Sue Mundy: A Novel of the Civil War (review)

Richard Taylor's work of historical fiction, Sue Mundy: A Novel of the Civil War, brings to light the chaotic setting of guerrilla warfare in Kentucky. Basing his story around one of the many eccentric oddities of this conflict, Taylor develops an enlightening narrative around Marcellus Jerome Clark, a Confederate deserter who took part in numerous guerrilla raids in his home state. Exploiting his long dark locks and effeminate features, newspapers created a female caricature of Clark in an attempt to generate readers. Sue Mundy, as Clark was named, became a localized symbol of the lawlessness and bloody nature of warfare throughout the state.

Popular readers and scholars alike will find much value in Taylor's fictionalized depiction of the Civil War. Steering away from the popularized images of Virginia battlefields and the larger-than-life personalities of Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant, Taylor's account moves the narrative into the often overlooked western theater. His story teases out the complex and contradictory ways in which the military aspects of the war connected to citizens on the home front. As a hotbed of both Union and Confederate sentiments, the border state of Kentucky saw some of the bloodiest and unpredictable elements of the war. Taylor's writing gives the reader an accurate sense of the capricious loyalties of captured towns, the senseless violence bestowed upon innocent civilians, the contentious relationship between neighbors and communities, and the ruthlessness of roving guerrilla bands. Perhaps Taylor's greatest strength lies in his ability to deconstruct the romanticized image of the Civil War that is so popular in works of historical fiction. Through the inane brutality, readers get a sense of the utter hatred that Union and Confederate supporters held for each other during this time. In this way, the tale of Sue Mundy represents a world turned upside down, where supposed "she-devils" transcend stereotypical gender roles, citizens are openly murdered for their political sentiments, and guerrilla raiders bring the war to the home front in visceral ways.

Utilizing military records and court-marshal proceedings located in the National Archives, as well as contemporary local newspapers in Kentucky like the Louisville Daily Journal, Taylor weaves together an account that incorporates imagination and reality. In doing so he revisits not only the familiar stories of the Fort Donelson debacle, the cavalry rides of John Hunt Morgan, and the vicious raids by William Quantrill, but also the stories of lesser-known men like Billy Magruder, Sam Berry, and Bill Marion. Infusing these two together into an intriguing narrative allows Taylor to provide a valuable depiction of the Civil War to his readers.

Despite the strengths inherent throughout the book, there are a few drawbacks that limit Taylor's effectiveness. His attempt to offer factual background information on the characters leads to lengthy digressions that seem out of place and interrupt the fluidity of this writing style. For instance, his biographical sketch of Bill Marion occurs almost one hundred and fifty pages after the character is first introduced into the story. These frequent tangents serve to blur the chronological timeline while also detracting from the essence of his writing. Additionally, Sue Mundy as a figure exists fleetingly in this novel, sporadically appearing in newspaper accounts or during Clark's trial at the end of the book. In fact, the creation of Sue Mundy does not even appear until well into the second half of the book. Apart from these minor critiques, Richard Taylor's novel provides a compelling account of guerrilla warfare in the western theater that proves valuable to the scholar and the popular reader alike.