Wojna Secesyjna 1860-1865 [The American Civil War, 1861-65] (review)

86CIVIL war history Rough and Ready" Taylor and Winfield Scott and who then proceeded to enlist in the Mexican army. Because a number of these defectors were immigrant Irishmen, Major John Riley organized them into a special unit known as the Saint Patrick's Battalion. In several ensuing battles, including Buena Vista and Churubusco, these defectors acquitted themselves admirably, but when some were captured by American forces, the question arose as to their treatment—should they be considered traitors or prisoners of war? In Shamrock and Sword, Robert Ryal Miller, a professor emeritus at California State University at Hayward, has investigated thoroughly the history of the Saint Patrick's Battalion. He researched extensively in British, American, and Mexican archives, trying to uncover the individual activities of some two hundred deserters. And he has explained here, in detail, why these men defected, eliminating a number of myths which have persisted over the years. Although Miller has done a creditable job both in research and writing, Shamrock and Sword is somewhat disappointing. The author frequently admits that evidence is nonexistent or inconclusive or subject to speculation —despite his devotion to uncovering facts. He therefore tries to weave together the infrequent history of the Saint Patrick's Battalion into the events of the Mexican War; the slim monograph that results, however, easily warranted no more than two or three articles. But this reviewer surely agrees with Miller's conclusion that "the tale of the Saint Patrick's Battalion is a colorful episode in the history of relations between the United States and Mexico___ a good story with strong characters who portray various aspects of human behavior" (185). Ben Procter Texas Christian University Wojna Secesyjna 1860-1865 [The American Civil War, 1861-65]. By Leon Korusiewicz. (Warsaw: Panstwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, 1985. Pp. 348. 280 Polish zlotys, paper.) From its birth, the United States had embodied the hopes and aspirations of many Europeans for whom the Declaration of Independence signified the announcement of a new and better world order to come. The exclusion of slaves from the American dream, however, disappointed many sincere friends of the United States in Europe: to them, the coexistence of slavery and freedom was incompatible with the spirit of 1776. As slavery could not be abolished by peaceful means, the United States was to pass through its most traumatic experience—the Civil War—to achieve emancipation . Bringing hardship and suffering to many, leading to massive destruction of property and the loss of over 620,000 lives, this "Second BOOK REVIEWS87 American Revolution" also brought about the radical transformation of American society, particularly in the South. Developments in the United States were followed with interest in distant Poland-Lithuania. Although sympathy for America prevailed among Poles, slavery was almost universally condemned. Polish scholarship on America, however, has long-remained mediocre. Only recent decades have brought about real scholarly interest in the United States, though most of this effort has been directed to the study of Polish-Americans. The unchallenged expert in Poland on the causes, developments, and consequences of the Civil War was the late Leon Korusiewicz, a retired scholar at the Institute of History of the Polish Academy of Sciences prior to his death in 1987. In 1967, he published his well-researched and balanced study, Przyczyny wojny secesyjnej w Ameryce [The Causes of the American Civil War], in which he examined in detail the growing conflict between the North and South following the Missouri Compromise of 1820, providing a detailed and penetrating analysis of the facts and historiography. In 1975, he completed a biography of Abraham Lincoln, in which he expressed great admiration for this exceptional American statesman and human being. Wojna Secesyjna is based on primary and secondary sources, and on research in the Archives of the French Foreign Ministry. It includes an introduction, six chapters, a conclusion, a bibliography, footnotes, indices , maps, and illustrations. Korusiewicz begins by examining the United States on the eve of the Civil War. He analyzes the respective strengths and weaknesses of the South and North, deals with the election of Lincoln to the presidency, and describes the secession of Southern states. Next, the author discusses the outbreak of hostilities, and evaluates the...