Research – Books

Books

A treasure trove of written materials exists on the Civil War era ranging from memoirs to historical fiction to academic writings dating from the time of the conflict up until today. Below, you’ll find examples of several important books and how they influenced the story.

New York 76th Regiment

One of the most valuable resources was a book with the longest title I’d ever come across: History of the Seventy-Sixth – 76th – Regiment New York Volunteers – What It Endured and Accomplished Containing Descriptions of its Twenty-Five Battles, Its Marches, Its Camp and Bivouac Scenes, With Biographical Sketches of Fifty-Three Officers, and a Complete Record of the Enlisted Men by A.P. Smith.  Published in 1867, it is the definitive history of the NY 76th written in the vernacular and spirit of the times. Smith, a member of the 76th, was clearly a religious man, as his account unapologetically affirms his belief in the noble and God-pleasing efforts of the Union Army in confronting the evil of the Confederate cause. 

Since I was reconstructing Hannibal’s service in Hattie’s War, the details and actions of the NY 76th were critical since they apply to Hannibal.  When the 76th rushed the entrenched Confederate forces at the top of South Mountain, Hannibal was among those men. Everything the NY 76th did up until Gettysburg Hannibal took part in. In the absence of other materials, this book’s account was a godsend. 

What I learned

• details about the day-to-day actions of the NY 76th regiment. 
• where the Howell brothers were and when
• details of battles, camp life, marches, etc.
• soldiers’ emotional and psychological reactions to battle.

What made it into the story

It is impossible to list everything that made it into the story from the book. Most of the material appears in Uncle Byron’s letters. 

Chapter #12 Momma War Right

May 19, 1879
Dear Hattie,
By August, we still had yet to feel the sting of battle even though evidence of fighting was all around us. The rumbling of cannons in the distance, the stench of black powder in the stifling summer air, battle-weary troops, and the wounded clogging the muddy roads. All were constant reminders that soon we’d be in the thick of it. The weather was brutally hot, with many succumbing to the heat during our forced march several days before. We welcomed the chance to erect our tents and seek shelter from the sun’s scorching rays. Some of our boys took the opportunity to forage for food even though General Pope had expressly forbidden the act at risk of court-martial. But I have to admit, it was well worth the risk when they found a cherry orchard ripe with fruit. None of us had had fresh food in weeks. We had been living on hardtack and watery soup most of the time.

On August 16th, we had marching orders. We struck our tents and left camp with full stomachs and in good spirits. Within an hour, we crossed a valley no more than three miles wide where a fierce battle had taken place the previous Saturday. Everywhere was sickening evidence of what occurred on that hallowed ground. Unburied horses and mules lay in all directions. Shallow graves marked by mounds of dirt dotted the landscape. Hundreds of troops from both sides lay unburied where they fell. Buzzards swarmed overhead; some huddled on the ground, picking at the dead. The ghastly stench was suffocating. A full breath would cause any man to vomit till there was no more in his stomach. The carnage left us all stunned. Hardly a word was spoken among us. The scene shook Tappan. As he was about to collapse, your father grabbed him firmly by the arm and marched him forward. Each of us was alone in his thoughts. We knew the very same thing was in store for us.

 

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First Hand Accounts

The massive two-volume, The Blue and the Gray; The Story of the Civil War as Told by Participants edited by the renowned historian Henry Commager (1950) is a fantastic resource for first-hand accounts. I based a number of battle descriptions in Byron Howell’s letters on soldiers’ recollections I found in this incredible two-volume set.

What I learned

• details of battles, camp life, marches, etc.
• soldiers’ emotional and psychological reactions to battle.
• the writing style of soldiers.
• the trauma of the war

What made it into the story

Once again, too numerous to list them all, but here is one.

Chapter #14 – Please God No More Frightening Stories

July 9, 1879
Dear Hattie,
Fighting would cease once darkness fell. But, tragically, the veil of night did not bring relief to our suffering. In the field, darkness could be the most terrifying time of all. The chaos and roar of battle were soon replaced by the most terrible sounds imaginable. The wounded, still lying on the field, cried out. Men uttering terrifying shrieks, muffled moans, some begging for a drop of water, others calling on God to take pity, a few pleading to have their agony brought to an end by a merciful hand. Grown men desperately calling out for their mothers. Each cry was like a knife cutting us in a thousand different ways. Sleep was all but impossible.

One December night, we camped at battle’s edge with no protection from the cold and damp. Our position was exposed. The enemy dug in on the ridgetop. A shot from the ridge could easily fell any one of us. We lay there among the dead for protection. Too weary and hardened by war, we considered our silent companions no different from a rock or tree that might keep us alive through the night. Crouching with barely the strength to move, I dragged two of the dead closer and lay down between them. On a third, I laid my head. Your father did the same. With only my overcoat for warmth, I pulled it over my face. During the night, desperate soldiers stumbled blindly among the bodies, taking what they could to guard themselves against the frigid night.

On occasion, a bullet shot from the ridge found its mark in the darkness. All could hear the unmistakable sound of an unseen comrade collapsing in a heap. Several times throughout the night, I felt a ghostly presence over me. My coat was suddenly pulled from my face by a ghoulish figure believing me among the dead. But, by the grace of God, I lived to fight another day—if you call that living. Since that night, I have lived that scene over and over in my dreams.

Hattie, our writing has been a great blessing. Telling you these tales has freed me somehow from their chains and the terror they bring to me at night. I started our correspondence with hopes of helping you, but it is you who have helped me. I am grateful beyond words.
Your uncle,
Byron

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Death and Dying

This Republic of Suffering by Drew Gilpin Faust, more than any other book I read, acquainted me with the mindset of mid-19th-century America. 

In the mid-1800s, changes in religious attitudes promised a joyous and eternally peaceful afterlife for those who lived according to the “will of God.” For the righteous believer, death was no longer feared but celebrated as a new beginning. A “good death” happened at home, surrounded by loved ones. Proof of a good life and good death often meant making amends, apologizing for wrongdoings, asking forgiveness, and most importantly, offering inspired words of wisdom that many believed only came at life’s end.

The enormity of death and suffering during the Civil War upended this comforting notion of a good death. Soldiers died swift and often terrible deaths far away from family and loved ones. Could a soldier killed on the battlefield achieve a good death and all that came with it? This uncertainty was a genuine concern for families and soldiers alike.

The book also explored mourning practices in the era, which became important to the story. It also featured stories about scam artists who took advantage of grieving families, also included in the story.

The PBS program The American Experience has an excellent episode based on Faust’s book called Death and Civil War. I highly recommend it.

What I learned

• The massive number of dead and wounded overwhelmed both sides.
• the ideal of “good death” was paramount in everyone’s mind
• burial practices
• mourning practices
• scams artists took advantage of grieving families

What made it into the story

Chapter #2 – Nothing Good About Dying

Martha brushed back her long hair with trembling hands. “Momma lost control of herself. She went into a deep melancholy. She was convinced Daddy was coming home any day. She insisted we set a place for him at the table.” She paused, staring out the window. “Aunt Ann came to live with us. I got so scared when I overheard Dr. Barnes tell Aunt Ann that Momma might never recover her old self. We thought for sure she’d end up in Willard Insane Asylum. Then we’d have no father and no mother to care for us.” She turned to look at me. I could see tears welling in her eyes.

It all changed one day, Martha said, when Momma came downstairs wearing a long black dress, surprising everyone. She’d finally accepted Daddy’s death. She wore that black dress every day for two years.

I was only two years old at the time. I don’t remember much from when I was little, but I remember that dress.

Chapter #7 – $150 In Advance

The Wednesday after Easter, I came in the back door and found Momma weeping at the kitchen table.

“Momma, what’s the matter?”

“Here, read this,” she said, handing me a piece of paper. It was an important-looking letter.

I thought my heart would burst out of my chest. Could it be true? I wanted it to be true so bad. When Dewitt came in from the barn, I handed him the letter. “What do you think about this?”

Dewitt read the letter and threw it on the table. “They are trying to rob us, Momma. Daddy has been dead for fourteen years. How would we know it was him?”

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Other books of note:

• Gettysburg The First Day by Harry W Pfanz
• Trials and Triumphs: The Women of the American Civil War by Marilyn Culpepper
• For Causes and Comrades by James McPherson
• The Civil War Soldier edited by Michael Barton and Larry Logue
• The Vacant Chair by Reid Mitchell

These Young Adult novels were also invaluable: 

• The River Between Us by Richard Peck
• Soldier’s Heart by Gary Paulsen
• Red Moon At Sharpsburg by Rosemary Wells