Your brother in arms : a Union soldier's odyssey / Robert C. Plumb.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Plumb, Robert C.

Contributor:

McClelland, George P.

Series:

Shades of blue and gray series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

McClelland, George P--Correspondence.

McClelland, George P.

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Personal narratives.

United States.

History.

United States. Army. Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, 155th (1862-1865).

Genre:

Personal narratives.

Personal correspondence.

Physical Description:

xvi pages of plates, 6 unnumbered pages of plates, 310 pages : illustrations, maps, portraits ; 25 cm.

Place of Publication:

Columbia, Mo. : University of Missouri Press, [2011]

Summary:

George P. McClelland, a member of the 155th Pennsylvania Infantry in the Civil War, witnessed some of the war's most pivotal battles during his two and a half years of Union service. Death and destruction surrounded this young soldier, who endured the challenges of front line combat in the conflict Lincoln called "the fiery trial through which we pass." Throughout his time at war, McClelland wrote to his family, keeping them abreast of his whereabouts and aware of the harrowing experiences he endured in battle. Never before published, McClelland's letters offer fresh insights into camp life, battlefield conditions, perceptions of key leaders, and the mindset of a young man who faced the prospect of death nearly every day of his service. Through this book, the detailed experiences of one soldier--examined amidst the larger account of the war in the eastern theater--offer a fresh, personal perspective on one of our nation's most brutal conflicts. Your Brother in Arms follows McClelland through his Civil War odyssey, from his enlistment in Pittsburgh in the summer of 1862 and his journey to Washington and march to Antietam, followed by his encounters in a succession of critical battles: Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Spotsylvania Court House, the North Anna River, Petersburg, and Five Forks, Virginia, where he was gravely injured. McClelland's words, written from the battlefield and the infirmary, convey his connection to his siblings and his longing for home. But even more so, they reflect the social, cultural, and political currents of the war he was fighting. With extensive detail, Robert C. Plumb expounds on McClelland's words by placing the events described in context and illuminating the collective forces at play in each account, adding a historical outlook to the raw voice of a young soldier. Beating the odds of Civil War treatment, McClelland recovered from his injury at Five Forks and was discharged as a brevet-major in 1865--a rank bestowed on leaders who show bravery in the face of enemy fire. He was a common soldier who performed uncommon service, and the forty-two documents he and his family left behind now give readers the opportunity to know the war from his perspective. More than a book of battlefield reports, Your Brother in Arms: A Union Soldier's Odyssey is a volume that explores the wartime experience through a soldier's eyes, making it an engaging and valuable read for those interested in American history, the Civil War, and military history.

Contents:

Chapter 1 The Volunteer-National War Climate, Recruitment, and War Preparations, August-September 1862 1

Chapter 2 Into the Fray-Antietam, Sharpsburg Area, September-October 1862 17

Chapter 3 On the March-Maryland, Harper's Perry, and Virginia, November-December 1862 36

Chapter 4 "Carnage and Destruction"-Fredericksburg, December 1862 50

Chapter 5 Mud, Morale, and Monotony, January-April 1863 65

Chapter 6 "This Coveted Ground"-Chancellorsville, April-June 1863 79

Chapter 7 Gettysburg and the Pursuit of Lee, June-July 1863 95

Chapter 8 "Pack Up and March," August-October 1863 119

Chapter 9 "Shooing Geese across a Creek" and Decision at Mine Run, October-December 1863 145

Chapter 10 Winter Encampment, January-April 1864 162

Chapter 11 The Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, and North Anna River-The Overland Campaign and Hospital Recovery, April-uly 1864 179

Chapter 12 "Hold on with a Bull Dog Grip"-Petersburg, July-September 1864 203

Chapter 13 "Strong Men Strengthened and the Weak Made Strong"- Petersburg and the Weldon Railroad Raid, October-December 1864 224

Chapter 14 "He Knows Not What a Day or Hour May Bring Forth"- Dabney's Mills and Second Hatcher's Run, January-March 1865 239

Chapter 15 "The Beautiful Captain"-Five Forks, March-April 1865 254

Chapter 16 "What Will Become of All These Men?" The Postwar Years, 1865-1898 267.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 283-286) and index.

ISBN:

9780826219206 :

0826219209

OCLC:

671703405