A War of the People: Vermont Civil War Letters
At a time when publishers lists contain an ever-growing number of collections of Civil War correspondence, it pays for both editors and librarians to be selective. Such is the case with this fine collection of the letters of Vermonters, mostly soldiers, who shared their experiences with others. Marshall, an archivist and curator of manuscripts at the University of Vermont, has culled these letters from a much larger assortment of correspondence penned by soldiers and civilians, men and women, whites and African Americans. Most of the letters concentrate on the war in the East, including several accounts of the key role played by Vermonters in checking Picketts Charge at Gettysburg. Nearly all offer insight into a people at war, from military events, generals, and the soldiers life at the front to politics and family at home, reflecting attitudes toward race, white Southerners, and the experience of combat itself. For larger public libraries.Brooks D. Simpson, Arizona State Univ., TempeCopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.