Customer Reviews

Story of a Regiment: Being a Narrative of the Service of the Second Regiment, Minnesota Veteran Volunteer Infantry, in the Civil War of 1861 to 1865

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Ably edited by Newell L. Chester for the modern reader, The Story Of A Regiment is the narrative account and history by Judson W. Bishop of the Minnesota Veteran Volunteer Infantry's Second Regiment that fought all through the Civil War from 1861 to 1865. This superbly presented edition is enhanced for the reader with a history of Judson Bishop and additional and informative chapters by Chester. This was a Union Army regiment that was awarded eight Medals of Honor for one action near Nolansville, Tennessee; participated in the first major Union victory at Mill Springs, Kentucky; charged up Missionary Ridge out of Chattanooga, Tennessee; earned General George Thomas acclimation as "The Rock of Chickamauga". The Second Regiment fought all four, bloody years of the Civil War and finally returned home to Minnesota intact. The Story Of A Regiment is an invaluable, much appreciated, and very welcome addition to Civil War Studies collections, and "must" reading for all Civil War buffs.

Great book about a great leader and also a kind and gentle man.

Judson Wade Bishop was my Great Grandfather. He led his men bravely into battle during the Civil War. His hope was that our Country would learn from this awful war and never have to do battle again...if only we had.

I bought this book at an adjunct to family history research: my great great grandfather was drafted into the 2nd Minnesota in the closing month of the Civil War (though one record erroneously says 1864)and I wanted to find out what sort of life he would have lived in his few months of soldiering. The 2nd Minnesota was a famous regiment and this book was extracted by one of its longest serving participating officers from the official regimental war diaries. It gives virtually a day-by-day description of what the regiment went through between its inception at Ft. Snelling in 1861 until its final disbandment, also at Ft. Snelling, in July of 1865. While it is mostly officers who are actually named, this is a valuable source for anyone whose ancestors fought with the 2nd Minnesota at any phase of the war. If nothing else, it will make your legs ache in sympathy at how far they marched! Although I was only really interested specifically in the last part of the book covering either April 1864 or April 1865 to July 1865, I found the whole of the diary compelling reading. If you are a Civil War buff or a family historian with links to the 2nd Minnesota, you'll find most of what you seek here. The one thing missing that I would have welcomed would have been some maps.