The Camp, the Bivouac, and the Battle Field (review)

222CI VIL W AR history The Camp, theBivouac, and theBattleField. By W. L. Gammage. Introduction by Ted R. Worley. (Little Rock: Arkansas Southern Press. 1958. Pp. 150. $4.95.) this small reprint volume is a history of die Fourth Arkansas Regiment from die date of its organization and induction into die Confederate Army in August 1861 until December 10, 1863. Unlike most regimental histories The Camp, the Bivouac, and the Battle Field was written from a journal and published during die war. Tested by die Official Records and otiier sources Dr. Gammage's work has proved surprisingly accurate. First printed at Selma, Alabama, in 1864, apparentiy widiout covers and in a very limited edition, it quickly became one of die rarest of all Confederate imprints. At die time of the 1958 reprinting only three badly damaged copies of die original could be found. Few Confederate units in die war fought in more battles dian die Fourth Arkansas, and perhaps none marched farther. In this book die audior covers die action of die regiment at Pea Ridge, Richmond (Kentucky) , Murfreesboro, Jackson, and Chickamauga. If Gammage had waited until die end of die war to have written this volume he could have added Resaca, New Hope Church, Kennesaw Mountain, Moore's Hill, Peach Tree Creek, Atianta, Ezra Church, Lovejoy Station, Jonesboro, Moon Station, Franklin, Nashville, Sugar Creek, Averysborough, and Bentonville to die long list of actions engaged in by die Fourth Arkansas. Needless to say, few men survived die war to return to Arkansas. The audior, a surgeon who served diroughout die war widi die Fourth Arkansas, has considerable descriptive powers. His account of die regiment's bloody baptism of fire on die Confederate right at Pea Ridge (recentiy made a National Park) is one of die most colorful available on diat "Gettysburg of die West." His picture of die long parallel lines of die dead at Murfreesboro widi "dieir gory and matted locks, dieir cold glassy eyes, dieir bloody vestments , and bloated and distorted features" is equally sharp. Besides die colorful accounts of batties, he gives us much about die daily life of the common soldier, including facts about die hardships of die march, lack of food, inadequate care of die sick and wounded, fraternization witii the enemy, efforts at entertainment in camp, and all of die odier phases of life encountered by die soldier of die Civil War. Dr. Gammage, as one might expect, tends to look upon die Union as die aggressor and believes diat "our brave and chivalrous boys" fought for a "glorious cause." Not all of his villains, however, are "black Republicans" or wear blue uniforms. He blasts die neutralist attitude found in parts of Kentucky and wonders cynically about die actions of certain Confederate commanders. For example, he is genuinely disgusted widi General Braxton Bragg's handling of troops during die invasion of Kentucky in die summer of 1862. Perhaps die most valuable contribution of this volume is die vast amount of statistical material given. The Fourth Arkansas was made up of ten companies drawn from six soudiwest Arkansas counties. The complete muster roll of each companyis given, and diere is indicated die batdes in which each man fought. The audior also supplies us with such information as die date and place where Book Reviews223 members of die companies were killed, wounded, or captured. Biographical sketches of brigade and regimental leaders and medical officers are also included . In making diis reprint available, die publisher has rendered a real service to die cause of Arkansas, die Civil War, and military history. It is such unit histories as this diat make die great general studies of die Robert S. Henry's, die Bruce Cation's, and die Douglas Soutiiall Freeman's possible. James J. Hudson Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Scarlet Guidon. By Ray Grant Toepfer. (New York: CowardMcCann , Inc. 1958. Pp. 316. $3.95. ) ray grant toepfer, who was born and reared in Kansas and graduated from die University of Wisconsin, has attempted in diis, his first novel, to explain in human terms—as distinguished from historical—why die Confederate soldier went to war. So far as I understand Mr. Toepfer's explanation, die Confederate went to war initially...