Brothers in Gray: The Civil War Letters of the Pierson Family (review)

BOOK REVIEWS157 attempted a melding of the story of the home- and battle fronts. A study of this nature would be in order for other areas of the South. Unfortunately, Fort Donelson 's Legacy could benefit from some changes. Several mistakes of fact appear in the text. For example, there is no Fentress county, Kentucky (68), and Thomas T Crittenden (87) of Murfreesboro shame was the nephew, not the son, of Senator John J. Crittenden. Also, John Marshall Harlan did not spell his name Harland (163). Although the text examines the warin Kentucky andTennessee, EleazerPaine, the infamous commander at Paducah receives only one small mention. Likewise , the author largely ignores central and eastern Kentucky. Finally, the author lists no manuscripts consulted from the holdings ofthe Kentucky Historical Society or the University ofKentucky and only one manuscript from the collection at Western Kentucky University. Several manuscript collections exist at these locations, which deal with the home front and problems of a war torn upper heartland area. Still, Fort Donelson 's Legacy deals with a significant topic and should be consulted by anyone examining the impact of the Civil War on Kentucky or Tennessee. Damon Eubank Campbellsville University Brothers in Gray: The Civil War Letters of the Pierson Family. Edited by Thomas W Cutrer and T Michael Parrish. (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1997. Pp. xii, 269. $34.95.) Few Civil War scholars worth their salt have not discovered letters they believe to be worthy ofpublication. The result is a plethora ofvolumes that vary greatly in quality. The editors ofthis collection have created an excellent work that will prove useful for those interested in a variety of topics. These missives were written by three Confederate brothers from Louisiana. ReubenAllen Pierson, the oldest ofthe trio and a teacher, enlisted as a private in the 9th Louisiana Infantry in 1861, became captain of his company in 1862, then survived many of the major battles of the Army of Northern Virginia only to die in a skirmish during Jubal A. Early's Shenandoah Valley campaign in 1864. David Pierson, an attorney, was a Unionist delegate to the Louisiana secession convention, then commanded a company in the 3rd Louisiana Infantry until he was wounded and captured for the second time when Vicksburg fell in 1863. James F. Pierson, the youngest ofthe three, ignored Reuben's advice and enlisted as a private in David's company. When the latter became the lieutenant colonel ofhis regiment in 1864, James, who had also been captured atVicksburg, served as his orderly through the end of the war. Reuben penned more than halfofthese letters. Ofthe remainder, almost four dozen were written by David, while James produced about a dozen. The editors I58CIVIL WAR HISTORY include nine missives from relatives or associates to provide some context for the brothers' communications. Because all of the letters are arranged by date regardless of the author, they faciUtate comparisons of what soldiers in the east and west wrote about the war. Included are grim details about engagements ranging from Chancellorsville and the Wilderness in the east to Iuka (where David was shot in the head) and Vicksburg in the west, and evenWilson's Creek and Pea Ridge in theTrans-Mississippi. Too, there are lengthy comments on the onerous life of a soldier and the obvious shortcomings of Civil War medicine. Furthermore, Reuben became quite religious, a slave named Peter accompanied him and David through the war, and all three brothers comment on the roles played by women in the Confederacy. This work has a few shortcomings. For those interested in the later phases of the war, it should be noted that more than half of these letters were written in 1 86 1 and 1862. The fall of Vicksburg in 1863, which made communication difficult for Trans-Mississippi Confederates, the wait of David and James at home for exchange, and the death of Reuben in 1 864 all combine to reduce the number of letters during those years. Of these letters, one is misplaced. Written by David to William H. Pierson, their father, it is provenanced as January 1 1 , 1 864, but discusses the defeat of John Bell Hood in Tennessee and William...