History of the 90th Ohio Volunteer Infantry in the War of the Great Rebellion in the United States, 1861 to 1865

By Henry O. Harden, edited by Scott Cameron
Illustrated, regimental roster, appendix, softcover, 341 pp., 2006. (Reprint of 1902 edition.) Black Squirrel Books (Kent State University Press), 307 Lowry Hall, Kent, OH 44242, $24.95 plus shipping.

Reviewer: Robert L. Durham
Robert L. Durham is a computer specialist. A longtime Civil War buff, he is also interested in Old West history and has written articles and book reviews for Alamo Journal, True West, Journal of the Alamo Battlefield Association, and Alamo de Parras web site at www.flash.net/~alamo3

Review:
Henry Ornduff Harden was 18 years old when he enlisted in a company of Union infantry that later became part of the 90th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He served through the Civil War with the 90th and later, in 1888, started a newspaper, which he published for 30 years.

Harden used his newspaper to solicit stories from other 90th Ohio veterans, which he compiled and used to write this book, self-published in 1902.

The 90th Ohio saw a great deal of action during the war, including Stones River, Chickamauga, Kennesaw Mountain, Atlanta, Jonesboro, Franklin and Nashville. However, don't look for a lot of battle action in this volume. History of the 90th Ohio consists of a series of diary entries, interspersed with anecdotes and poems submitted by the veterans.

The veterans of the 90th usually did not choose to write of their experiences in combat; most of their stories are of foraging and humorous happenings on the march and in camp. There is a long, general account of the battle of Stones River, but the part played by the 90th is not a part of the story.

One of the more interesting vignettes occurred after the war, when Henry Harden and his daughter visited the Chickamauga Battlefield. There is also an interesting story in the Appendix about guarding Confederate Gen. John Hunt Morgan after his capture.

This volume contains no footnotes or endnotes and except for the introduction, this appears to be a straight copy of the original. While this is not one of the better regimental histories I have read, it is a valuable work, providing first-hand accounts of the war from actual participants.

Kent State University is to be commended for making books such as this available to the general public. Kent State publishes reprints of rare books of Ohio history through Black Squirrel Books; hopefully, they will publish other out-of-print Civil War regimental histories in the future.