The Loyal West: Civil War and Reunion in Middle America by Matthew E. Stanley (review)

In The Loyal West: Civil War and Reunion in Middle America, Matthew E. Stanley examines how a Unionist memory of the American Civil War developed in the Lower Middle West (southern Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois), a region located between the political extremes of the North and the South. Stanley argues that this region's veterans largely contributed to the forging of a Unionist memory that challenged both the emancipationist and the Lost Cause memories of the Civil War. Furthermore, Stanley contends that the formation of this collective Unionist memory occurred in not only sectional but also regional terms. He concludes that although the Lower Middle West was one of the last regions to join the Union war effort, it was also one of the first areas to promote sectional reconciliation and reunification.

Organized into seven chapters, the book begins by tracing the region's diverse settlement patterns. Experiencing three distinct waves of settlement, the Lower Middle West encountered a "'clash of cultures'" as northern, eastern, and southern migrants brought differing political ideologies and economic views with them (p. 25). From these varying political perspectives emerged a conservative Unionism that supported white supremacy and the preservation of the Union, even if that meant compromising on the issue of slavery.

By referencing an extensive range of personal correspondence, commemoration speeches, and records from veterans' organizations, Stanley focuses his study on the perspectives of soldiers and veterans who came from the Lower Middle West. Stanley challenges the perception that Union soldiers, particularly those who originated from the Lower Middle West, largely favored the Emancipation Proclamation. Citing antebellum views on preserving the racial status quo, Stanley argues that Union soldiers did not initially view emancipation as the primary objective of the war, but instead saw the Emancipation Proclamation as a military measure that could restore the Union and end the conflict. The author notes that opposition to liberalizing racial policies continued to resonate in the Lower Middle West after the war through acts of racial violence and the passage of black codes and sundown laws.

Stanley's regionalist approach effectively connects the Lower Middle West to the larger national political discussion by demonstrating how legislative acts, such as the Corwin Amendment and Crittenden Compromise, represented the region's continued commitment to the Union and its attempts to reconcile sectional differences. Furthermore, by analyzing antebellum and postwar presidential elections, Stanley illustrates the Lower Middle West's changing and complex political landscape.

Stanley's study serves as a welcome addition to the growing field of borderland studies and the Civil War. Stanley demonstrates throughout the work how the different wartime experiences and beliefs held by those who lived in states between the North and the South led to the creation of a regional identity and a Unionist memory of the conflict. Stanley underscores the complexity of the borderland region while highlighting the important ongoing political and social discourses in the Lower Middle West. In addition to contributing to borderland studies, Stanley's work also acknowledges the importance of the Civil War West. The veterans who assisted in creating a Unionist memory sought to emphasize the importance of western armies and military leaders while espousing an "anti-rebel and anti-eastern" perspective (p. 6). By focusing on the Lower Middle West, Stanley brings overdue attention to this borderland region. Students of Civil War memory will also find Stanley's discussion of the formation of a Unionist memory intriguing.