The Civil War, A Visual History: Rare Images and Tales of the War Between the States, Parragon Press, 2011, 225 pages, index, ISBN 978-1-4454-403, $14.95. Parragon Press recently (September 27) published a fascinating and rare collection of photos (and documents) and diary excerpts from the Civil War. Arranged chronologically the images and words from the era join together to provide a powerful presentation of the Civil War. The images are…

Been on a sabbatical of sorts working on an exciting research project that found me unmotivated mentally to post anything here the last 60+ days. So to the 12-15,000 monthly visitors to Soldier Studies, my sincere apology. My latest issue of The Journal of the Civil War Era, Vol. 1 No. 3, arrived yesterday and I am pleased to report the journal has been a welcomed edition to Civil War…

I’ve been corresponding with a prominent American Civil War historian as I finished my master’s Thesis (which I just submitted) about the future of “soldier studies.” The discussion centered on the “military” historian and that perhaps we were witnessing an “eclipse” in the field; there does not seem to be that excitement for Civil War military history that there once was. With regard to social historical aspects and in particular…

The Dogs of War: 1861 (New York: Oxford, May 2011) BY Emory M. Thomas There was essentially a failure or breakdown of the political machine that caused one part of the United States to start to break away from the rest after the legal and undisputed election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860. The failure of the ability to compromise (as had been accomplished in 1820, 1850) existed within a “martial…

A month or so ago I joined The Society of Civil War Historians and recently received my issue of The Journal of the Civil War Era, which all members receive. From the Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press and the George and Ann Richards Civil War Era Center at the Pennsylvania State University are pleased to announce the 2011 launch of a new publication, The Journal of the Civil…

[Originally posted on January 29th, 2011 at blog4history.com] The Civil War: A Concise History Louis P. Masur Hardback, 136 pages From the Publisher: Louis P. Masur’s The Civil War: A Concise History offers a masterful and eminently readable overview of the war’s multiple causes and catastrophic effects. Masur begins by examining the complex origins of the war, focusing on the pulsating tensions over states rights and slavery. The book then…

The Grand Design: Strategy and the U.S. Civil War Donald Stoker (Hardback, 512 pages) I’m going to go out on what should be a well occupied limb ready to break under the weight and say that Donald Stoker’s The Grand Design: Strategy and the U.S. Civil War will win award(s) next year. Stoker’s book is not just keenly researched, but he handles the war policies and strategies of the North…

Historian and writer Paul Taylor has written a very nice portrait of a previously little known regiment. The 26th New York Volunteer Infantry served for 2 years, saw some hard service and marches, and tough fighting at the battles of Cedar Mountain, second Bull Run, and Fredericksburg. Known also as the “Second Oneida Regiment,” the unit was organized at Elmira by Colonel William H. Christian on the 17th of May,…