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

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Plumb, Robert C.

Contributor:

McClelland, George Pressly, 1842-1898.

Series:

Shades of blue and gray series.

Shades of blue and gray series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Soldiers--United States--History--19th century.

Soldiers.

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

United States.

United States. Army--Military life--History--19th century.

McClelland, George Pressly, 1842-1898.

McClelland, George Pressly.

Physical Description:

xvi, 310 p. : ill., maps.

Place of Publication:

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

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Annotation George P. McClelland, a member of the 155th Pennsylvania Infantry in the Civil War, witnessed some of the wars 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, McClellands 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 soldierexamined amidst the larger account of the war in the eastern theateroffer a fresh, personal perspective on one of our nations most brutal conflicts.Your Brother in Armsfollows 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. McClellands 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 McClellands 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 1865a 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 Soldiers Odysseyis a volume that explores the wartime experience through a soldiers eyes, making it an engaging and valuable read for those interested in American history, the Civil War, and military history.

Contents:

1. The Volunteer

National War Climate, Recruitment, and War Preparations, August-September 1862

2. Into the Fray

Antietam, Sharpsburg Area, September-October 1862

3. On the March

Maryland, Harper's Ferry, and Virginia, November-December 1862

4. "Carnage and Destruction"

Fredericksburg, December 1862

5. Mud, Morale, and Monotony, January-April 1863

6. "This Coveted Ground"

Chancellorsville, April-June 1863

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

8. "Pack Up and March," August-October 1863

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

10. Winter Encampment, January-April 1864

11. The Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, and North Anna River

The Overland Campaign and Hospital Recovery, April-uly 1864

12. "Hold on with a Bull Dog Grip"

Petersburg, July-September 1864

13. "Strong Men Strengthened and the Weak Made Strong"

Petersburg and the Weldon Railroad Raid, October-December 1864

14. "He Knows Not What a Day or Hour May Bring Forth"

Dabney's Mills and Second Hatcher's Run, January-March 1865

15. "The Beautiful Captain"

Five Forks, March-April 1865

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

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780826272508

0826272509

OCLC:

868217847