Illinois in the Civil War [Hardcover]

Victor Hicken (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A hewn and sanded piece of craftsmanship... A century after his quarter of a million principals completed their work, [Hicken] has done them to a turn in a book that ought to become, a little belatedly, a model of its kind." -- Journal of American History. "One of the finest state war histories to be published." -- The Civil War News --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 417 pages
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press; 2nd edition (March 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0252017722
• ISBN-13: 978-0252017728
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,688,931 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good within its limits, January 6, 2007

By 

A reader (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Illinois in the Civil War (Hardcover)

This book is so well-written and readable that it seems almost churlish to give it only four stars. Were the title something like "Illinois Regiments in the Civil War" it would be a five-star book for the general reader. Unfortunately the title is quite misleading, and the buyer may not really understand what he is getting. The book is mostly a highly readable retelling of the military campaigns in the western theaters of the Civil War, with particular reference to which Illinois regiments were engaged in which battles, and what their roles were. So far, so good, but that's as far as it goes. The action leaves Illinois about page thirty, and never really returns until Johnny comes marching home in the last couple pages of the book. The story of the state itself in the Civil War is left pretty much untold. Changes in the state's economy? Life on the home front? Political developments? The role of women with so many men at the front? Public attitudes toward emancipation? Copperheads? The Charleston draft riot? Threats of Confederate raids? These stories are all left untold, and, for the most part, untouched. Of course that isn't the story Hicken set out to write. Good as this book is within its limits, the story of "Illinois in the Civil War" remains to be written.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing but informative, July 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Illinois in the Civil War (Paperback)

Althought the book has plenty of info on certain units, it seems to concentrate on the politics of Illinois during the war. There are plenty of units that aren't even mentioned in the book, even though I know that info is available. A good book, but seems a little incomplete.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring!, August 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Illinois in the Civil War (Paperback)

A great book! I must take issue with the previous reviewer - a book about Illinois in the Civil War would neccesarily have to do with Illinois politics. After all, it's not called "Iowa in the Civil War".