The Flying Dutchmen
Based on the life of his ancestor, Maj. Fernando Suhrer of the 107th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Andrew Suhrer’s self-published biographical novel is an attempt to dramatize the major’s exploits during the war. Readers with an ancestor in that regiment will be particularly interested in this book because the author attaches an array of historical documents and photographs dealing with the 107th. The best of these documents is a remarkable timeline of the regiment’s history. This timeline is so detailed that it lists the dates that some men were promoted and when others were killed, wounded or died of diseases. The 107th OVI was part of the 11th Corps of German-speaking soldiers who were accused of cowardice at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, charges that the author addresses through courts-martial of some of the book’s characters. However, as a dramatic, historical novel, The Flying Dutchmen may disappoint readers. There are too many named characters but none, including the main character, Major Suhrer, are developed enough so that the reader becomes absorbed in the story. Suhrer is more successful in describing battle sequences such as Gen. Francis Barlow’s defense of Barlow’s Knoll just north of Gettysburg. The reader can hear the cannons’ roar and smell the smoke. His retelling of the relief of the regiment’s colonel on the Gettysburg battlefield for perceived cowardice or incompetence provides some valuable insights to those who have interest in this part of the battle or the 11th Corps. If you like histories of Ohio regiments, The Flying Dutchmen may appeal as a realistic, if fictionalized, way of telling history. If you are looking for a novel that will hold you in its grip this book might not work for you. Reviewer: Clint Johnson Clint Johnson’s latest book is A Vast and Fiendish Plot: The Confederate Attack on New York City.
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Illustrated, photographs, 501 pages, 2009, Author House,