Journey To Honor
By James G. Buck
(April 2009 Civil War News)

Historical novel. Bibliography, softcover, 312 pp., 2008. Virtualbookworm.com Publishing Inc., P.O. Box 9949, College Station, TX 77842, $15.95 plus shipping.

Reviewer: Blake A. Magner
Blake A. Magner is the Book Review Editor of Civil War News. He makes his living as an editor, writer, cartographer and photographer of Civil War history. He is author of At Peace With Honor: The Civil War Burials of Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Review:
This historical novel is a short history of the 23rd New Jersey Infantry, a nine-month unit, that is based on the unpublished diary of Josiah Crispin. The regiment participated in the battle of Fredericksburg, Burnside’s Mud March and, finally, the battle of Salem Church as part of the Army of the Potomac’s Sixth Corps.

As the unit was awaiting its discharge in New Jersey they were asked to volunteer to move to Harrisburg during the Gettysburg Campaign. Seeing no action during this time, they were gone less than a week during which they dug entrenchments.

The regiment experienced the normal rigors of military life from moments of sheer terror to the misery and drudgery of the winter encampment during the winter of 1862-1863.

Though the story is interesting this reviewer is not a fan of made-up dialogue and what experiences the men of the regiment might have lived through. In addition the author is not familiar with Civil War terminology or tactics, which often makes readers think they are reading about the exploits of a modern-day army unit.

There is no regimental history of the 23rd so Crispin’s diary is a valuable addition to the history of the regiment. This reviewer believes the author would have done historians a greater service by simply editing the diary and publishing its content.

The book reads well, despite the typos and inaccuracies, and might be of interest to those interested in New Jersey Civil War history. It does have a tendency to drag during the time the regiment was in its winter camps.

Journey To Honor does end on a sad note, however, as Crispin was killed during the fighting at Salem Church. Before his died he managed to give his diary to a Confederate officer who got it through the lines where it eventually makes its way to Crispin’s sister and many years later into the author’s hands.