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Book Reviews These are some reviews from a recent issue of
The Civil War News:
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"A Grand Terrible Drama": From Gettysburg to Petersburg, The Civil War Letters of Charles Wellington Reed.
Edited by Eric A. Campbell.
Illustrated, 402 pp., 2000. Fordham University Press, University Box L, 2546 Belmont Ave., Bronx, NY 10458, $49.95 plus shipping.
Whether Charles Reed’s mother previously had heard of the Captain, John Bigelow, we don’t know, but the lives of Charles Reed and John Bigelow were forever bonded early on the evening of July 2, 1863. In an act of extraordi-nary courage and self-sacrifice artist, bugler, topographer and entrepreneur Charles Reed guided his wounded captain through shell, shrapnel, ball, bullet and canister to safety. John Bigelow never forgot this act. Thirty-two years later he wrote to the Adjutant General, U. S. A. asking that Charles Reed be given the Medal of Honor for his heroic deed. So, on Aug. 16, 1895, the late bugler of the 9th Massachusetts Battery, Light Artillery, was awarded the medal for distinguished gallantry at Gettysburg. When reading his letters and diary entries you would never suspect this 161-pound Massachusetts Yankee capable of such extraordinary bravery. Before the battle he wrote in his letters that Captain Bigelow was his "Royal High-ness" and his tent the "palace." Yet this young captain, in four months, not only earned Reed’s respect, but also a devotion that only soldiers who have seen the elephant can comprehend. Artist Reed will not be unfamiliar to Civil War students for he illustrated John Billings’s book Hardtack and Coffee. His sketches and Gettysburg lithograph of the 9th Massachusetts Battery have been reproduced in nu-merous publications. Now, for the first time, his letters, diary entries, sketches and paintings have been assembled to present us with a portrait of a remarkable soldier. Eric Campbell’s superb annotations and editing of these 180 surviving wartime letters, written mostly to his mother and sisters, Helen and Emma, reveal an ambitious young man seeking to improve himself and his position, concerned with his creature comforts and sales of his lithographs, while never wavering from his duties. Campbell’s thoughtful excising of redundant material, spelling corrections and punctuation clarifications have made these letters easier to read. He annotates each letter, identifying where possible the people, places and events Reed mentions. These annotations, which appear in a small font to the side of each letter, do not distract the reader. They provide the reader with vital information. The letters, organized in chronological fashion, are divided into chapters, with introductory text by the editor that sets the stage for the letters that follow. Incorporated into the book are nearly 235 of Reed’s sketches — each a small jewel over which you linger, studying the detail. None is more poignant than Reed’s drawing of Lt. Erickson at Gettysburg, mortally wounded, vomiting blood while shouting orders. In many cases these are contemporaneous sketches and were praised by his comrades for their accurate depictions. For example, his well-known lithograph of Gettysburg was given fulsome praise by John Bige-low. In his letters Reed never mentions his bravery, therefore extremely valuable to students of the Gettysburg battle is the editor’s inclusion of several newspaper articles and material related to Reed’s heroic deed. Reed’s reply to the gov-ernment expresses his feelings, "Believe me Sir, most deeply sensible and grateful for the honor confirmed." Eric Campbell and the Fordham University Press have produced a wonderful book — a book worthy of Charles Wellington Reed.
Gary Augustine
Gary Augustine is past president of the Western Pennsylvania Civil War Round Table and writes a monthly review of Civil War literature for the group's newsletter.
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