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Reviews
A Citizen-Soldier's Civil War
The Letters of Brevet Major General Alvin C. Voris
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Edited by Jerome Mushkat
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(DeKalb: Northern Illinois University Press, 2002. Pp. xi, 321. Illustrations, maps, notes and sources, index. $36.00.)
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Love Amid the Turmoil
The Civil War Letters of William & Mary Vermillion
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Edited by Donald C. Elder, III
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(Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 2003. Pp. xiv, 391. Illustrations, maps, notes, bibliographical note, index. $39.95.)
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| One of the most positive aspects of the deluge of Civil War literature produced in the past decade has been the publication of primary sources. Once-forgotten documents have been rediscovered, new troves of information have been found, and our ability to understand the people who lived through the nation's greatest crisis has been enhanced. These two editions of Civil War letters continue the fine tradition of publishing such materials, and they do so in ways that not only provide easier access to the words and thoughts of historical actors but also offer analysis of broader themes and subjects of inquiry. |
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In A Citizen-Soldier's Civil War, Jerome Mushkat gives us the letters of a Union officer to his wife in an edition that is not only enlightening and critical, but also an engaging read. Mushkat's fine introduction provides a brief biography of Voris, and his editorial commentary throughout the volume guides the reader through the war years. |
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Ohio lawyer Alvin C. Voris was an abolitionist and advocate for women's rights, radical positions that stemmed from his Christian faith and education at Oberlin College. A staunch Republican legislator, Voris was also an idealist who sponsored reform legislation aimed to promote temperance, improve prisons, and provide more funding for schools and insane asylums. He carried these idealistic notions with him into the war, where he found the reality of combat quite unlike the glorious fight for righteousness he had imagined. |
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