New Jersey Goes to War: Biographies of 150 New Jerseyans Caught up in the Struggle of Civil War, including Soldiers, Civilians, Men, Women, Heroes, Scoundrels —
The approaching Civil War Sesquicentennial provides historians a prime opportunity to not only reevaluate our nation’s epic conflict, but to produce works that educate and excite the larger public about our American Iliad. The sesquicentennial’s educational goals ought not only to be focused on the battles, but the myriad ways in which the conflict impacted varying levels of society. Clearly the New Jersey Sesquicentennial Commission has taken this charge to heart. With Joseph G. Bilby, one of New Jersey’s most distinguished historians, at the helm of the New Jersey Sesquicentennial Commission’s first publication project, the commission has produced an admirable book. This volume will not only serve as an introduction to the multi-dimensional aspects of the Garden State’s Civil War, but should also serve as a model for other state sesquicentennial commissions to emulate. Bilby, the assistant curator of the National Guard Militia Museum of New Jersey, assembled a team of 25 contributors to compile this volume, which provides overviews of 150 figures associated with New Jersey’s Civil War story. Organized alphabetically, the book provides slightly more than 100 biographies that succinctly examine well-known figures, such as Gen. George B. McClellan, Gen. Phil Kearny, and Col. Sir Percy Wyndham, along with lesser-known officers and enlisted men. Woven into the military biographies are examinations of African-Americans who served in U.S. Colored Troops regiments and whites with New Jersey connections who cast their lot with the Confederacy. Forty biographies deal with civilians who had some connection to the conflict, including politicians, abolitionists, newspaper editors, authors, artists and government contractors. One lone biography deals with the horse Restless, who began the war as a gift to the 15th New Jersey’s Col. Samuel Fowler Beyond the book’s initial purpose of educating the public about various figures caught up in the Civil War, a deeper reading of this work also reveals some valuable nuggets of information for even the seasoned Civil War historian. For instance, historians of Civil War memory might find the biography of Roderick A. Clark useful. Clark, who served in the 14th New Jersey Infantry, was a key contributor to the regiment’s postwar efforts to erect a monument at Monocacy. Likewise, individuals interested in dual service — people who fought for both sides — might find Hazard Stanford and John Trembly’s stories fascinating. Stanford began his military service with the 64th Georgia and ended it with the 15th New Jersey, while Trembly deserted the Confederate army and enlisted in the 10th Tennessee (U.S.) in 1862. Examinations of political figures such as Rodman McCamley Price, who called for New Jersey’s secession and labeled President Abraham Lincoln a traitor, remind readers that the Union that remained after secession was far from united during the Civil War. The New Jersey Sesquicentennial Commission, its chairman John G. Zinn, commission members and editor Bilby should be commended for their finely constructed volume New Jersey Goes to War. Discussions throughout the book enlighten, suggest potential avenues for further research, and ably show the Civil War’s complexities to a wider audience. This book is recommended to seasoned historians and novices alike. Reviewer: Jonathan A. Noyalas Jonathan A. Noyalas is assistant professor of history and director of the Center for Civil War History at Lord Fairfax Community College in Middletown, Va., and the author or editor of six books on Civil War era history.
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Photographs, bibliography, index, 166 pp., 2010, New Jersey Civil War Heritage Association,