Milligan's Fight Against Lincoln, and: Women Who Spied for the Blue and the Gray (review)

book reviews73 ably the personnel problem was really insoluble given the circumstances of Ahbama's career. When Alabama succumbed to the gunfire of an abler antagonist off Cherbourg, KeIl was rescued by the English yacht Deerhound and returned to the Confederacy in a blockade runner. His last service was in command of the James River ironclad Richmond, but ill health forced his relief before the war's end. Thereafter, KeIl devoted himself to farming and increasing his family , apparently achieving greater success in the latter, for he sired ten children, seven of whom were born after Appomattox. The necessity of educating those who survived—three died in childhood—caused him to seek public office; he held the appointive position of adjutant general of Georgia from 1887 to the end of his life in 1900. On the whole, this is a good book, although a few technical errors were noted, and one wonders about the author's failure to utilize such works as Morison's biography of Matthew C. Perry and Charles G. Summersell's Cruise of the CSS Sumter. Smith's bibliography sets out to record titles of all of the books, articles, and documents published in the United States relating to the naval history of the Civil War, listing them alphabetically by author. No effort is made to indicate relative values—it is disappointing to find Noel Gerson's (Paul Lewis, pseud.) Yankee Admiral and similarly worthless works included. In the Foreword, the Smithsonian Institution 's Philip K. Lundeberg points out the availability of Civil War naval materials in European archives, none of which is listed herein. Appendices include Congressional votes of thanks to Union naval officers and an effort to determine the ultimate fates of Union river gunboats . Perhaps not the best of its type, Smith's work will prove useful to students of naval history. Robert Erwtn Johnson University of Alabama Milligan's Fight Against Lincoln. By Darwin Kelley. (New York: Exposition Press, 1973. Pp. xii, 121. $5.50.) Women Who Spied for the Blue and the Gray. By Oscar A. Kinchen. (Philadelphia: Dorrance and Company, 1972. Pp. ix, 165. $5.95.) In spite of the title, Milligan's Fight Against Lincoln, it is apparent that Lambdin P. Milligan would have passed into history unknown but for Ex Parte Milligan. The Indiana attorney never ranked among Indiana Democrats such as Daniel Voorhees, Thomas Hendricks and others who became widely known for their opposition to the war. In addition, the impractical politician consistently acted against the positions of large segments of his party. But Milligan did so, Darwin Kelley maintains, because he "was a legalist" (p. 6). His unbending, vitriolic 74CIVIL WAR HISTORY opposition to the war caused him great personal and financial loss. Although the author contends Milligan's loyalties were to basic principles of government as he saw them rather than to the Lincoln administration , it is apparent that Milligan's legal position paralleled the southern stance on secession. Indeed, Milligan seems very southern in attitude and sympathies. Kelley contends that race "made no difference" (p. 16) to Milligan's opposition to the war, but reports on page 49 that he served as chairman of a Democratic Resolutions Committee which condemned the Union army because abolitionists commanded it. While he asserts that Milligan "had more points of friction than ties of unity" (p. 46) with Clement Vallandigham, on page 67 Kelley refers to a published account of Milligan's association with the Ohioan in the Sons of Liberty. The author makes no attempt to refute the charge until page 78 when he contradicts the earlier statement with no data to support his refutation . Kelley's book suffers from a number of other problems. Stylistically it is encumbered with excessively long quotes. Occasionally the author wanders from his main subject. Furthermore, the book is based overwhelmingly on Huntington County newspapers and secondary sources. There is no bibliography and the author asks us to accept his contention that this would have required another book by itself. At no point is there any explanation of the total lack of Milligan papers—or even whether any exist. Despite Kelley's efforts to glorify Milligan the lawyer emerges as a narrow...