A War of the People: Vermont Civil War Letters [Paperback]

Jeffrey D. Marshall (Editor), Edwin C. Bearss (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1999

The Civil War left no Vermonters untouched, and few families free from pain. More than 140 letters -- carefully selected from some 9000 in several archives -- convey in personal terms the combat experience of Vermonters throughout the war. Vermont raised seventeen infantry regiments, one cavalry regiment, three batteries of light artillery and three companies of sharpshooters -- nearly 35,000 soldiers in all. As a result of this impressive commitment, Vermont suffered one of the highest rates of military deaths of any Union state.

A War of the People covers the war chronologically, with editor Jeffrey D. Marshall providing running commentary on both the war overall, and Vermonters' experiences. Supplemented with maps and photographs, it includes many voices -- from privates to colonels, mothers, wives, and best friends, young and old -- writing about battle narratives, camp life, financial advice, family matters, and much more. An African-American soldier from Hinesburgh, a French-Canadian soldier who enlisted in Milton, and dozens of others record their experiences in unforgettable words. Marshall's battlefront/homefront choice of letters provides a deeper understanding of the social and political dimensions that, although secondary to military concerns, were an integral part of Vermont's war years.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

At a time when publishers lists contain an ever-growing number of collections of Civil War correspondence, it pays for both editors and librarians to be selective. Such is the case with this fine collection of the letters of Vermonters, mostly soldiers, who shared their experiences with others. Marshall, an archivist and curator of manuscripts at the University of Vermont, has culled these letters from a much larger assortment of correspondence penned by soldiers and civilians, men and women, whites and African Americans. Most of the letters concentrate on the war in the East, including several accounts of the key role played by Vermonters in checking Picketts Charge at Gettysburg. Nearly all offer insight into a people at war, from military events, generals, and the soldiers life at the front to politics and family at home, reflecting attitudes toward race, white Southerners, and the experience of combat itself. For larger public libraries.Brooks D. Simpson, Arizona State Univ., Tempe
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Publisher

7 x 10 trim. 70 illus. 21 maps. LC 98-53635

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Product Details

• Paperback: 377 pages
• Publisher: UPNE; 1st edition (May 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0874519233
• ISBN-13: 978-0874519235
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,519,658 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great Vermont book on the Civil War, April 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A War of the People: Vermont Civil War Letters (Hardcover)

University Press of New England asked me to review Jeff Marshall's new book, "A War of the People: Vermont Civil War Letters." In the words of Private William Daniels, of Barton, one of the letters included in the book, "I will respond simply." WOW!

Over 140 letters to and from 78 soldiers, from practically every unit Vermont fielded during the course of the war! Letters from all theaters of the war, covering every period of time from the Spring of 1861 to the Spring of 1865! You'll find a governor (or at least his wife), a general or two and some Colonels. But for the most part you'll find common soldiers, their fathers and mothers, their brothers and sisters, their friends. Don't expect these letters to divulge some great heretofore unsolved mystery about the war. These letters aren't about the war; they are about life, about the people, and Jeff has done a great job collecting just the right letters to show the whole gamut of emotions and attitudes the soldiers and their families expressed, and the joy and concerns and pain they endured during the course of the war.

I usually have a hard time carefully reading the introduction and commentary in a book of letters (I want to get to the letters!), but Jeff does a great job of explaining the rationale behind the soldiers' reasons for writing, and has given accurate and relevant background for each season of the war. Its a great read! I hope this is the first of a number of books like it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Book Is Not Just For Civil War Buffs., April 4, 2000

By 

Thomas J. Calo (Burlington, Massachusetts, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A War of the People: Vermont Civil War Letters (Paperback)

I don't think I can improve on the e-mail I sent to friends and family as soon as I finished the book..... 'I just finished a book called "A War of the People" by Jane's good friend Jeff Marshall. It is a collection of letters from (and to) Civil War soldiers from Vermont. I can't say enough about this book. I feel as if I've just read a great novel, and yet it's all true. Jeff has done a brilliant job of choosing the letters, and many of the letter-writers reappear, as you're taken through the course of the war. The most emotionally wrenching aspect is that Jeff includes a brief but pithy biography of each soldier at the back of the book, listed alphabetically, so that after reading a letter, you can look up the soldier to find that he lived until 1915 and was "wounded ... at Savage Station , June 29, 1862. ... Mustered out June 19, 1865. Returned to Concord and became a farmer. Married Eliza E. Hale (to whom some of his letters are addressed) in 1867." Or that he was "Killed in action at Cedar Creek, October 19, 1864." I found myself biting my nails reading the letters, barely able to keep from turning to the bios in mid-letter to see if the soldier survived the war. These soldiers, most of whom were farm boys, were eloquent nonetheless. I guess you can tell I really, really loved this book, and I highly recommend it. (Jane's family: you know Jeff and may have already read the book, so please forgive my literary euphoria. I just finished it and went right to the computer.) Tom'

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gift for hubby, September 18, 2006

By 

Busyweaver "Pam" (Vermont) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A War of the People: Vermont Civil War Letters (Paperback)

I purchased this book as a Christmas gift for hubby! I had no thought of reading it until it arrived at the house! Looks very interesting! After he is done with it I will place it within my reading material. There are pictures through out. Ok, so maybe I will read it BEFORE I give it to him for Christmas! :)