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  • A Civil War Soldier of Christ and Country: The Selected Correspondence of John Rodgers Meigs
  • Jonathan M. Berkey
A Civil War Soldier of Christ and Country: The Selected Correspondence of John Rodgers Meigs. Edited by Mary A. Giunta. (Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2006. Pp. 352. Cloth $60.00.)

Maps of Rockingham County, Virginia, produced shortly after the Civil War called the three-square-mile area surrounding the town of Dayton the "Burnt District." The name refers to the wartime destruction of local barns and homes by Union forces in retaliation for the controversial death of a Union staff officer. The unfortunate officer was John Rodgers Meigs, son of Union quartermaster general Montgomery C. Meigs. In A Civil War Soldier of Christ and Country, Mary A. Giunta has collected correspondence pertaining to the younger Meigs's training at the U.S. Military Academy and his brief Civil War career.

The West Point correspondence will strike a familiar chord with any parent who has sent a child to college. When he entered West Point in 1859, Meigs possessed the intelligence to be an exemplary student, but he continually struggled to master the academy's recitations. Letters from his family expressed disappointment with low subject rankings and urged him to reach his potential as a cadet. Everyone hoped that he would earn entry into the Corps of Engineers, which would provide more honor and potential than beginning his army career at a remote western fort. Family letters constantly reminded the young cadet that his performance at the academy would set the stage for a lifetime of success or failure.

Cadet Meigs's performance at West Point would challenge even the most patient parents. By the fall of 1860, he had earned seventy-six demerits, only [End Page 322] twenty-four short of dismissal. While he avoided this fate, he came close again in May 1862, when he was arrested for a physical altercation with a cadet captain. Despite these close calls, he rallied to graduate at the top of his class in June 1863.

After graduation, Meigs served in Maryland, West Virginia, and the Shenandoah Valley. He provided valuable service to the Union war effort by constructing and maintaining blockhouses to protect the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, building and rebuilding bridges, undertaking topographical surveys, and preparing maps. In August 1864, he became chief engineer and aide-de-camp for Philip H. Sheridan. While serving in this capacity, Meigs was ambushed by Confederate scouts conducting a mission behind Union lines. Witnesses to the event disagreed over whether Meigs had surrendered before he was killed. His father would devote much energy after the war to identify the men he believed murdered his son.

Occasional questionable editorial choices weaken A Civil War Soldier of Christ and Country. In letter after letter of the West Point correspondence, family members urged Cadet Meigs to buckle down and improve his performance for the honor of the family, but the correspondence falls silent regarding Meigs's altercation with his cadet captain, the incident that almost got him thrown out of the academy. Did Montgomery Meigs stop writing to his son out of disappointment, or is there simply a gap in the correspondence? Giunta offers no explanation. Perhaps most distracting is the use of a "glossary" to identify names and places at the end of the book rather than traditional footnotes. Beyond the inconvenience of constantly turning to the back of the book, there are times when this method is ineffective. For example, a January 1861 letter refers to a "Major Lee," but it is unclear which, if any, of the four Lees listed in the glossary is the major in question.

The book offers limited material of interest to students of the Civil War. While Meigs comments on the hardening process endured by veteran soldiers and voices common opinions on military leaders and events, the bulk of the collection focuses on his West Point years. This collection will appeal to historians of nineteenth-century family relations and those interested in the cadet experience at West Point. [End Page 323]

Jonathan M. Berkey
Concord University
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