The Sixth Wisconsin and the long Civil War : the biography of a regiment / James Marten.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Marten, James Alan, author.

Series:

Civil War America (Series)

Civil War America

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States. Army. Wisconsin Infantry Regiment, 6th (1861-1865).

United States.

Soldiers--United States--Social conditions--19th century.

Soldiers.

Wisconsin--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Regimental histories.

Wisconsin.

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Social aspects.

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Influence.

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Regimental histories.

Physical Description:

xiii, 286 pages ; illustrations, maps ; 25 cm.

Place of Publication:

Chapel Hill : The University of North Carolina Press, [2025]

Summary:

"Reimagining one of the oldest genres of Civil War history, this book engagingly presents the story of the war and its aftermath through the lens of a single regiment, the Sixth Wisconsin. One of the core units of the famed Iron Brigade, the Sixth was organized in July 1861 and mustered out in summer 1865, playing major roles at Second Manassas, Antietam, and Gettysburg, and in the Overland campaign of 1864. But the regiment's full history is found in the stories of its men learning to fight and endure far from home amid violence, illness, and death, and in the lives of families that hung on every word in letters and news from the front lines. Those stories also unfolded long after the war's end, as veterans sought to make sense of their experiences and home communities struggled to care for those who returned with unhealed wounds. Marshaling a vast archive, James Marten has crafted a compelling and highly original biography of the Sixth Wisconsin in war and peace. In seeing the fight through the eyes of the regiment's roughly 2,000 men and those connected to them, readers will understand the long history of the Civil War as never before"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Willing hearts and strong hands: gathering

Coming events are crowding thickly upon us: waiting

Tall fighting: fall 1862

Where you die, I will die: 1863

News tonight, from the field of battle

Carnivals of blood: 1864

Off to the war: 1865

Heroes and marauders: government aid and the ambiguity of disability

When I die I shall be dead a long time: the life cycle of soldiers' memory.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 263-280) and index.

ISBN:

9781469684239

1469684233

OCLC:

1456588106