From Publishers Weekly
Joseph Hopkins Twichell's religious education began in 1861, when he interrupted his theological education to volunteer as a Union army chaplain. A New England Congregationalist with a strong Puritan heritage, an abolitionist and an evangelist, a firm supporter of Abraham Lincoln, Twichell joined a regiment raised in New York City. He found his ministry there, among the group's Irish Catholic immigrants, unchurched native Americans and youths who enjoyed cards, liquor and women. Well edited and annotated, his letters home convey loneliness, fear and alienation. They also reflect a growing generosity of spirit and a developing courage in addressing the war's suffering. Twichell banked men's pay for them and provided newspapers as an alternative to strong drink. But he was more than an ecclesiastical morale officer. Twichell's initial horror of blood gave way to a "skill and handiness" that enabled him to serve as "both nurse and minister," regularly assisting in amputations at the front. When God's word alone did not suffice, "a small bottle of morphine," he found, proved "a good angel" for men in pain. Twichell's developing brand of practical Christianity served his congregation until the regiment was mustered out in 1864. His correspondence suggests that the 19th-century, too, had its greatest generation.
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Review
"Joseph Twichell's letters, written during his term with the Excelsior Brigade, constitute one of the most remarkable primary collections of those years. The letters give us marvelous insight into the experience of a quintessential reform-minded New England Congregationalist who was driven by a Calvinist sense of duty, a clear vision of a righteous America, and a New Testament sense of Christian justice. Throughout these letters, God and death are rarely far away." --Richard J. Carwardine, author of Lincoln
"The Civil War Letters of Joseph Hopkins Twichell present the human details of army life in often memorable and at times moving language. It is an extraordinarily literate collection that rises far above the usual quality of such correspondence. The letters make enjoyable reading in their own right in addition to being of considerable value for researchers." --George C. Rable, author of Fredericksburg! Fredericksburg!
"The Civil War Letters of Joseph Hopkins Twichell thus provides us with an invaluable resource, weaving the mundane and extraordinary events of the war into a seamless narrative that allows us to view the war as it really was, at least through the eyes of one rather remarkable man." --
Books and Culture, March/April 2008"These letters provide a fascinating portrait of hopeful idealism and sanguinary realism as seen through the eyes of a young chaplain baptized by fire even before he was ordained. They will be regarded as a classic contribution to the fields of both Civil War and general military history because they contain universal themes that soldiers and their chaplains invariably encounter in combat. Twitchell's homesickness, faith in a God whom he never professed to fully understand, and determination to go where the suffering was greatest--to perform whatever ministry he could--underscore his commitment to humanity and his personal courage in the impersonal cauldron of war. Steve Courtney and Peter Messent must be commended for rediscovering and editing these letters that tell us so much about the impact of the unvarnished Civil War on American life. Their edition of these letters belongs in the same genre as The Red Badge of Courage and Battles and Leaders of the Civil War. I think every chaplain, perhaps every soldier, in uniform should read these letters as preparation for service in difficult and dangerous places." --Chaplain (Colonel) John W. Brinsfield, USA Ret., US Army Chaplain Corps Historian
The letters of Joseph Twichell...can be recommended without reservation.... [W]ell written and revealing.... The editors have carefully condensed the original nine hundred manuscript pages into a manageable size, supported by brief, helpful annotations and pertinent illustrations. The book is necessary reading for historians sensitive to the important role that religion played in the worldview of Civil War soldiers, and it is a fine addition to any shelf of firsthand accounts of the Army of the Potomac. --Gerald J. Prokopowicz, Civil War History
"These letters provide a fascinating portrait of hopeful idealism and sanguinary realism as seen through the eyes of a young chaplain baptized by fire even before he was ordained. They will be regarded as a classic contribution to the fields of both Civil War and general military history because they contain universal themes that soldiers and their chaplains invariably encounter in combat. Twitchell's homesickness, faith in a God whom he never professed to fully understand, and determination to go where the suffering was greatest--to perform whatever ministry he could--underscore his commitment to humanity and his personal courage in the impersonal cauldron of war. Steve Courtney and Peter Messent must be commended for rediscovering and editing these letters that tell us so much about the impact of the unvarnished Civil War on American life. Their edition of these letters belongs in the same genre as The Red Badge of Courage and Battles and Leaders of the Civil War. I think every chaplain, perhaps every soldier, in uniform should read these letters as preparation for service in difficult and dangerous places." --Chaplain (Colonel) John W. Brinsfield, USA Ret., US Army Chaplain Corps Historian
