It was 1866 when Battle Pieces and Aspects of the War was published through Harpers. Melville hoped that this book would return him to the limelight. After two years, however, it had sold less than five hundred copies. Many critics, along with most ordinary people who read Battle Pieces , noted a sort of detachment from reality. They felt Melville was doing an injustice to the War and those who fought bravely in it.
Modern critics point out that the struggles of the slaves are never really addressed.
Bibliography Bryant, John ed. A Companion to Melville Studies. Chase, Richard ed. Prentice Hall, 1962. The Civil War World of Herman Melville.