The Struggle for the Life of the Republic: A Civil War Narrative by Brevet Major Charles Dana Miller, 76th Ohio Volunteer Infantry (review)

"Many generations must pass ere so great a civil strife will furnish such wonderful material for history" (229). More than 125 years later, Charles Dana Miller's postwar memoirs finally joined the ranks of that "wonderful material" that makes up the ever-expanding corpus of Civil War history. The reasons why this veteran of the western theater decided to pen a narrative of his service remain unclear, as does the exact dating of its writing. His great-granddaughter Barbara Tillery concludes from internal evidence that Miller composed his reminiscences between 1869 and 1881. Visiting with former comrades during the Great Re-Union of the Veteran Soldiers and Sailors of Ohio, for which Miller served as secretary in the summer of 1878, might have provided the impetus for him to chronicle his experiences. Whatever the case, he presents an informative description of a soldier's three-year stint with the 76th Ohio Infantry.

Because the war dragged on past the summer of 1861, Miller felt obliged to leave his grain business in Newark, Ohio, to share in "the struggle for the life of the Republic" (4). After training at Camp Sherman, the 76th Ohio saw action in 1862 at Fort Donelson, Shiloh, and Corinth, shortly after which Miller began serving as adjutant. The grueling conditions throughout the siege of Vicksburg and the regiment's subsequent pursuit of General Joseph E. Johnston's army to Jackson, Mississippi, weakened Miller's constitution, and he contracted malaria in the fall of 1863. Even after a lengthy sick leave and thirty-day furlough for reenlisting, Miller still suffered from the effects of his illness, but he returned to the field with the rank of captain and fought commendably during the Atlanta campaign. Following a leave of absence to shore up his business affairs, Miller was unable to contact Sherman's army on its decisive march through Georgia, so he resigned his commission in November 1864.

Besides skillfully recounting military maneuvers, Miller provides an interesting perspective on topics such as the unsanitary conditions of camp, the suffering of Southern civilians, and practical jokes played on contrabands. In 1863, he had the opportunity to become an officer in a black regiment being formed, but he declined, citing his preference to earn promotion in the 76th. Like many Union officers, Miller adopted a personal servant from among the liberated slaves. He took his fifteen-year-old mulatto north with him in 1864 and recalled that "Johnny" was "impressed" by the prosperity of Cincinnati and "the superiority of the great yankee people" (225). Although he often referred to African Americans in a condescending manner, Miller nonetheless affirmed their right to freedom.

Editor Stewart Bennett superbly contextualizes the account, even inserting quotations from other members of the 76th to substantiate Miller's report. Instead of appending only three of Miller's personal letters written during the war, it would have been beneficial to include a broader sampling in order to compare his postwar views with his contemporary opinions. Despite this omission, Miller's reminiscences provide an excellent framework for rehearsing the exploits of the 76th Ohio.