Customer Reviews

IN THE FIRST LINE OF BATTLE: THE 12TH ILLINOIS CALVARY IN THE CIVIL WAR

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Sam Blackwell, Jr., tells the story of the 12th Illinois Cavalry. The work is illuminated with the kind of detail that comes from personal visits to the battle sites and close attention to the documents. At every page there is evidence of a masterful grasp of the daily concerns of the men and their responsibilities in combat. The story covers the length of the Civil War. The 12th Illinois was fighting in 1862 and 1863 in Virginia and Maryland. They fought in the first engagement at Gettysburg. They finished the war and continued with their duties in 1865 in Texas.

While carefully documenting his facts, Blackwell still manages to communicate a sense of drama in the story. The siege at Harpers Ferry and the daring nighttime escape by 12th Illinois is the kind of adventure that makes history exciting. The description of the of Captains Mitchell and Houck discovering and then thoughtfully ignoring a freshly wounded confederate captain disguised as an old woman at home with his wife is heartwarming. Without comment Blackwell lets the men tell their stories. Charles Rose, for example, wrote to his father after they finished a raid searching for bushwhackers in Louisiana, that "every man got a silver 50- or 25-cent piece. Some got Meerschaum pipes, some splendid boots, clothing and razors," from captured soldiers.

As with all good writing, the details tell the story. Blackwell lets us discover the men, the horses, the weapons, the carnage, and the battlefield conditions where the 12th Illinois touched the war. Each reader must make his own assessment of the significance of the regiment, but most will gradually come to admire the 12th Illinois Cavalry.

It was my great pleasure as an Illinois native to read this very interesting and rare account of one of my home state units in action. Many important works on the Civil War have focused -- quite rightly -- on the actions of units raised in East and South, but this book chronicles a significant contribution made by this citizens of this state as the war dragged on.

The 12th Illinois Cavalry was a good selection of a unit to follow. Brought into action after illusions on both sides of a quick victory had vanished, the 12th made small but important contributions in actions ranging from Antietam to Gettysburg. Quite conscious of the reputation of Confederate cavalry units, the 12th eagerly proved itself against its battle-hardened opponents.

The book was researched meticulously mostly from primary sources. Secondary sources add color to the account, such as describing history and effectiveness of the Spencer and Burnside carbines. The writing is even and interesting, providing an enjoyable way to see much of the war through the perspective of this unit. A very good read and a great addition to any Civil War library.

It had been traditional that a member of a military regiment take on the task of recording and writing a regimental history. With the passage of nearly one hundred and forty years since our nation was split in a civil war, it is apparent that one was not written for the 12th Illinois Cavalry. Or quite possibly such a journal may have been lost on the battle field. Sam Blackwell's book "In the First Line of Battle, The 12th Illinois Cavalry in the Civil War" is a credible resource with plenty of detail. It will become respected as a primary source for an authentic view of the U. S. Cavalry in the Civil War, and more particularly as a regimental record of the 12th Illinois Cavalry. The comprehensive bibliography is invaluable and supports the theme of this research.

It has been difficult to research and assemble information of an Ohio ancestor who fled Ohio to enlist in the Union forces in Illiniois. He served two terms of duty with the 12th Illinois Cavalry. Sam Blackwell Jr.'s book "In the First Line of Battle, The 12th Illinois Cavalry in the Civil War"is just what the doctor ordered. From the day of enlistment to the day of discharge, my ancestor's day to day history lies before me. I now sit at my desk, while following the sentences with one hand and a pen in the other hand, busily transcribing information and tracing movements of the 12th on a map of Virginia and Maryland. Events from military records obtained through the National Archives are supported "to the letter" by this book and are an now placed in a chronological order. "Between the lines" information is easily assimilated from the many pages filled with meaningful accounts of the 12th. Blackwell takes few liberties in "interpreting" what might have happened and instead presents information that is supported with many citations and quotations. The importance of this book to those with an interest in the Civil War and the 12th Regiment will be reaffirmed each time it is referenced for information contained within its covers. This book is not just pieces of a puzzle but is instead the entire assembled puzzle. The 12th Illinois Cavalry now has its regimental history.

The 12th Illinois Cavalry fought all over the place. They were at Harper's Ferry, where they slipped away from the Confederate siege in the dead of night across a pontoon bridge. They were at Gettysburg. They fought all over Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, and later on, in Mississipi, Tennessee, Louisiana and Texas.
If you are a Civil War buff, you'll read this book straight through. The 12th Illinois, armed with Burnside carbines and later with Spencer repeating carbines, are examined in great detail in this highly readable book. They entered the war with nondescript horses that often reacted badly in combat---particularly in contrast with the fine blooded thoroughbreds of JEB Stuart's cavalry.
But as we follow this outfit of about 600 men from the beginning of the war to the end, we develop a grudging admiration (I'm a southerner) and their fighting abilities. They capture some of those fine Southern mounts. They learn to fight from horseback. They suffer the first casualty at Gettysburg. They gradually become a proficient fighting unit with pride and confidence. They are led by a variety of regimental commanders, including late in the war during the last days of their service, Gen. George Armstrong Custer. They didn't particularly like his brash and careless style.
One of the great things about this book is that it gives you a new perspective on the war by following this unit around as it ranges from the mountains and valleys of Virginia to the swamps of Louisiana. The author succeeds in coveying a sense of reality and immediacy in this well-researched book. And unlike many Civil War books, there seems to be no discernible bias. The accounts are objective and straightforward.
The 12th was at one point just seven miles of Richmond. It not only had to charge entrenched Confederates, often sharpshooters behind stone walls, it went on destructive raids that are vividly depicted. One of the things I liked was the description of the equipment, the kind of care the troops had to give their horses, the battle scenes in which some horses panicked and went out of control while their riders were under fire, the food eaten, the attitude of the troops and a host of other details that proved the author had done a good job of research.

I am not as taken with this book as the above reviewers. First, the author can't seem to grasp how the regiment was organized. He states that it started out as an 8 company battalion early in 1862 while Dyer's "Compendium" indicates that it began as 6 companies with three existing companies added when the unit reached Virginia. Blackwell has 8 companies as A thru K (meaning 10 companies) and also says the unit had the more normal 12 company organization by the summer of 1862 (whereas the records show three additional companies being raised in the winter of 1863-64.) If he is confused, he has also confused me. Not to nitpick, but there are many other details that he has wrong. Did the 12th Corps really have 40,000 men present in December 1862? Yikes. Did the 12th Corps back away from the Battle of Fredericksburg? No, it never got there. Did troopers really seal their Colt revolver's bullets with animal fat in combat but not do this to their Remington revolvers? Must be an Illinois trick. I don't want to be unfair to what is basically an average modern regimental history about an interesting unit, but boy could this manuscript have used a good editor.