Editor's Note

BOOK REVIEWS359 As a farmer, a traveler, and a general observer, he made notes of weather, crops, the price of grain, and the abundance of the harvest. Roberts made references to road conditions and road maintenance; also, he wrote about travel on foot, on horseback, by wagon or sleigh, and on the new railroad to Columbus. Frequently ill health, mortality, and the quality of medical practice were mentioned in Roberts's records, which refer to the early deaths of many ofhis recent schoolmates. This volume may appeal to general readers, as well as to students of popular culture, because its subject matter often is inherently interesting and its writing style is quite readable. Roberts made observations of life during the Civil War that are of interest to readers ofthis journal. He repeatedly expressed support of the Union cause. While not serving in the Union army, he criticized the policies of President Lincoln and the Republican party. In consequence some of his acquaintances called him a Copperhead traitor. Roberts made observations about various topics of life on the homefront, including the enlistment of volunteers, the reaction to conscription announcements, the raising of bounty monies, the hiring of substitutes, and the news of Confederate general John Hunt Morgan's invasion of Ohio. William W. Giffin Indiana State University Editor 's Note: In her review of The Battlefields ofthe Civil War, by William C. Davis (June 1997, pp. 182-83), Mary Munsell Abroe's name was misspelled. ...