Book Review

These two books offer fresh examinations of the Civil War from the perspective of men (and one woman) not often included in traditional narratives of the conflict. These are not the stories of famous generals or even of famous armies such as the Union Army of the Potomac or the Confederate Army of Tennessee. Instead, Gerald J. Prokopowicz and Albert Castel write about midwesterners at war, capturing the hard reality of the times and countering romanticized images of the conflict.	1
Prokopowicz focuses on the Army of the Ohio from its formation early in the war until October 1862. Examining the army's creation, training, and performance, Prokopowicz follows its first campaigns in western Virginia, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky. The book concludes with the battle of Perryville, which ended the Confederate attempt to conquer Kentucky but left the Army of the Ohio with a new commander and, soon, a new name.	2
Prokopowicz argues that organizational problems, including recruitment, appointment of officers, training practices, and difficulties with staff and supply, weakened the Army of the Ohio, preventing it from evolving into an effective field army. It was not technological changes or the deficiency of famous leaders that led to indecisive, bloody engagements. Rather, most soldiers never felt a strong sense of identity with the army or its commander. Soldiers felt a strong affiliation first to their companies, which they often referred to as their "family"; next to their regiments, which Prokopowicz labels their "hometown." Volunteers enlisted with their neighbors and acquaintances and elected company and regimental officers whom they respected and already knew. Individual regiments often did perform well, sometimes achieving significant tactical success. But, Prokopowicz attests, inconclusive strategic results frequently occurred because units did not perform effectively beyond the regimental level, whether as a brigade, a corps, or an army. This failure to meld and behave as a single entity in battle prevented the Army of the Ohio, or any Civil War army for that matter, from achieving decisive victories on the battlefield.	. . .