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BOOK REVIEWS179 the last year of the war. The Battle of Natural Bridge is never mentioned. Still, this is a welcome addition to the Florida Civil War literature. Donald W. Curl Florida Atlantic University The Fremont Rifles: A History of the 37th Illinois Veteran Volunteer Infantry. By Michael A. Mullins. (Wilmington, N.C: Broadfoot Publishing Co., 1990. Pp. 516. $30.00.) The author's original intention was to edit the rich memoirs of Sergeant Henry Ketzle of the 37th Illinois Volunteer Regiment. Fortunately his curiosity led him to ferret out hundreds of pertinent documents which, in turn, enabled him to write one of the better new generation regimental histories. The story of the 37th is that of a regiment which performed creditably in the western battles of Pea Ridge and Prairie Grove, Arkansas , and in the sieges of Vicksburg and Fort Blakely, Alabama. More importantly, it tells in clearly written prose, backed by meticulous documentation , the story of "everyman" in the Civil War: the marches and countermarches, the delayed paydays and compensatory foraging, the heroism and hyperbole, the battlefield casualties and disease, the factionalism and politics, the prejudices and pride, and the "hurry up and wait" of daily wartime life. The Fremont Rifles regiment was formed in Northern Illinois and sent to Southwest Missouri in the autumn of 1861. Its chosen name turned out to be unfortunate since its only connection with the "Pathfinder" was to stand in review for the deposed commander of the Department of Missouri. The regiment more appropriately became known as the Illinois Greyhounds as its men developed a reputation for being able to march more than thirty miles a day. During their service, the longest of any Illinois infantrymen, they marched 3,286 miles and travelled another 14,560 miles by boat. Meanwhile they suffered 145 casualties (a 31 percent casualty rate) at the battle of Pea Ridge (March 7, 1862) and 77 (17 percent) at Prairie Grove (December 7, 1862). The casualties from disease were even more devastating after the troops were transferred to the Vicksburg area where they participated in the final siege of the city. Subsequently, they were sent by way of New Orleans to Brownsville, Texas. There they were encouraged to reenlist in return for the designation "veteran regiment," a cash bonus, and an early leave to Illinois. Those not reenlisting were left in Texas and labeled "bobtails." The reformed and refreshed regiment was sent to Alabama where it saw service in the siege of Fort Blakely. After the war it was posted to the Houston, Texas, area as part of Secretary of State Seward's policy of putting pressure on the French in Mexico. The men of the 37th were finally mustered out on May 15, 1866. 180CIVIL WAR HISTORY No single oustanding leader emerges in this story. Although the regiment was commanded by colonels named White (Julius, the first commander , a former member of the Wisconsin legislature) and Black (John Charles of Danville, Illinois), its composition was rather more gray. The regiment's officers were factionalized and politicized because of the promotion system in which a vote of the officers usually determined promotions, although the governor and the adjutant-general often became involved. Officers who perceived that they were in the minority faction frequently received their promotions by volunteering to serve in newly recruited black regiments. Likewise, post-war egocentricity appears to have motivated the four winners of the Medals of Honor since none of the medals were awarded until application was made in the 1890s. The use of quotations from Sergeant Ketzle's memoirs greatly enriches this volume. When the men were denied both pay and proper supplies, he wryly commented, "We done the best we could by stealing corn out of horses and mules nosebags. ..." When the fraternization between the Union and Confederate troops involved in the siege of Vicksburg ended abruptly, Ketzle reported that the "cry along the front was 'hunt your holes.'" After Blacks had proven themselves in combat, Ketzle observed "the scales dropped from the eyes of some of the most rabid nigger-haters, and they had to acknowledge that a negro was just as good for soldiering." About forty percent of the pages...

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