Storming of the Gateway: Chattanooga, 1863 (review)

94CIVIL WAR HISTORY made in the interests of attracting a large audience. I have no quarrel with success; I do feel, however, that this large audience is more imaginary than real. Apparently it is the hope of the editor that these songs will be sung by groups of people who gather around a piano, or sing to guitar accompaniment, lustily recalling "When Sherman Marched Down to the Sea," or shedding a few musical tears over "Somebody's Darling." The piano accompaniments have, in general, been so reduced from the florid patterns of the original versions that most of them are simpler than the average hymn tune—a procedure that places them within the grasp of almost any parlor pianist. Still, I find it difficult to imagine any large use of this volume in such a fashion. Not only has this type of singing declined throughout our country; the interests of those with whom it has survived do not tend toward the musical recall of incidents that have no popular appeal to this generation. Furthermore, many of the songs that came from our native composers are stereotyped and trite, from the standpoint of both words and music. Despite the fine efforts of Messrs. Silber and Silverman, this material remains esoteric in nature. On the positive side, however, there is much to be said in favor of the book. Irwin Silber has provided excellent introductory comments to each of the 105 tunes and 125 lyrics, while interspersing numerous quotations from parodies. Writing with the authority that indicates a complete mastery of his material, he relates each of the songs to one or more historical or sociological events. A picture of the war gradually emerges as the reader moves through the nine sections of the volume—at least, a picture that is made up of doggerel and cuches, enriched by a few gems that can stand proudly in any company. Yet, this is the picture that the song-writers conveyed a century ago, and it is appropriate that it is re-created and analyzed here. For those interested in sources, a list is provided at the end of the work, as are bibliographies and indexes. Thirty-three of the songs are also available in recorded form. Purchasers should be warned that the recorded versions are not often the same as those that appear in print. Elwyn A. Wienandt Baylor University Siormtng of the Gateway: Chattanooga, 1863. By Fairfax Downey. (New York: David McKay Co. I960. Pp. xiv, 303. $5.50.) Since it is so seldom that an author of Fairfax Downey's stature takes pen in hand to sketch the exploits of the Civil War's Western soldier, a "Westerner " naturally picks up the book with great anticipation. An attractive jacket, a dynamic title, and a topic laden with potentialities for excitement and drama further whet the appetite of the Westerner who surmises that the author has produced a work worthy of the history made by those who fought from Fort Donelson to Bentonville. Unfortunately, the magnetism of its dynamic title and attractive jacket Book Reviews95 lures the reader of Storming of the Gateway to an old tale retold. The study adds nothing new to the Chickamauga-Chattanooga campaigns; it even does an inadequate job of exploring the abundance of material readily available to everyone. The book is marred by repeated tangents in which the author goes so far afield that time and again the reader is reminded of the man "who got on his horse and rode off in all directions." Occasionally the narrative soars like those previous and outstanding efforts of the author. Yet no sooner does it get aloft than it begins to sputter, or is interrupted by the development of side issues. Readers may thus wonder if the book is not actually a showcase for the author's vast knowledge of the Civil War rather than a study of the Chickamauga-Chattanooga campaigns. This book appears to be more a collection of non-related articles and irrelevant material that has been pieced together to "make a book" rather than a well-planned study of the campaigns it proposed to examine. It is another incident in the deplorable trend of...