander Edward O. C. Ord receives very little comment. Warren is called “cowardly” later in the book as the Ninth Corps came to the rescue of the Fifth Corps at Globe Tavern.  Gouverneur Warren was a lot of things, hesitant, perfectionist, obstinate, but cowardly is not a remotely applicable word to use in his case. The author also claims Meade should have resigned for his role in the Crater disaster.  I do not recall ever reading this take on the affair.

The maps, done by Hal Jespersen, are excellent, as is always the case with his work.  The issue is, there are not nearly enough of them.  Wipperman often goes into good detail on the fighting in each battle, but without maps to pair with the text many readers will have trouble visualizing the action.  A good example occurs at Second Manassas, the first large scale battle in which the Ninth Corps participated.  The text was excellent, but it had been years since I last looked at a map of Second Manassas.  I knew Jackson’s wing was positioned behind a railroad line and that the Ninth Corps was involved in disjointed attacks during the first day of fighting, but I did not know where the various units of Ninth Corps attacked specifically. A map of the battle would have gone a long way to helping my understanding of the situation.  The maps were often positioned multiple pages after a particular battle’s details began to appear in the text.  I found myself looking ahead trying to see if a map was upcoming or not for each new battle. The biggest misses were Second Manassas, Second Petersburg, Globe Tavern, and Pegram’s Farm.  The Ninth Corps played big roles at these fights and one map each would have added tremendously to the book.

I’ve spent a lot of time (maybe too long) on some perceived negatives, but I want to make sure I end on multiple positive notes.  This was a good book and followed the Ninth Corps’ career throughout the Civil War.  It excels in describing the quiet times in between battles and what the Ninth Corps was doing.  A good example is the movement of Ninth Corps from North Carolina to Virginia in 1862 prior to Second Manassas.  These affairs often do not get mentioned in battle and campaign histories, so the book fills many important gaps in the story.  There was one appendix in the book. Important and otherwise memorable soldiers of the Ninth Corps receive paragraph length discussions of their postwar activities. Ambrose Burnside, by far the most important man in Ninth Corps history, is present, as well as division commanders including Robert Potter, Orlando Willcox, Edward Ferrero, and Samuel Sturgis.  The bibliography, as I mentioned earlier, is chock full of good and sometimes rarely used sources from men who fought in the Ninth Corps.  Daniel Larned, Burnside’s personal secretary for much of the war, is utilized to good effect in multiple places.

Darin Wipperman’s Burnside’s Boys: The Union’s Ninth Corps and the Civil War in the East, the second of his books to focus on a specific Union Corps in the war, has plenty of good features.  An exciting narrative bolstered by many first-person accounts help modern day readers understand what it was like to be a soldier in Burnside’s wide-traveled Ninth Corps.  A shortage of maps hurts a bit, but the maps which do exist are fantastic.  Wipperman has a unique perspective on the Ninth Corps’ role in some fights, and readers will be interested to see how he differs from conventional takes on specific battles. Anyone with an interest in the Ninth Corps or Ambrose Burnside will want to own this book.  Those who enjoy higher level unit histories than the regiment or battery level will also find it enjoyable.  Ultimately, despite some minor issues, I recommend this book to interested readers of Civil War history.

Editor’s Note: A copy of this book was provided gratis for the purposes of this review.

Venner, William T. The 11th North Carolina Infantry in the Civil War: A History and Roster. McFarland. (2015). 380 pp., 46 photos, 20 maps, appendices, notes, bibliography, index. ISBN: 978-0-7864-9515-3 Price: $39.95 (Paperback).

William Venner’s second unit history for McFarland, The 11th North Carolina Infantry in the Civil War: A History and Roster, is an excellent unit history featuring many first-hand accounts from the men of the “Big Bethel Regiment.” The book is an interesting and detailed look at the 11th North Carolina Troops, who suffered severely at Gettysburg and Bristoe Station, among other fights, and surrendered with the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox.  The author utilizes “over 1,500 first person accounts” throughout the text, both by men of the regiment and their Union foes.  Venner weaves these together into a cohesive and entertaining whole.  Add good maps and a comprehensive roster and McFarland has produced another really good unit history.

Author William Thomas Venner has written quite a few articles and books on various topics.  He has a nicely done web site profiling his work. In addition to several unit histories and articles in America’s Civil War and Civil War Times, he has also written on archaeology and has some fictional works. His other regimental histories for McFarland cover the 7th Tennessee and the 30th North Carolina.

Publisher McFarland, located in Jefferson, North Carolina, has a long history of producing Civil War books, especially unit histories.  McFarland books tend to be a bit more expensive than most non-academic presses, but this is due to their business model: “From the beginning, McFarland has been a library-oriented publisher, producing comprehensive reference works and scholarly monographs on a variety of subjects.” Despite the heftier price, most of the Civil War books I’ve read from this publisher have been very well done and often cover obscure topics which might otherwise never see the light of day. Typically, the prices for McFarland Civil War books only increase on the used book market.

The “Bloody Bethel Regiment” had an interesting and storied history.  The original 1st North Carolina Volunteers fought in the first real land battle of the Civil War at the Battle of Big Bethel in June 1861 before mustering out in November of the same year.  The core of this regiment then formed the new 11th North Carolina Troops, mustering in on March 31, 1862.  They hoped to be sent to the main army fighting in Virginia like their illustrious predecessor. Instead they floundered in the swamps of North Carolina and later Virginia for the better part of a year, fighting in some defensive battles, gaining experience, and joining Pettigrew’s North Carolina Brigade in December 1862.

Pettigrew’s Brigade was called into the Army of Northern Virginia as part of Heth’s Division, Third Corps in time to participate in the Gettysburg Campaign.  They had wished for this in 1862.  By the time the Gettysburg Campaign had ended, most of the men probably wished they were back in some backwater of the war instead.  The North Carolinians fought and eventually flanked the 19th Indiana of the legendary Iron Brigade at Gettysburg on July 1, 1863, with both sides suffering massive casualties. They  rested and refit on July 2 before taking part in the famous Pickett-Pettigrew-Trimble Charge on July 3, again suffering horrific casualties in that ill-fated assault.  Their poor luck continued on the retreat.  Fighting as part of the rear guard at Falling Waters on July 14, 1863, they were outflanked by Union cavalrymen on both flanks and suffered many men captured before they could cross the pontoon bridge into Virginia. The year 1863 continued to be unkind to the Bethel Regiment, when, at Bristoe Station on October 14, they participated in the botched attack against Union troops stationed along a railroad embankment and were nearly cut off in the ensuing chaos. Mercifully for the 11th North Carolina their major fighting for 1863 was over.

The next year promised more of the same bloody fighting.  They fought in the Wilderness both days, being severely driven back on day 2, and had several fights at Spotsylvania, first on the far left near the Po River and then against Burnside’s Ninth Corps on the right. The Bethel Regiment fought on June 1 and 2, 1864 at Cold Harbor before being moved down the Chickahominy on picket duty near Bottom’s Bridge on June 9.

The Petersburg Campaign began on June 12 as Grant moved to cross the James River.  As part of Heth’s Division, the 11th North Carolina stayed east of Richmond at White Oak Swamp to protect the Confederate capital from a coup de main by Grant’s army.  They didn’t reach Petersburg until June 18, 1864, moving with Heth’s Division to occupy Lee’s far right south of Petersburg in the Dimmock Line near the lead works. They spent portions of the Siege here, portions on the east side of the Petersburg lines, and even made a move to Deep Bottom and the New Market Heights lines briefly before defending the Boydton Plank Road late in the Siege.  The 11th North Carolina fought at Globe Tavern on August 21 which resulted in a failed assault and at Second Ream’s Station on August 25, where they scored a smashing success against the vaunted Union Second Corps. They and the rest of MacRae’s Brigade tried a flank attack with Weisiger’s Brigade at Boydton Plank Road on October 27, 1864, but found themselves nearly surrounded and lost many captured before escaping.

The last year of the war saw the 11th and MacRae launch an unsuccessful attack against Second Corps units along Hatcher’s Run on February 5, 1865.  They settled back into earthworks near the Burgess Mill Pond for the remainder of the Siege, with the 11th being sent a little left up the Boydton Plank Road to cover recently departed Confederate brigades on April 1, 1865.  They were in a bad spot and knew it.  The Federal Breakthrough occurred just to their left against Lane’s Brigade, and the 11th North Carolina was shattered soon after by Truex’s Brigade of the Sixth Corps.  The survivors rallied to participate at Sutherland’s Station but were again routed.  The remaining men moved west along the south bank of the Appomattox River until they found a crossing point, joining Lee’s Army but surrendering less than a week later at Appomattox.

This is the second of three Confederate unit histories author William Thomas Venner has written under the McFarland banner. It follows McFarland’s standard “history and roster” format with 210+ pages of text and another 120 or so of roster and casualties suffered by date.  Venner faced some unexpected danger with a cousin in college and it made him realize people react very differently under pressure.  Given that knowledge he emphasized including first person accounts from as many members of the 11th North Carolina as possible, managing to insert over 1,500 first person accounts into 200+ pages of text.  I didn’t count and will take his word for it but noticed there are first person accounts on pretty much every single page.  It was impressive and the author backed up his boast. An interesting and useful twist is the use of accounts from the units across the firing line.  This was done intentionally and done often, helping the reader gain a better appreciation of what was happening in the Bethel Regiment’s fights.  This isn’t a traditional battle history. Venner often focuses on the quieter times and how men felt about them.  His accounts of the desertion prevalent in 1865 were especially well done. The author has done something else I have often thought about doing for many Confederate regiments at Petersburg.  He used the Compiled Service Records to find out how many men could have been present on any given day.  He often gives unit strengths, casualties, and commanders by company throughout the text. Anyone who has studied the Petersburg Campaign in any detail knows how difficult it often is to discover who was commanding a given regiment on a given date, much less the companies of said regiment. The maps are generally well done too, often showing exactly where in the battle line the 11th North Carolina was located.  Illustrations of the men from the Big Bethel Regiment are scattered throughout the book, but come mostly from Clark’s classic if sometimes flawed book series on Confederate units from North Carolina. There were a wide variety of other sources used.

The 11th North Carolina Infantry in the Civil War: A History and Roster is well-edited, with few to almost no noticeable spelling or grammatical mistakes.  One small issue occurred several times (at least pages 38 and 47) when Kinston, North Carolina was called “Kingston.” This minor error in no way detracted from the book. Another item which caused this reader some confusion surrounded a small skirmish on July 8, 1864.  Venner indicates this fight occurred “near the Weldon Railroad tracks not far from Ream’s Station.”  I believe this fight occurred along the main Confederate Dimmock line in the vicinity of the railroad, which is several miles from Ream’s Station.  The way the text was written, I originally interpreted it to mean that MacRae’s Brigade marched out to some earthworks in the direct vicinity of Ream’s Station outside of the main Confederate works, but this doesn’t appear to be the case.  Perhaps this whole matter hinges on whether one considers several miles away “not far from” Ream’s Station. Readers of unit histories often get a postwar afterword or even a large chapter, but nothing like that exists in this book.  It ends shortly after Appomattox and moves right to the appendices. But these are quibbles in what was an enjoyable and successful book.

I cannot yet compare this book to Craig S. Chapman’s 1998 unit history More Terrible Than Victory: North Carolina’s Bloody Bethel Regiment, 1861-65, but I plan to read that book next and will perhaps offer a comparison in my review there. At a high level, Chapman offers 50% more text and more maps, but completely lacks a roster. He seems to spend more time on Bristoe Station and the 1864-65 campaigns than Venner.  Venner includes more first-person accounts and images and spends more time on Gettysburg than any other battle. More to come there after I read Chapman’s book in detail.

There are two appendices in this book, and both are well done and useful for researchers.  The first appendix looks at 11th North Carolina casualties throughout the war, grouping them for particular battles or periods of time. Nature and locations of wounds are added where known, with enlistment dates and companies also present.  The roster proper is the second appendix.  It includes the name, rank, date of birth, residence, and occupation of each soldier at the time of enlistment.  Remarks add detail about what happened to the soldier during the war.  Men in boldfaced type were killed during the war.

William T. Venner’s The 11th North Carolina Infantry in the Civil War: A History and Roster is chock full of “you are there” accounts of both the battles and the quieter times in the life of the Big Bethel regiment. The letters of Lewis Warlick were used extensively throughout the book, though his voice is missed while he was detained as a POW after Gettysburg. The Big Bethel regiment yearned to be a part of the fighting in Virginia while they whiled away 1862 and part of 1863 in the swamps of North Carolina and Virginia.  They got all of the fighting they could have ever wanted as part of Heth’s Division, Third Corps, ANV from Gettysburg to Appomattox, losing two thirds of their strength in their first major campaign. Venner spends quite a bit of time at the Siege of Petersburg for those interested in this topic.  Although the book ends abruptly after Appomattox, the lists of casualties by date and the well-done roster ease the sting of the sudden ending.  Anyone interested in first person accounts of the war in the Eastern Theater will want to own this book.  Enthusiasts of North Carolina in the Civil War will likewise enjoy this one as it is also somewhat of a history of the Pettigrew/Kirkland/MacRae Brigade. The book is worth the price and well done. I highly recommend it.

Editor’s Note: A copy of this book was provided gratis for the purposes of this review.

Unit: 11th North Carolina

Unit Affiliation:

• (MacRae), Heth, Third

Title: The 11th North Carolina Infantry in the Civil War: A History and Roster

Author: William T. Venner

SOPO’s Take: William Venner’s second unit history for McFarland, The 11th North Carolina Infantry in the Civil War: A History and Roster, is an excellent unit history featuring many first hand accounts from the men of the “Big Bethel Regiment.” The book is an interesting and detailed look at the 11th North Carolina Troops, who suffered severely at Gettysburg and Bristoe Station, among other fights, and surrendered with the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox.  Utilizing “over 1,500 first person accounts” throughout the text, both by men of the regiment and their Union foes, Venner weaves these together into a cohesive whole.  Add good maps and a comprehensive roster and McFarland has produced another really good unit history.

William T. Venner’s The 11th North Carolina Infantry in the Civil War: A History and Roster is chock full of “you are there” accounts of both the battles and the quieter times in the life of the Big Bethel regiment. The letters of Lewis Warlick were used extensively throughout the book, though his voice is missed while he was detained as a POW after Gettysburg. The Big Bethel regiment yearned to be a part of the fighting in Virginia while they whiled away 1862 and part of 1863 in the swamps of North Carolina and Virginia.  They got all of the fighting they could have ever wanted as part of Heth’s Division, Third Corps, ANV from Gettysburg to Appomattox, losing two thirds of their strength in the former campaign. Venner spends quite a bit of time at the Siege of Petersburg for those interested in that campaign.  Although the book ends abruptly after Appomattox, the lists of casualties by date and the well done roster ease the sting.  Anyone interested in first person accounts of the war in the Eastern Theater will want to own this book.  Enthusiasts of North Carolina in the Civil War will likewise enjoy this one, as it is also somewhat of a history of the Pettigrew/Kirkland/MacRae Brigade. The book is worth the price and well done.

Book Summary/Review:

BTC Siege of Petersburg Book Notes:

BTC Siege of Petersburg Book Sources:

Publisher Information:

This history of the 11th North Carolina Infantry in the Civil War—civilian soldiers and their families—follows the regiment from their 1861 mustering-in to their surrender at Appomattox, covering action at Gettysburg, Bristoe Station, The Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor and Petersburg. Drawing on letters, journals, memoirs, official reports, personnel records and family histories, this intensely personal account features Tar Heels relating their experiences through over 1,500 quoted passages. Casualty lists give the names of those killed, wounded, captured in action and died of disease. Rosters list regimental officers and staff, enlistees for all 10 companies and the names of the 78 men who stacked arms on April 9, 1865.

William Thomas Venner has researched and written widely about the American Civil War. His articles have appeared in Civil War Times Illustrated, Journal of Field Archaeology, and America’s Civil War. A retired teacher of history and archaeology in schools and at the college level, he lives in Huntersville, North Carolina.

Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 380
Bibliographic Info: 46 photos, 20 maps, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2015
pISBN: 978-0-7864-9515-3
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2089-3
Imprint: McFarland

Introduction 1
1. Big Bethel: The Regiment Gets Its Name 5
2. The Bethel Regiment Forms 17
3. Defending North Carolina’s Coastline 28
4. The Fight at White Hall, North Carolina, December 16, 1862 39
5. The 11th North Carolina Joins Pettigrew’s Brigade 47
6. Heth’s Division: The Army of Northern Virginia 61
7. Gettysburg: July 1, 1863 75
8. Gettysburg: July 3, 1863 90
9. Falling Waters, July 14, 1863 102
10. Bristoe Station, October 14, 1863 115
11. Winter 1863-1864 126
12. The Wilderness and Spotsylvania, May 5–May 20, 1864 133
13. Summer 1864 151
14. Late Summer 1864, August to ­Mid-September 163
15. Fall 1864, Jones Farm and Burgess Mill 175
16. Winter 1864-1865 190
17. The End: April 1865 203
11th North Carolina Infantry Casualties 221
11th North Carolina Infantry Roster 258
Chapter Notes 331
Bibliography 352
Index 357

“A very good regimental history…excellent battle maps…recommended”—Civil War News

“WOW!”—Lone Star Book Review.

Paperback Edition:

• Buy the Paperback Edition

ISBN: 978-0-7864-9515-3

Publisher: McFarland

Release Date: 2015

Pages: 380 pages, 46 photos, 20 maps, appendices, notes, bibliography, index

The Siege of Petersburg Online: Beyond the Crater Pages Which Mention This Book:

Unit: 27th South Carolina

Unit Affiliation: (Hagood), Hoke, Department of North Carolina and Southern Virginia

Title: Charlestonians In War: The Charleston Battalion

Author: W. Chris Phelps

SOPO’s Take: A concise but readable account of the Charleston Battalion, a unit which was later consolidated with a three company sharpshooter battalion to form the 27th South Carolina.  The latter unit is covered in the book, but not in the same level of detail as earlier.  The book is at its best in a social study of the company makeup and in the descriptions of the Charleston Battalion’s fights at Secessionville in 1862 and the Second Assault on Fort Wagner in August 1863.  These guys were the antagonists in the movie Glory. The Petersburg section is somewhat disappointing, covering only four or five pages and making some mistakes as to when the Battle of Fort Harrison and the Battle of Darbytown and New Market Roads occurred. There is a nice roster of the battalion before the consolidation into the 27th South Carolina.

Book Summary/Review:

BTC Siege of Petersburg Book Notes:

BTC Siege of Petersburg Book Sources:

Publisher Information:

“In Charlestonians in War: The Charleston Battalion, Chris Phelps has crafted an excellent study of this noteworthy Confederate military organization. Making extensive use of primary sources, he has deftly balanced operational details with social background and created a unit history that would be of interest to scholars and general readers.”
—W. Eric Emerson executive director, South Carolina Historical Society

At the outbreak of the Civil War, Charleston, as the site where the Ordinance of Secession was signed, faced the full wrath of Union forces. In response, the Charleston Battalion, comprised of volunteers from all strata of local society, formed a loyal, effective fighting unit. They served with distinction in several campaigns in Virginia and North Carolina and defended their hometown against Union invaders.

Local author W. Chris Phelps explores the formation and the many campaigns of this diverse group of Charleston citizens led by Peter Charles Gaillard. The battalion distinguished itself by defeating overwhelming Union assaults against Charleston at Secessionville in 1862 and Battery Wagner in 1863 and later performed gallantly in the defense of Petersburg in 1864 and Wilmington in 1865.

Through Charlestonians in War, these brave men finally receive their due. W. Chris Phelps describes the origins of the battalion and focuses on its capable commander, Peter Charles Gaillard, who later became mayor. In-depth studies of the battalion’s various battles, at home and away, are also included. This book features a foreword by Charleston’s mayor, Joseph P. Riley, Jr.

Hardcover Edition:

• Buy the Hardcover Edition

ISBN: 978-1-58980-166-0

Publisher: Pelican Publishing Company

Release Date: 2004

Pages: 304 pp., maps, illustrations

The Siege of Petersburg Online: Beyond the Crater Pages Which Mention This Book:

• 27th SC: Charlestonians In War: The Charleston Battalion

Pula, James S. The 117th New York Infantry in the Civil War: A History and Roster. McFarland. (2023). 344 pp., 90 photos, maps, appendices, notes, bibliography, index. ISBN: 978-1-4766-8986-9 $49.95 (Paperback).

James S. Pula’s The 117th New York Infantry in the Civil War: A History and Roster is an extremely readable and well-written new unit history of the 117^th New York, or Fourth Oneida, supplanting the original unit history written by the unit’s surgeon James A. Mowris in 1866. This eventual Army of the James regiment participated in many of the backwaters of the war in its early days but also saw major fighting at Petersburg and Fort Fisher. The author utilized numerous first-person accounts of the soldiers themselves, including Mowris’ original book as a key foundation, and improved upon it greatly.  The soldiers of the Fourth Oneida would heartily approve. Excellent maps, dozens of images of the men, and a well done and well researched roster add to what was already a great unit history.

Author James S. Pula “is a professor emeritus of history at Purdue University Northwest.” He has received multiple awards, including “the Distinguished Service Award from the American Council for Polish Culture, three Oskar Halecki Prizes for various books, and the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland.” Pula has also authored or edited at least two previous works on Oneida County, NY, the county from which the 117^th New York was raised, with one of those focusing specifically on Oneida County in the Civil War.

Publisher McFarland, located in Jefferson, North Carolina, has a long history of producing Civil War books, especially unit histories.  McFarland books tend to be a bit more expensive than most non-academic presses, but this is due to their business model: “From the beginning, McFarland has been a library-oriented publisher, producing comprehensive reference works and scholarly monographs on a variety of subjects.” Despite the heftier price, most of the Civil War books I’ve read from this publisher have been very well done and often cover obscure topics which might otherwise never see the light of day. Typically the prices for McFarland Civil War books only increase on the used book market.

The 117^th New York, often referred to as the “Fourth Oneida” for being the fourth regiment raised in Oneida County, New York, was organized in July and August 1862, mustering in on August 20. Unlike some other newly raised regiments in the summer of 1862 the regiment avoided being sent to the slaughter at Antietam. Instead, the Oneidas spent the first seven months of their existence in the Washington defenses. In early 1863, they moved to swampy southeastern Virginia where they participated in the Siege of Suffolk and the Blackberry Raid on Richmond.  Next the 117th was sent to the Siege of Charleston, arriving just after the famous attack on Fort Wagner made famous in the movie Glory. There they stayed on Folly and Morris islands during the latter half of 1863 into 1864. The men had been spared any serious fighting and suffered very few casualties in their first year and a half of service.  That was all about to change.

The 117th New York was sent north with other Tenth Corps units in the spring of 1864 to participate in Benjamin Butler’s Bermuda Hundred Campaign as part of the new Army of the James.  They saw combat at Swift Creek and Drewry’s Bluff and suffered more casualties in the trenches at Bermuda Hundred.  After the Bermuda Hundred campaign ended in stalemate, the Fourth Oneida boarded a steamer for White House Landing. They marched west to the major Battle of Cold Harbor, arriving late, and missing most of the famous bloodbath on June 2, 1864.  After some time at Cold Harbor, the 117th New York was sent back to Bermuda Hundred.  From there they marched with their division of Tenth Corps on Petersburg, participating in the Second Battle of Petersburg, or what they called “Petersburg Heights,” on June 15, 1864.  The 117^th New York played a major role in capturing several works on the Confederate Dimmock Line east of Petersburg. The regiment spent many months in the trenches both east of Petersburg and in the Bermuda Hundred fortifications.  They were in a reserve role at the Crater on July 30, 1864 but were in the line of fire and suffered severely for a regiment not actively engaged. The 117^th New York next saw major action at the September 29, 1864 Battle of Chaffin’s Farm.  There, in front of Fort Gilmer, they suffered their greatest casualties of any engagement in which they fought, but helped the Army of the James gain a foothold on the Confederate works guarding Richmond. Less than a month later they again suffered heavy casualties, this time in a “demonstration” against Confederate forces along the Darbytown Road guarding Richmond on October 27, 1864. It was to be the last major action the regiment saw at the Siege of Petersburg.

On December 7, 1864, the 117th New York and its brigade were packed up on steamers and sent south to participate in the First Fort Fisher Expedition. The aim was to cut off Wilmington, NC, the last major blockade running port in the Confederacy.  This first abortive expedition ended in failure over Christmas 1864, costing Ben Butler his job.  The poor men of the 117^th New York were forced to spend several stormy days waiting on the beachhead until conditions improved enough for evacuation.  The 117^th New York and its brigade briefly returned to Deep Bottom north of the James River near Richmond before setting out on the Second Fort Fisher Expedition where they were to play a critical role.  The Fourth Oneida was the rightmost regiment assaulting the land face of Fort Fisher, and together with their brigade they managed to flank the fort and roll up the Confederates from left to right in a lengthy touch and go hand to hand fight.  It was here the 117^th won its greatest fame, losing nearly 100 men killed, wounded and missing.  They then participated in the campaign to capture Wilmington, and moved with Schofield’s “wing” from Wilmington to Raleigh, where they were located when Sherman forced Joe Johnston’s surrender.  The unit was able to head home in June 1865, where they received multiple raucous welcomes from the citizenry of Oneida County.

James Pula’s book on the 117^th New York is not the first to be written about the regiment.  Surgeon James A. Mowris of the 117^th penned a regimental history in 1866, A History of the One hundred and Seventeenth Regiment, N.Y. Volunteers,[Fourth Oneida] from the Date of its Organization. August 1862, Till That of its Muster Out. Pula takes this work as a key foundation and proceeds to add greatly to it, utilizing many letters and diaries of men from the unit.  His is not a traditional military history of the regiment.  The author adds a lot of reminiscences about the difficulties of soldier life and motivations of the men in the ranks in addition to the usual discussions of battles. That said, Pula provides enough of the high-level strategy that readers always understand the 117^th New York’s place in the greater scheme of things.  As a reader, you really feel at times as if you are there in the ranks. It’s almost as if you know some of the more prolific letter and diary writers. Also aiding readers are the always excellent maps of Hal Jespersen, who provides cartography services for many Civil War books. The 117th New York’s position in the larger fight is clearly indicated for their major battles, and often their brigade and division mates’ positions are also shown in some detail. Another small but important detail are the dozens of images of the men who fought in the regiment, often located in the text near where they played an important part in a specific battle, and unfortunately sometimes where they meet their end.   It is clear the author spent a lot of time and research in collecting these images, and they add to the story.  This is an important book because it covers a regiment in the Army of the James.  This army often plays second fiddle to the Army of the Potomac, so it is always good to see these lesser-known regiments getting their just due.  Despite never spending a moment officially in the Army of the Potomac, the men of the Fourth Oneida did important work in the fight to save the Union and free the slaves, especially at the Second Battle of Fort Fisher.

Despite all the good in this book, there were a few minor errors.  On page 74, Baldy Smith’s Corps of the Army of the James is mistakenly called the Twenty-Eight Corps rather than the Eighteenth Corps.  Likewise, on page 128, the 117^th New York received orders on what was clearly September 24, 1864, based on the sources, but the text reads August 24 instead. These were small errors and did not noticeably detract from the enjoyment and information presented in the book. In fact, this reviewer only caught the latter error as a decades-long student of the Siege of Petersburg.

The appendices in the book are standard for a unit history, but they are all well done.  Appendix A lists the brevet promotions members of the 117^th New York received. Appendix B features a succinct list of the campaigns and battles of the regiment, including major fights at Second Petersburg, Chaffin’s Farm, Darbytown Road, and Second Fort Fisher. Appendix C is a chart of the Fourth Oneida’s casualties at each engagement in which they participated, taken from Frederick Phisterer’s classic work New York in the War of the Rebellion. Appendix D is the best of the bunch, a complete and lengthy roster of the unit.  Pula primarily used the final New York State Adjutant General’s report on men who served in the Civil War in New York units as the base of the roster, but greatly supplemented this freely available information with additional sources specific to the 117^th New York, including local newspapers and cemetery records. The result is a solid reference for those researching the unit or an ancestor.

The notes are also fairly standard though the author includes a lot of archival material, primary accounts from soldiers of the 117^th New York, and newspapers local to Oneida County to help tell the tale.  The secondary sources are solid, but the author would have found some use in referencing Richard Sommers’ Richmond Redeemed and Hampton Newsome’s Richmond Must Fall for the Fifth and Sixth Offensives against Petersburg, respectively.  The 117^th New York fought at Chaffin’s Farm and was in reserve at Darbytown Road during the Fifth Offensive and fought at Darbytown Road again during the Sixth Offensive.  The author also utilizes several of his own books on Oneida County as background material for the regiment’s story.  It is obvious he has spent a lot of time studying its history, and this knowledge added particularly to the epilogue of the book.

In this first modern history of the 117^th New York, author James S. Pula has helped readers understand not only the battles of the Fourth Oneida, but also what it was like to be a Civil War soldier in the quiet times.  Boredom, disease, physical privation, and other things caused untold misery, but news of great victories and especially news that men were going home caused joy to equal the intensity of the bad times.  Pula’s book was an easy, enjoyable read which truly puts readers in the ranks with the men.  Great maps and an unusually large number of images of men in the 117^th New York combine with the text to create an upper tier regimental history of a heretofore forgotten Army of the James regiment.  Students of the history of Oneida County, the 117^th New York, and good unit histories will all want to own this book.  For students of the Siege of Petersburg, there are multiple lengthy chapters on the 117^th New York’s role in the Richmond-Petersburg Campaign of 1864-65, even if they left for North Carolina before seeing the final victory.  This book is highly recommended if a bit pricey at $49.95.

Editor’s Note: A copy of this book was provided gratis for the purposes of this review.

Unit: 117th New York

Unit Affiliations:

• (1), 2, X
• (1), 2, XXIV

Title: The 117th New York Infantry in the Civil War: A History and Roster

Author: James S. Pula

SOPO’s Take: James S. Pula’s The 117th New York Infantry in the Civil War: A History and Roster is an extremely readable and well-written new unit history of the 117th New York, or Fourth Oneida, supplanting the original unit history written by the unit’s surgeon James A. Mowris in 1866. This eventual Army of the James regiment participated in many of the backwaters of the war in its early days but also saw major fighting at Petersburg and Fort Fisher. The author utilized numerous first-person accounts of the soldiers themselves, including Mowris’ original book as a key foundation, and improved upon it greatly. The soldiers of the Fourth Oneida would heartily approve. Excellent maps, dozens of images of the men, and a well done and well researched roster add to what was already a great unit history.

In this first modern history of the 117^th New York, author James S. Pula has helped readers understand not only the battles of the Fourth Oneida, but also what it was like to be a Civil War soldier in the quiet times.  Boredom, disease, physical privation, and other things caused untold misery, but news of great victories and especially news that men were going home caused joy to equal the intensity of the bad times.  Pula’s book was an easy, enjoyable read which truly puts readers in the ranks with the men.  Great maps and an unusually large number of images of men in the 117^th New York combine with the text to create an upper tier regimental history of a heretofore forgotten Army of the James regiment.  Students of the history of Oneida County, the 117^th New York, and good unit histories will all want to own this book.  For students of the Siege of Petersburg, there are multiple lengthy chapters on the 117^th New York’s role in the Richmond-Petersburg Campaign of 1864-65, even if they left for North Carolina before seeing the final victory.  This book is highly recommended if a bit pricey at $49.95.

Book Summary/Review:

• Book Review: The 117th New York Infantry in the Civil War: A History and Roster by James S. Pula

BTC Siege of Petersburg Book Notes:

BTC Siege of Petersburg Book Sources:

Publisher Information:

“Not known to the historic pen, or platform orator,” wrote a soldier in the 117th New York Volunteer Infantry, “but the private led in the horror of the fight.”
Drawing on firsthand accounts, this history of the regiment narrates the monotony and privation of camp life, the exhaustion of long marches and the terror of combat from the perspective of the regular soldier. The operations of the 117th are fully detailed, including actions in the 1863 Suffolk Campaign, the siege of Charleston, the sieges of Petersburg and Richmond, and the conquest of Fort Fisher, North Carolina.

James S. Pula is a professor emeritus of history at Purdue University Northwest. The author of numerous books, his work has been honored with the honorary membership in the Iron Brigade Society, three Oskar Halecki Prizes, the Gambrinus Prize in History, the U.S. Army Historical Foundation Distinguished Writing Award, and the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland, among others.

Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 344
Bibliographic Info: 90 photos, maps, appendices, notes, bibliography, index.
Copyright Date: 2023
pISBN: 978-1-4766-8986-9
eISBN: 978-1-4766-4824-8
Imprint: McFarland

Table of Contents:

Introduction 1
1. The National Crisis: July–August 1862 3
2. The Defense of Washington: September 1862–April 1863 22
3. Operations on the Virginia Peninsula: April–July 1863 40
4. Into the “Cradle of Secession”: July 1863–April 1864 57
5. The Bermuda Hundred Campaign: April–May 1864 73
6. Cold Harbor and Petersburg Heights: May–June 1864 89
7. The Siege of Petersburg: June–September 1864 105
8. Chaffin’s Farm and the Darbytown Road: September–December 1864 130
9. First Fort Fisher: December 1864 150
10. Second Fort Fisher: January 1865 166
11. Through the Carolinas: January 1865–April 1865 190
12. Homeward Bound: April 1865–July 1865 205
Epilogue: “Let Us Keep Alive the Memories” 212
Appendix A: Brevet Promotions 229
Appendix B: Campaigns and Engagements 230
Appendix C: Casualties in the 117th New York 231
Appendix D: 117th New York Roster 232
Chapter Notes 313
Bibliography 327
Index 333

“James Pula has written one of the most enthralling, scrupulously-researched, and important Union regimental histories of the last two decades. He recreates the service of the 117th New York in sparkling detail, explaining that their service was at once typical and unusual, allowing the words of the soldiers to speak for themselves. This book is both good history and a crackling good story.”—Christian B. Keller, professor of history, U.S. Army War College

“James Pula has skillfully woven the diaries and letters of the men from the 117th New York into a comprehensive narrative of the regiment which spearheaded the final assault on Fort Fisher, North Carolina. I thoroughly enjoyed it and believe this work fills a void in the history of the forgotten places in the war.”—John Michael Priest, author of Antietam: The Soldiers’ Battle and “Stand to It and Give Them Hell”: Gettysburg as the Soldiers Experienced it From Cemetery Ridge to Little Round Top, July 2, 1863

“A magnificent new book from first-rank Civil War historian Jim Pula. Never have I encountered a better portrayal of the life and character of the common soldier in camp and in battle than in this fine-grained portrait of the 117th New York Volunteer Infantry. Not least, this painstakingly researched and handsomely written book delivers valuable insight into oft-neglected campaigns, from the contest for the eastern theater’s barrier islands and coast, to the Bermuda Hundred Campaign. A great pleasure to read and a splendid resource that enriches our understanding, I cannot see how any regimental history could better portray the reality of the resilient, devoted Union soldier than the book in your hand.”—Ralph Peters, author of Cain at Gettysburg and Judgment at Appomattox

Paperback Edition:

• Buy the Paperback Edition

ISBN: 978-1-4766-8986-9

Publisher: McFarland

Release Date: 2023

Pages: 344 pp., 90 photos, maps, appendices, notes, bibliography, index

The Siege of Petersburg Online: Beyond the Crater Pages Which Mention This Book:

• 117th NY: The 117th New York Infantry in the Civil War: A History and Roster
• Book Review: The 117th New York Infantry in the Civil War: A History and Roster by James S. Pula

Liska, William A. & Perlotto, Kim L. The Eighth Connecticut Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War. McFarland. (2023). 290 pp., maps, illustrations. ISBN: 978-1-4766-9041-4 $45.00 (Paperback).

The Eighth Connecticut Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War is the first unit history EVER written about the 8^th Connecticut, a regiment which saw much action across four years of service, including with the 18^th and 24^th Corps at the Siege of Petersburg.  Authors Bill Liska and Kim Perlotto utilized numerous primary sources collected over thirty years to tell the tale of the 8^th Connecticut in a traditional military history.  The book features numerous first-person accounts weaved into an exciting narrative, fine maps, and plentiful appendices.  It does justice to the men of this long-serving Union regiment who saw duty all along the Eastern seaboard in four different Union Army Corps.

Authors William A. Liska and Kim L. Perlotto have been studying the 8^th Connecticut for decades, collecting first person accounts from the regiment throughout that time. In addition, they are part of a reenactment organization which portrays the Eighth Connecticut Volunteers, Co. A. Both authors reside in Connecticut.  Liska is a retired attorney and Perlotto is a retired computer scientist.  This appears to be their first published book.

Publisher McFarland, located in Jefferson, North Carolina, has a long history of producing Civil War books, especially unit histories.  McFarland books tend to be a bit more expensive than most non-academic presses, but this is due to their business model: “From the beginning, McFarland has been a library-oriented publisher, producing comprehensive reference works and scholarly monographs on a variety of subjects.” Despite the heftier price, most of the Civil War books I’ve read from this publisher have been very well done and often cover obscure topics which might otherwise never see the light of day. In addition, the prices for McFarland Civil War books only increase on the used book market.

The 8th Connecticut certainly had an interesting term of service, and it was a LONG one, lasting over four years from muster in to muster out.  They belonged to no less than four Union Army Corps (9^th, 7^th, 18^th, 24^th) over their lengthy service.  Organized and mustered in during late September to October 1861, the 8^th Connecticut was earmarked for Burnside’s coastal North Carolina expedition of 1862.  They were in reserve at Roanoke Island and saw action at New Bern and during the Siege of Fort Macon.  They, with other regiments of the expedition, formed the core of Burnside’s new Ninth Corps and headed north, narrowly missing Second Bull Run before participating in the Maryland Campaign of 1862.  The 8^th Connecticut fought at South Mountain and at Antietam, the latter day being their worst experience of the entire war.  There they lost nearly half of the 400 officers and men carried into action.  The regiment, perhaps as karmic grace, narrowly missed the worst of the action at Fredericksburg.

In early 1863, after Burnside’s abortive “Mud March,” the 8^th Connecticut was pulled from the Ninth Corps and sent to southeastern Virginia for service with the Seventh Corps.  They spent most of that year in the vicinity of Suffolk and Portsmouth near the Great Dismal Swamp.  This year of garrisoning defensive posts was punctuated with two more exciting events, the Siege of Suffolk in April-May 1863 and their participation in the Blackberry Raid of June 1863, meant to prevent Richmond from reinforcing Lee at Gettysburg.

In 1864 the 8^th Connecticut was again transferred, this time from the Seventh Corps to the Eighteenth Corps, Army of the James.  As part of the latter organization, they participated in Butler’s Bermuda Hundred Campaign, seeing action at Second Port Walthall Junction, Swift Creek, and Drewry’s Bluff. Drewry’s Bluff was potentially the one stain on their proud record, but the authors provide information as to why the criticism was unfounded.  The 18^th Corps (with the 8^th Connecticut in tow) were then sent to fight in the Battle of Cold Harbor, where they were involved in combat on June 1, 1864.  After Cold Harbor the 8^th Connecticut was shipped by riverine transport back to Bermuda Hundred.

From there they advanced against Petersburg on June 15, 1864, the first day of the Second Battle of Petersburg.  With the rest of 18^th Corps, the Connecticut men took portions of the Dimmock Line late that evening.  After the failure to capture Petersburg from June 15-18, 1864, both armies settled into a siege.  The 8^th Connecticut spent good portions of the early months of the Siege of Petersburg near the far right of the Union lines. They faced Petersburg with the Appomattox River guarding their right flank.  They were near or involved in the June 24, 1864 Action at Hare’s Hill, though the book only covers this obliquely in a reference from a letter. Here too they were severely bombarded by Confederate batteries on the opposite side of the Appomattox river on June 30, 1864, though they suffered few casualties.  The 8^th had a splendid view of the Battle of the Crater, which had less than splendid results for the Union.  The last major battle in which the 8^th Connecticut participated occurred during the Fifth Offensive.  The 18^th Corps assaulted Fort Harrison on September 29, 1864 and defended it against Confederate counterattacks the following day.  After being detached serve as Headquarters Guard of the 18^th Corps, the regiment witnessed the Second Battle of Fair Oaks on October 27, 1864. They spent the rest of the Siege north of the James facing Richmond, the latter portions as a member of the newly formed 25^th Corps.  The 8^th was one of the units which entered the Confederate capital in early April 1865 and garrisoned the city in the following months.  They were finally mustered out on December 12, 1865, much later than most volunteer regiments, after over four years of service.

The Eighth Connecticut Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War is an important new book for several reasons.  It is the first regimental history ever published on the Eighth Connecticut.  The book also covers an Army of the James regiment.  The stories and experiences of the Army of the James at Petersburg tend to get overshadowed by those from Army of the Potomac.  The authors spent decades collecting primary source material on the 8^th Connecticut from libraries, archives, and private owners.  They decided to write a traditional unit history, focusing mostly on where the regiment went and the battles in which it participated.  Liska and Perlotto did a fine job in the execution, though the Siege of Petersburg section felt a little disjointed with some gaps in the coverage.  This is almost certainly due to the waning number of good writers as casualties and sickness took their toll, an issue which often occurs in unit histories for units fighting late in the war. The somewhat disjointed Petersburg coverage may also be due to the relative inactivity of the regiments north of the James River for lengthy periods of time, especially after the Fifth Offensive ended in mid-October 1864. Despite this minor issue, the authors have a fine grasp of general Civil War knowledge as well as the more detailed knowledge of some rather obscure campaigns in which the 8^th Connecticut fought.

Liska and Perlotto utilized the voices of 8^th Connecticut men early and often in this traditional military history.  To make this work, they needed to do a LOT of research tracking down primary accounts.  And did they ever!  Sergeant Seth Plumb and Captain Charles M. Coit, who led the regiment for lengthy periods during the Siege of Petersburg, are two of the men who particularly stand out for their descriptions and the amount of surviving material.  The authors managed to find no less than twenty-one primary sources scattered in archives, libraries, and private hands.  These men are allowed to tell the story of their regiment long after death.  Liska and Perlotto are to be credited for the way they weave the story together and the amount and quality of the material they chose to include.  I wish they would have included even more from Captain Coit for my own selfish reasons!

Maps in regimental histories are often hit or miss.  Many utilize generic public domain maps with no indication of where the regiment in question was located. Thankfully The Eighth Connecticut Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War is NOT such a book.  The authors have included many excellent maps, both at a regional level and at the more granular tactical level.  Multiple maps are included for several key battles in which the 8^th Connecticut fought and show different times on the same day.  Antietam and Second Port Walthall Junction especially receive a lot of attention.  I may have missed this, but I could not ascertain who was responsible for the maps, leading me to believe one of or both authors was/were responsible.  Whoever did the maps, credit goes to the authors and McFarland for recognizing their importance and making sure they were included in such numbers and detail.  These maps greatly increased this reviewer’s understanding of the more obscure campaigns of the 8^th Connecticut.

The appendices also stand out and deserve recognition.  Appendix A is a standard record of service, showing battles, key dates, and organizational structure. The authors utilized Dyer’s Compendium and the Official Records for much of this material.  Appendix B is my favorite portion of the appendices, giving sometimes detailed biographies of key players in the 8^th Connecticut, including many of the men whose voices come through in the narrative.  Images of many of these men were included, often from private collections.  These add to the quality of the biographies. Appendix C looks at the flags of the 8^th Connecticut used during the war, including images of those still extant.  Appendix D covers the arms and equipment used in the war by the regiment.  Their flank companies were armed with Sharps Breech-loaders from the start, and they often were utilized as skirmishers as a result. Appendix E is a nice advertisement for the modern reenacting group to which the authors belong.  Members of the organization provided key support for the authors while they wrote this book.  Appendix F is a rare one for this reviewer.  It covers a bibliography of sources used to create the excellent maps in this book.  Other than potentially missing an opportunity to consult Richard Sommers’ masterful book on the Fifth Offensive at Petersburg or Will Greene’s first book in a Siege of Petersburg trilogy for Second Petersburg, the authors seem to have looked over a wide variety of sources to create these maps.  The time spent researching shows in the quality of the end result.

The Eighth Connecticut Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War would be important solely as the first book to cover the 8^th Connecticut, but it is so much more.  The authors, long-time researchers and reenactors of the unit, have spent three decades compiling the material for this book.  The men of the 8^th Connecticut are allowed to tell their own tale. It is almost as if they themselves put out their own regimental history in the late 19^th Century, a result the authors consciously set out to achieve. Readers interested in the war in the Eastern Theater, especially Antietam, the lesser-known seacoast operations, Bermuda Hundred, and the Siege of Petersburg will want to own this book.  Those interested in Connecticut and her participation in the war will also find it useful and informative.  Collectors of unit histories will find the book particularly well done, especially the maps. This first ever unit history of the 8^th Connecticut is highly recommended, and its Petersburg section is useful to students of the campaign.

Reviewer’s Note: A review copy of this book was sent for the purposes of this review.

Title: The Eighth Connecticut Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War

Authors: William A. Liska and Kim L. Perlotto

Unit: 8th Connecticut Infantry

Unit Affiliation:

• (2), 1, XVIII
• Unattached, XVIII
• HQ Guard, XVIII
• HQ Guard, XXIV
• (2), 3, XXIV

BTC’s Take: William A. Liska and Kim L. Perlotto, members of the Eighth Regiment Connecticut Volunteers, Company A, Incorporated website and reenactors, have spent decades compiling the written recollections of members of the 8th Connecticut.  They’ve taken these recollections and used them liberally in a new history of the Eighth Connecticut, the first unit history ever written about this regiment.   The result is a traditional military history with delightful maps showing where on the battlefield these men actually fought.  The 8th Connecticut was part of the 18th Corps by the time of the Siege of Petersburg, though they fought with Burnside along the North Carolina Coast in 1862 and served in the Ninth Corps at South Mountain and Antietam. It was at the last battle where the 8th Connecticut had its worst day of the war, losing nearly 200 of the 400 officers and men brought into the battle. The unit spent most of 1863 near Suffolk, Portsmouth, and the Great Dismal Swamp in southeastern Virginia.  The 8th Connecticut fought in the BermudaHundred Campaign before seeing action at Second Petersburg and Fort Harrison during the Richmond-Petersburg Campaign.  Multiple appendices round out the book and give readers the list of battles and organizations of the 8th Connecticut, lengthy biographies of key members of the unit including the “narrators” whose words were often used such as Captain Charles Coit and Sergeant Seth F. Plumb, and flags and arms and equipment of the regiment.  The bibliography provides a tantalizing glimpse into the first person accounts the authors found as well as a first for me, a bibliography section specifically dedicated to the maps in the book.

Book Summary/Review:

• Book Review: The Eighth Connecticut Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War by William A. Liska and Kim L. Perlotto

BTC Siege of Petersburg Book Notes:

BTC Siege of Petersburg Book Sources:

Publisher Information:

The Eighth Connecticut Infantry was one of the longest-serving Union volunteer regiments in the Civil War and saw action throughout the Eastern Theater, from Burnside’s expedition in North Carolina to the battles at Antietam, Fredericksburg, Cold Harbor and Petersburg, and campaigns throughout Virginia. Drawing on soldiers’ letters and diaries, this first-ever regimental history of the Eighth chronicles four years of combat service, with maps newly created from historical accounts.

William A. Liska is a retired attorney with a career as counsel in the title insurance industry. He lives in Wethersfield, Connecticut.

Kim L. Perlotto is a retired computer scientist who spent a career in aerospace engineering. He lives in Simsbury, Connecticut.

Table of Contents:

Maps viii
Acknowledgments xi
Foreword by Matthew Warshauer 1
Preface 3
Introduction 5
Chapter 1. Hartford to Annapolis 9
Chapter 2. Hatteras to New Bern 24
Chapter 3. Fort Macon to Washington, D.C. 48
Chapter 4. Frederick, South Mountain, and Antietam 68
Chapter 5. Fredericksburg to Newport News 88
Chapter 6. Suffolk, Portsmouth, Deep Creek, Home 107
Chapter 7. Deep Creek to Drewry’s Bluff 137
Chapter 8. Cold Harbor, Petersburg, Fort Harrison 156
Chapter 9. Richmond, Lynchburg, and Home 186
Conclusion:  After the War 192
Appendix A. Record of Service 201
Appendix B. Biographies of Narrators and Notables 209
Appendix C. Flags of the Eighth 233
Appendix D. Arms and Equipment of the Eighth 241
Appendix E. The Modern Eighth Connecticut Volunteers 248
Appendix F. Map Notes 250
Chapter Notes 255
Bibliography 281
Index 285

Paperback Edition:

• Buy the Paperback Edition at McFarland
• Buy the Paperback Edition at Amazon

ISBN: 978-1-4766-9041-4

Publisher: McFarland

Release Date: 2023

Pages: 301

The Siege of Petersburg Online: Beyond the Crater Pages Which Mention This Book:

• 8th CT: The Eighth Connecticut Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War
• Book Review: The Eighth Connecticut Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War by William A. Liska and Kim L. Perlotto

Acken, J. Gregory (editor) & Mills, Charles J. Through Blood and Fire: The Civil War Letters of Major Charles J. Mills, 1862-1865. The Kent State University Press. (2023). 312 pp., maps, illustrations. ISBN: 978-1-60635-454-4 $55.00 (Hardcover).

In Through Blood and Fire: The Civil War Letters of Major Charles J. Mills, 1862-1865, Editor J. Gregory Acken refreshes and enhances the descriptive and insightful letters of Union staff officer Charles J. Mills during the last year of the war with a new second edition.  Acken builds upon the first edition by Gregory Coco, which had a small print run in 1982 and is relatively hard to find today.  Charley Mills, a Harvard-educated Boston Brahmin from an old and distinguished family, believed strongly in preserving the Union. So strongly did he believe, in fact, crippling wounds did not keep him out of the fight.  Through it all, Mills wrote home to his mother (and occasionally other family) diligently, describing from his staff officer vantage point the actions of the Union Army throughout the Overland and Petersburg campaigns of 1864-65.  Greatly increased notes describe the soldiers and civilians with whom Mills interacts, new maps add to readers understanding, and additional letters provide even more of Mills’ thoughts. Taken as a whole, Through Blood and Fire is a worthy successor to Greg Coco’s rare original and should be on the shelves of anyone interested in the Petersburg Campaign.

Editor J. Gregory Acken, a fine independent historian, has previous experience editing primary source materials for publication. His first book Inside the Army of the Potomac: The Civil War Experience of Captain Francis Adams Donaldson, looked at an officer of the 118^th Pennsylvania who provided first-person details of combat with the Army of the Potomac and who constantly feuded with Colonel (and later Brevet Major General) James Gwyn.  Donaldson was involved in many of the major battles of the Army of the Potomac through late 1863, eventually resigning due to his disagreements with Gwyn.  Brian Pohanka called it “…one of the finest solder accounts of the Army of the Potomac that I have ever read.” Acken recently released a Kent State published set of letters and the diary of Union horse soldier William B. Rawle of the 3^rd Pennsylvania Cavalry entitled Blue-Blooded Cavalryman: Captain William Brooke Rawle in the Army of the Potomac, May 1863–August 1865. In addition to editing first person accounts, Mr. Acken “served for twelve years on the board of governors of the Civil War Library and Museum of Philadelphia” and has written magazine articles as well as contributed book reviews to scholarly journals.

The Kent State University Press and Greg Acken are to be commended for republishing this book, originally edited by Gregory A. Coco in 1982 in a limited print run. Coco purchased relics of Charles J. Mills in 1977. They included swords, a bloodstained cloth, a flag, and other items, but most importantly a “large, leatherbound case” of almost 200 letters.  Coco used 118 of those letters to form the backbone of the first edition. Mills suffered a crippling wound at Antietam in his first combat experience, eventually came back to the Army of the Potomac as a staff officer in the Ninth Corps and Second Corps and provided keen insights into many famous Generals and other staffers.  This book was unfortunately published in a private edition of just 300 and was an excellent candidate for much wider circulation.  Here Editor Greg Acken has stepped into the breach with a second edition, citing several improvements on and additions to the original. Acken has added some letters which were housed in Harvard’s Houghton Library as well as several others which were not included in Coco’s original find.  Unfortunately, the 200 original letters could not be found, so Acken was working with Coco’s transcriptions of the 118 which are found in the first edition.    Acken’s additions are truly felt in two areas: the annotations and the maps.  He greatly added upon and improved Coco’s original notes, identifying “nearly all of the soldiers and many of the civilians mentioned by Mills.”  In addition, his footnotes often provide needed context for the events and people Mills was writing about in letters home.  Dates have often been added in brackets to help readers better follow the letters, and Acken also explores some themes which come through in Mills’ writing.  Original maps Mills hand drew are included as updated maps, and other new maps were added to this edition of the book.   Greg Coco’s widow Cindy Small was supportive and enthusiastic about creating the second edition.

Charles J. Mills, born to a prominent and extremely wealthy family in Boston in 1841, was a son of privilege.  He was given the best education possible and graduated from Harvard in 1860.  Mills’ father, a Boston Brahmin, wasted no time in utilizing his connections to try to secure Charley an officer’s commission in a Massachusetts regiment.  But interestingly, it took quite some to obtain the prize sought after.  Eventually, in August 1862, after the Second Massachusetts had suffered severe officer casualties at Cedar Mountain, Mills was able to achieve his goal.  He was appointed a 2^nd Lieutenant and joined the regiment in time for the 2^nd Manassas and Maryland Campaigns of 1862, being appointed Adjutant prior to the Battle of Antietam.  It was there, on September 17, 1862, Mills received crippling wounds in both legs just below his hips as he sat along the Hagerstown Turnpike north of Sharpsburg, Maryland, knocking him out of the war and into bed for months.

These wounds would have exempted Charley Mills from any further service in the Civil War, but Mills was no ordinary man.  The nature of the wounds necessitated Charley join up as a staff officer to be able to ride a horse.  In the Autumn of 1863, he was appointed as adjutant of the 56^th Massachusetts, a new regiment forming which would eventually join Ambrose Burnside’s Ninth Corps for Grant’s Overland Campaign of 1864.  By the time the Overland Campaign kicked off with the Battle of the Wilderness, Mills was on the staff of the 1^st Division, 9^th Corps, led by BG Thomas J. Stevenson.  Legendary Siege of Petersburg historian Richard J. Sommers provided the Foreword to the 1982 1^st edition, calling Mills “intelligent…literate…refined” and pointing out the advantages in observation with which staff officers are blessed. Mills was present through the rest of the Overland Campaign and most of the Siege of Petersburg, serving at first as a divisional staff officer before being promoted to the Corps level, first with the Ninth Corps and subsequently with the Second Corps.  The Boston Brahmin was well-situated to view the events of 1864-65 through the eyes of the Union high command, and his intelligent and descriptive letters home give readers a glimpse as well.  He ultimately served on the staffs of Stevenson, Crittenden, Ledlie, White, Parke, Hancock, and Humphreys.

As Editor Acken writes, Charley Mills was an opinionated man, sometimes quick to pass judgment but almost always owning up to initial mistaken impressions.  Mills sometimes looked down upon others given his high social standing. He was not racially enlightened, and as Acken notes, “[h]is racially charged comments denigrating African American soldiers, though not uncommon for that era, are difficult to read.” Mills instead was focused on saving the Union.  Mills often wrote home twice a week throughout the Overland and Petersburg campaigns.  He provides first person accounts of the Ninth Corps at 2^nd Petersburg on June 17, 1864, the Crater, Globe Tavern on August 19, 1864, Pegram’s Farm in late September to early October 1864, Boydton Plank Road on October 27, 1864, where he had a hand in capturing the remains of an entire Confederate unit, and others. His evaluations of Union Generals and the staffers surrounding them are invaluable to readers and researchers alike, though he saw the world through Brahmin-tinted glasses. He was well-liked by the Boston elite as well as most everyone else who knew him.  Charley had no trouble making and keeping friends despite serving on a variety of staffs in 1864-65.

Through Blood and Fire: The Civil War Letters of Major Charles J. Mills, 1862-1865 is an excellent second edition with many tangible improvements over the original.  It was an enjoyable read and is a fine addition to the first-person accounts from members of the Army of the Potomac.  Charles J. Mills’ intelligence, diligence in writing home to his mother, and his great descriptive writing combine to make this a stellar account of the last year of the war in the East.  Mills was intimately involved with the inner workings of headquarters staffs at the Corps level for a good portion of the Siege of Petersburg, making this book invaluable to students of the campaign.  Editor Greg Acken was somewhat handicapped by the fact he did not have the original letters.  They have been misplaced in the time since Greg Coco passed away in 2009.  In one case, he could not determine if Greg Coco or Charley himself accidentally wrote Hancock when he meant Humphreys after Mills had transferred to the Second Corps staff and after Hancock had left the front.  Despite this unfortunate fact, Acken strove to make the material more useful and more easily understood for modern readers with extensive annotations, extra letters, improved maps, and a large bibliography.  Mills’ fellow Boston Brahmin’s were prodigious writers after the war, and Acken mined this vein with vigor.  Mills casually name drops numerous friends from Harvard and Boston, including Meade’s staff officer Theodore Lyman, Henry Livermore Abbott, and Robert Gould Shaw of “Glory” fame among many others. While important to researchers and satisfying all scholarly requirements, this book can be picked up and read easily by anyone with an interest in the Civil War.  It is a fantastic account from a rare perspective and should be widely available to students and researchers.  For that, Greg Acken is to be commended.

Through Blood and Fire: The Civil War Letters of Major Charles J. Mills, 1862-1865 is a must have reference work for anyone interested in the Civil War, but especially students of the Siege of Petersburg.  Charley Mills served for a time under James Ledlie, the most incompetent division commander in the Army of the Potomac from 1864-65, and possibly the entire war.  He knew intimately of Henry Pleasants’ mine well in advance of its explosion on July 30, 1864.  He observed the failed Ninth Corps assaults at the Crater and commented unfavorably about the USCT Division’s behavior.  He was involved in lesser-known battles at Globe Tavern, Pegram’s Farm, and Boydton Plank Road.  And through it all, he provided his observations about the men making key decisions which greatly impacted the outcome of the campaign.  Over half of this book contains letters written from and about the Siege of Petersburg.

This second edition of Through Blood and Fire improves upon the original version by increasing reader understanding of the people, places, and events in Charles J. Mills’ letters home.  The youthful Harvard graduate turned staff officer provides insightful commentary about the inner workings of Civil War era divisions and corps level staff.  He witnessed and helped make history at the Battle of Antietam as well as in the Overland and Petersburg Campaigns of 1864-65.  Mills’ determination to help his cause is nearly unequaled in the annals of Civil War history.  By all rights his Antietam wound should have knocked him out of the wat permanently.  For Mills, however, the bloodiest single day of battle in U.S. history was but a precursor of even bloodier campaigns to come.  Anyone interested in Civil War first person accounts, the Army of the Potomac, the Overland Campaign, and the Siege of Petersburg will want to own this book.  At $55 for a new hardcover, the price is steep for average students of the Civil War. In this case, however, the book is well worth it.  The only original available at the time of this review was selling for nearly as much and in just “Good” condition.  The letters of the “intelligent…literate…refined” Charles J. Mills provide a brilliant first-person account of Grant’s campaigns against Lee from a man who was well-situated and more than literate enough to record what was happening around him at Division and Corps headquarters. Lucky for us he did, and lucky too his letters have been ably edited by Greg Coco and Greg Acken.

Reviewer’s Note: An advanced digital copy of the manuscript was sent by the Editor for the purposes of this review.

Through Blood and Fire: The Civil War Letters of Major Charles J. Mills, 1862-1865

edited by J. Gregory Acken

BTC’s Take: In Through Blood and Fire: The Civil War Letters of Major Charles J. Mills, 1862-1865, Editor J. Gregory Acken refreshes and enhances the descriptive and insightful letters of Union staff officer Charles J. Mills during the last year of the war with a new second edition.  Acken builds upon the first edition by Gregory Coco, which had a small print run in 1982 and is relatively hard to find today.  Charley Mills, a Harvard-educated Boston Brahmin from an old and distinguished family, believed strongly in preserving the Union. So strongly did he believe, in fact, crippling wounds did not keep him out of the fight.  Through it all, Mills wrote home to his mother diligently, describing from his staff officer vantage point the actions of the Union Army throughout the Overland and Petersburg campaigns of 1864-65.  Greatly increased notes describe the soldiers and civilians with whom Mills interacts, new maps add to readers understanding, and additional letters provide even more of Mills’ thoughts.

Through Blood and Fire: The Civil War Letters of Major Charles J. Mills, 1862-1865 is a must have reference work for anyone interested in the Civil War, but especially students of the Siege of Petersburg.  Charley Mills served for a time under James Ledlie, the most incompetent division commander in the Army of the Potomac from 1864-65, and possibly the entire war.  He knew intimately of Henry Pleasants’ mine well in advance of its explosion on July 30, 1864.  He observed the failed Ninth Corps assaults at the Crater and commented unfavorably about the USCT Division’s behavior.  He was involved in lesser-known battles at Globe Tavern, Pegram’s Farm, and Boydton Plank Road.  And through it all, he provided his observations about the men making key decisions which greatly impacted the outcome of the campaign.  Over half of this book contains letters written from and about the Siege of Petersburg.

This second edition of Through Blood and Fire improves upon the original version by increasing reader understanding of the people, places, and events in Charles J. Mills’ letters home.  The youthful Harvard graduate turned staff officer provides insightful commentary about the inner workings of Civil War era divisions and corps level staff.  He witnessed and helped make history at the Battle of Antietam as well as in the Overland and Petersburg Campaigns of 1864-65.  Mills’ determination to help his cause is nearly unequaled in the annals of Civil War history.  By all rights his Antietam wound should have knocked him out of the wat permanently.  For Mills, however, the bloodiest single day of battle in U.S. history was but a precursor of even bloodier campaigns to come.  Anyone interested in Civil War first person accounts, the Army of the Potomac, the Overland Campaign, and the Siege of Petersburg will want to own this book.  At $55 for a new hardcover, the price is steep for average students of the Civil War. In this case, however, the book is well worth it.  The only original available at the time of this review was selling for nearly as much and in just “Good” condition.  The letters of the “intelligent…literate…refined” Charles J. Mills provide a brilliant first-person account of Grant’s campaigns against Lee from a man who was well-situated and more than literate enough to record what was happening around him at Division and Corps headquarters. Lucky for us he did, and lucky too his letters have been ably edited by Greg Coco and Greg Acken.

Book Summary/Review:

• Book Review: Through Blood and Fire: The Civil War Letters of Major Charles J. Mills, 1862-1865 edited by J. Gregory Acken

BTC Siege of Petersburg Book Notes:

BTC Siege of Petersburg Book Sources:

Publisher Info:

About the Book

The insightful letters of a Harvard-educated staff officer’s experience in the Army of the Potomac

Charles J. Mills, the scion of a wealthy, prominent Boston family, experienced a privileged upbringing and was educated at Harvard University. When the Civil War began, Mills, like many of his college classmates, sought to secure a commission in the army. After a year of unsuccessful attempts, Mills was appointed second lieutenant in the Second Massachusetts Infantry in August 1862; however, he was seriously wounded at Antietam a month later. Following a nearly yearlong recovery, Mills eventually reentered the service as a staff officer, although he remained physically disabled for the rest of his life. He was initially with the Ninth Corps during the Overland and Petersburg Campaigns and later at the Second Corps headquarters.

During his time in the army, Mills served under seven different generals and witnessed some of the most intense fighting of the war. Mills’s letters to his family offer enlightening insights about the Civil War in the East as seen from the perspective of an educated, impressionable, and opinionated Bostonian Brahmin.

Compiled, edited, and privately published in a limited edition in 1982 by the late Gregory A. Coco, Through Blood and Fire did not achieve widespread attention and has been out of print for decades. This new edition of the Mills letters, extensively revised and edited by J. Gregory Acken, incorporates additional letters and source material and provides exhaustive annotations and analysis, revitalizing this important primary source for understanding a crucial era of our history.

 

About the Editor

Gregory Acken is an independent historian whose work has focused on telling the stories of Civil War soldiers through their letters, diaries, and memoirs. He is the editor of several books, including Inside the Army of the Potomac: The Civil War Experience of Captain Francis Adams Donaldson and Blue-Blooded Cavalryman: Captain William Brooke Rawle in the Army of the Potomac, May 1863–August 1865.

Hardcover Edition:

• Buy the Hardcover Edition

ISBN: 978-1-60635-454-4

Publisher: The Kent State University Press

Release Date: 2023

Pages: 312

The Siege of Petersburg Online: Beyond the Crater Pages Which Mention This Book:

• Book Review: Through Blood and Fire: The Civil War Letters of Major Charles J. Mills, 1862-1865 edited by J. Gregory Acken
• Through Blood and Fire: The Civil War Letters of Major Charles J. Mills, 1862-1865 edited by J. Gregory Acken