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Book Reviews These are some reviews from a recent issue of
The Civil War News:
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Pennsylvania Bucktails, A Photographic Album of the 42nd, 149th, & 150th Pennsylvania Regiments
by Patrick A. Schroeder.
Illustrated, index, bibliography, 318 pp., 2001. Schroeder Publications, 12 Carmellia Dr., Daleville, VA 24083, $45 plus shipping.
Ronn Palm, a collector of Civil War images, has a museum in Gettysburg displaying original photographs of Pennsylvania soldiers. The hallmark of his collection is those of the Pennsylvania Bucktails. With the exception of two photos from another source, this volume contains 259 of Palm’s images of members of the 42nd, 149th and 150th Bucktails, most of whom are identified. Brief biographies supplement the captions in many cases. There is some confusion in one of the images of William Harry Rauch of the 42nd where the author identifies the photo as probably being taken after the war and in the next sentence states it was taken in 1862. Perhaps the last sentence should have been included in a caption for one of the subsequent photos of Rauch. All of the photos range from full-length renditions to 3/4-length views, together with some group images, are well reproduced on glossy pages. The Bucktails originated with Thomas Kane who was interested in re-cruiting well-skilled marksmen from the northern lumber regions of Penn-sylvania to serve in the Union army. Wearing a deer’s tail in their hats, the men of the 42nd constructed rafts and floated down river to Harrisburg, forcing themselves upon the governor who, at that time, really could not ac-commodate any more volunteers. The 42nd, also known as "Kane Rifle Regiment," became part of the fa-mous Pennsylvania Reserves and were designated as the 13th regiment, being the last of 13 regiments to be used in defense of the Commonwealth. But the Reserves were also subject to being called into federal service and indeed they were, serving in many significant engagements in the East. At one time the Reserves were commanded by George G. Meade who later commanded the Fifth Corps of the Army of the Potomac of which the Reserves were a part. Meade later went on to command the Army of the Potomac at Gettysburg. The exemplary performance of the 42nd became the genesis for a Bucktail brigade that was authorized by the Secretary of War. Maj. Roy Stone of the 42nd went on a recruiting drive. In less than 20 days two regiments were formed, the 149th and 150th, with Stone becoming the colonel of the bri-gade. Needless to say, there was some rivalry between the original Bucktails and the men of the new units who likewise wore bucktails on their caps. As a result, the 149th and 150th were referred to as the "Bogus Bucktails." The new regiments, a part of the First Corps, lived up to the expectations of eve-ryone, including the men of the 42nd, particularly after their performance at Gettysburg where they were among the last units withdrawing on July 1 while the Union line was collapsing on McPherson’s Ridge. In addition to the images, the author has included thumbnail histories of the units derived from Bates’s History of the Pennsylvania Volunteers with some added corrections. Obviously, this work is an excellent source for the reenactor, particularly one portraying a Bucktail, and a fitting complement to extant regimental histories of these units. The images themselves elicit reactions from the general reader who can look into the eyes of these volunteers and see that in most cases they were simply ordinary men destined for great deeds in the epic struggle to preserve the Union. In that regard, the Bucktails were not unique, but were perhaps most rep-resentative of soldiers deserving the honors accorded for meritorious service.
Frank Piatek
Frank Piatek graduated from Geneva College with a B.A. in history. He received his J.D. from Duquesne Uni-versity in 1972. He is a member of several reen-act-ment groups and past president of the Mahoning Valley Civil War Round Table.
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