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  • Letters Home to Sarah: The Civil War Letters of Guy C. Taylor, 36th Wisconsin Volunteers ed. by Kevin Alderson, Patsy Alderson
  • Michael Mumaugh
Letters Home to Sarah: The Civil War Letters of Guy C. Taylor, 36th Wisconsin Volunteers. Ed. Kevin Alderson and Patsy Alderson. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 2012. ISBN 978-0-299-29120-4, 358pp., cloth, $26.95.

Kevin and Patsy Alderson have demonstrated that historical documents can be found anywhere, even in old cardboard boxes at an auction. Fortunately, one such set of forgotten letters found their way to the Aldersons, under whose care they received necessary preservation and eventually were published. With the help of National Park Service personnel, various historical societies in Wisconsin, and others, the Aldersons were able to not only present Guy Taylor’s letters but also fill in the blanks he left behind. Intense research into the events and individuals that Taylor refers to provides names for the battles and gives information about many of the people mentioned in his letters. Though at times one must “sound it out” while reading this book, the limited editing allows the author’s voice to come out (xix).

These letters provide an interesting insight into Taylor’s view of the war not only as an individual, but also a westerner and later enlistee. He had several characteristics that did not quite fit the average accepted mold of a soldier. As a believer of temperance, he did not agree with the soldiers or officers who allowed alcohol to consume them. Also, he quickly learned that supporting his family through correspondence alone was difficult. Often he was concerned about their well-being, especially as money became tight and his wife, Sarah, had difficulty in collecting payment for odd jobs. Though Taylor practiced frugality, he noted that it was hard to “surpoart a famley at 16 dollars per month,” even with the bounty and state aid, with food prices going ever higher (214).

As an isolated westerner, Guy Taylor succumbed to many of the illnesses that new recruits contracted when first joining the army. Though terrible, his bouts of sickness had the silver lining of keeping him out of the bloody engagements of the Overland campaign, where his 36th Wisconsin “endured one of the highest casualty rates of any Union regiment” (19). His weakened state let him be assigned to light details, which allowed him to describe the great defensive works encircling Petersburg as well as observe many of the events occurring during the siege. Eventually, he resumed his position in the regiment and participated in the pursuit of Gen. Robert E. Lee’s army once it abandoned Richmond. Here his letters are filled with the pride of looming victory, demonstrated when he wrote home describing how on April 2, 1865, his regiment broke the rebel front lines and took a “heep of prisoners” (243).

Guy Taylor’s letters give insight into life of a late-war Union soldier. His description of army hospitals, the Petersburg siege lines, daily life, and the ultimate end of [End Page 222] the war help one understand a soldier’s life on the line. This collection of letters and original drawings is an interesting resource for those curious about the experiences of the Civil War soldier.

Michael Mumaugh
University of North Alabama
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