Mennonites in the Confederacy: A Study in Civil War Pacifism (review)

372CIVIL WAR HISTORY Mennonites in the Confederacy: A Study in Civil War Pacifism. By Samuel L. Horst. (Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 1967. Pp. 148. $3.00.) When conscientious objectors are mentioned one is most apt to diink of the Quakers, the most numerous and most studied of the pacifist sects in the Confederacy, but Samuel Horst reminds us Üiat there were others, including several hundred Mennonites who lived in the Shenandoah Valley . This religious group was the subject of his master's thesis which is now published as Mennonites in the Confederacy: A Study in Civil War Pacifism. In this brief sketch (the text consists of only ninety-six pages), the author distinguishes between the beliefs and practices of the Mennonites , Dunkers and Quakers, and stresses the Mennonites' problems with military and civilian authorities—problems which arose because of their determined adherence to pacifist teachings. Included also is mention of their apprehension, frustration, arrest, imprisonment and mistreatment . Especially interesting are the accounts of the men's flight from conscription, Üieir battie for survival in mountain hideouts, and the families' trek northward toward the end of the war. Yet their experiences with displacement were not essentially different from those of other southem refugees; nor did the Mennonites have greater problems with impressment agents and wartime destructive forces than did countless other soudiemers in widespread areas of the Confederacy. The author misses the opportunity to make these and other comparisons. This heavily documented little volume contains an unwarranted amount of sketchy military and political history widi which die average reader is already familiar. Although Professor Horst indicates that he was handieapped by a lack of Mennonite records, many of the works listed in the impressive bibliography offer much more information, especially human interest material, dian he has used. Most of die interesting material included in the footnotes might have been used to better advantage in the narrative. Seldom does Professor Horst attempt interpretation, and he has inadequately shown die significance of the Mennonites in the war. His concluding chapter of less man five pages, prosaically entitied "Summary and Conclusions," is disappointing. The relatively few printing errors are for the most part insignificant, but in defense of the late Ella Lonn it should be noted diat Desertion During the Civil War was published in 1928, not 1908 as stated in die bibliography and footnotes. And diis reviewer must protest the use of "I" in the text (p. 65). The author offers the major criticism of the book: "Much work needs to be done on die subject and further research and study will undoubtedly help fill out the details of die experiences of the Mennonite religious objectors in the Confederacy. . . ." (p. 11). The reviewer concurs, believing that additional work and research should have been done before publishing. Mary Elizabeth Massey Winthrop College ...