Men of Granite: New Hampshire’s Soldiers in the Civil War
Pvt. J. Lewis Chase, 11th New Hampshire Volunteers, in a letter written toward the end of November 1862, observed, “There is a large army here now. The New Hampshire regiments are all around us.” Chase enumerated half of the 14 regiments of infantry raised by the Granite State encamped around him. New Hampshire, in addition, enlisted two cavalry regiments, three artillery batteries and three companies of sharpshooters along with others who enlisted in the Navy, Marine Corps and various military organizations. Although sources vary as to number, approximately 35,000 from the state of New Hampshire served during the Civil War in some capacity. About 5,000 died as a result of the war, while 28 New Hampshire soldiers and sailors were recipients of the Medal of Honor. Men of Granite: New Hampshire’s Soldiers in the Civil War is the first book in almost 140 years on New Hampshire’s participation in the Civil War. Otis F. R. Waite wrote New Hampshire in the Great Rebellion, published in 1870, which is now dated and difficult to locate. The title is somewhat of a misnomer since the book does not chronicle the role played by residents who enlisted in the Navy. Duane E. Shaffer has written a lively and fast-moving narrative of New Hampshire’s role in the Civil War. After serving in the capacity as a library director in New Hampshire for 20 years, Shaffer is the head of collection development for the Sanibel Library in Florida. His book focuses on the Granite Staters’ varied experiences through colorful anecdotes, graphic first-hand accounts and candid observations. Daily life and description of battles, as reflected in these accounts, are compelling. The author’s study is presented chronologically, starting with an introduction that explores the antebellum political and social climate of New Hampshire in relationship to the national scene. Following this, Shaffer proceeds to narrate the military campaigns in a readable style, successfully transitioning from one theater of operations to another. New Hampshire units played a prominent part in the campaigns of the Army of the Potomac, in the Department of the South and in the Mississippi Theater. The text is further enhanced with 20 illustrations of people from New Hampshire, many of which have not been previously published. Being a librarian by trade, Shaffer was able to accumulate a variety of previously untapped primary sources from library and historical society collections scattered across New Hampshire. He followed the men from their experiences early in the war to their return home, reflecting on their contributions of the success of the Union. Men of Granite is highly recommended for its compact, yet detailed study of the role played by soldiers and sailors from New Hampshire. The book is meticulously researched and well constructed. There are two caveats, however. Twelve period maps, which tend to be quaint as illustrations, accompany the text, but they are not as utilitarian as modern maps. Second, if the reader makes use of the index, there are some problems. The pages of some entries are not correct, and not all references in the text are indexed. For example under the entry sharpshooters in the index, one citation is incorrectly paged, while at least eight other entries of sharpshooters are not in the index. These do not detract from the overall importance of this book depicting New Hampshire’s place in Civil War history. Reviewer: Michael Russert, a member of the North Shore Round Table of Long Island and the Company of Military Historians, has a MALS plus 60 hours in American Studies. He is Coordinator of The New York State Veteran Oral History Program.
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Illustrated, maps, endnotes, bibliography, index, 365 pp., 2008. The University of South Carolina Press, 1600 Hampton St., 5th Floor, Columbus, SC 29208, $39.95 plus shipping.