Gray Ghosts of the Confederacy (review)

Book Reviews229 letters. From a purely literary standpoint, his thoroughness is less appealing. By adhering to his principle that "not one word of the original letters has been deleted or changed," he clogged the book widi a superfluity of names and incidents, which mean nothing to the average reader: "Rich says L. B. Watldns mailed the letters containing die money to Webb Pratt for Mary—you ask me whether Spencer availed himself of the conscript—I don't know whether Sam Stoddard is in the same company—I only learned from you that William Henry was at Chicago—I never knew you loved me less than Mrs. Canfield . . ." All tiiis in one paragraph, and the reader wonders who these people were, and why he is being served this sort of neighborhood gossip. Moreover, one finds in every letter the same request to his wife to write oftener, to take good care of die children, and a solemn declaration tiiat he loved her above everything. One reads with sympathy, "Darling . . . how much I would give to get letters from you today—bless my dear little children, how I wish to see diem. What would I not give to be with you . . ." At first diese sentiments are touching, dien their constant repetition becomes tiresome, and finally it is downright annoying. All during die war Fay asserted diat he would radier emigrate to Mexico or Soudi America than accept a parole and live under Federal regime again, but eventually he changed his mind, and when peace returned, he moved to Mississippi. There he became president of a female college, and later Superintendent of Public Education for die state of Louisiana. After 1865 he established a seminary of his own in Baton Rouge, and died in his home "Elfinwood " in 1898, a highly respected and useful citizen of die community, aldiough probably still an unreconstructed Rebel. Otto Eisenschiml Chicago, Illinois. Gray Ghosts of the Confederacy. By Richard S. Brownlee. (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press. 1958. Pp xiv, 274. $4.95.) this splendid book was researched and written by a native son of Missouri who is presendy at the University of Missouri in charge of die academic extension program. It will particularly please die increasing number of readers coming to realize that a very dramatic and significant part of the Civil War occurred on the then western border of America. Here is a story of the guerrilla warfare begun by die Confederate General Sterling Price soon after die bloody batde of Wilson's Creek fought on August 10, 1861, so as to save his army of Missourians, and it continued until after Appomattox. Here are skillful portraits of die famous pro-Soudiern guerrillas: William Quantrill, "Bloody Bill" Anderson, George Todd, die James Brodiers, Jesse and Frank, Coleman Younger, and Archie Clement. You will see dirough dieir cold young eyes as diey range the border from Missouri to Texas many stirring incidents of the desperate struggle. Here is fashioned a set of rules of war new to America. QuantrilTs order on August 21, 1863, before die destruction of Lawrence, 230Cl VIL W AR HISTORY Kansas, to "kill every man big enough to carry a gun," and the massacre that followed has no parallel in the Civil War. Within two hours, one hundred and fifty male citizens, many young boys, are killed. One hundred and eighty-five buildings are destroyed, including most of the business district. A city is almost wiped from the Kansas map. Union General Thomas Ewing's retaliatory "General Order No. 11" gutted the Missouri western border counties of Jackson, Bates, Cass, and part of Vernon. Amid die murder and pillage, a civilian population vanished. Witiiin a few days western Missouri is desolated, leaving only coundess stone chimneys as mute evidence of the vast arson. The area was long known as the "Burnt District." A depressing glimpse of die civilian plight is preserved by die artist George Caleb Bingham on the famous canvas, "Martial Law." Today tiiis "no quarter system" is seemingly accepted as a part of our code of war. In fact, it seems outmoded in light of die atomization of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. The audior convinces his...