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Book Reviews These are some reviews from a recent issue of
The Civil War News:
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“We Are Coming Father Abra’am”: The History of the 9th Vermont Volunteer Infantry, 1862-1865
by Don Wickman.
Illustrated, maps, roster, footnotes, index, 525 pp., 2005. Schroeder Publications, 131 Tanglewood Dr., Lynchburg, VA 24502, $45 plus shipping.
Well, as I always maintain, without Vermont, the South would have won the Civil War. The First Vermont Brigade fought from the beginning to the end of the war throughout the Eastern Theater and sustained the highest casualty rate of any federal brigade, while the Second Vermont Brigade, a nine-month unit, was instrumental in turning back the Pickett-Pettigrew Assault at Gettysburg and bringing about a federal victory. A total 17 regiments of infantry, made up of Green Mountain Boys, marched off to war between 1861 and 1865 — “We Are Coming Father Abra’am” is the, to date, untold story of just one. In 1862 President Lincoln put out a call for 300,000 volunteers. The 9th Vermont was the first unit organized in response to the call. The unit was formed from hardy New England stock and made up of men throughout the state, a few neighboring states and Canada. After undergoing their initial introduction to military life in Brattleboro, a town in southeastern Vermont, the unit was shipped off to the seat of the war. After spending a short period around Washington and then Winchester, the 9th had the misfortune of being transferred to Harpers Ferry during the first week of September 1862 — yes, just in time for a visit from the Confederates under “Stonewall” Jackson two weeks later. Following their capture, the unit was transferred to Camp Douglas near Chicago where they waited to be exchanged, which did not happen until January 1863. Exchange, however, did not get them back into the war. Instead they were detailed to guard Confederate prisoners at the very same facility they had just vacated. Finally freed from guard duty the Vermonters were transferred to Suffolk, Va., then Yorktown and eventually North Carolina. While in Carolina the men took part in some heavy fighting at Newport Barracks on Feb. 2, 1864, where three members of the regiment were awarded the Medal of Honor. Later transferred to Bermuda Hundred the men took part in the actions at Chapin Farm in September 1864 and Fair Oaks on Oct. 27, 1864. Finally on April 3, 1865, skirmishers, this author indicates, were the first to enter the evacuated Richmond. The rest of the regiment entered the city later that day. The veteran portion of the regiment was mustered out of service in June 1865 and headed back to Vermont. The remainder of the regiment, now considered a battalion, remained in federal service until December. Throughout their service, including the original members and those transferred in, the 9th Vermont had a total of 1,878 men in its ranks. Of these 298 died during their service and another 598 were lost to the regiment for various reasons. George G. Stannard was the first colonel of the regiment. He was promoted to brigadier general and went on to command the 2nd Vermont Brigade at Gettysburg and a division by war’s end. Edward H. Ripley commanded the regiment for a long period before moving to brigade command. After the capture of Richmond, Ripley was made Provost Marshal of the city. And, as indicated, the regiment contained three Medal of Honor recipients. “We Are Coming Father Abra’am” is a pretty good book. It is well-written and the research seems solid. The volume is nicely illustrated and I usually take issue with maps that are simply pulled out of the OR Atlas but in this volume they tend to be detailed enough to work. Some maps are drawn by participants and, along with some drawings, add a nice touch. My only real criticism with the volume is that there are far too many typos for a work of this caliber. The copy editor did not do his job. I recommend this volume for buffs of Vermont in the Civil War and those interested in regiments that spent much of their time in the back-water of the war yet contributed to the ultimate Union victory.
Blake A. Magner
Blake A. Magner is the Book Review Editor of The Civil War News. He makes his liv-ing as an editor, writer, car-tographer and photographer of Civil War history.
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