The Salmon P. Chase Papers Vol. 3: Correspondence, 1858-March 1863, and: The Salmon P. Chase Papers Vol. 4: Correspondence, April 1863-1864 (review)

BOOK REVIEWS143 though not surprising. Both countries were in the process of nation-making. Ultimately, the American Civil War and the German Wars forged "new" nations. Other essays of note include Richard E. Berringer's work on Confederate identity and the will to fight; Herman Hattaway's exploration ofCivilWararmies; James M. McPherson's treatise on the Civil War as a total war; and Phillip Paludan's foray into Northern propaganda and public opinion. Equally interesting is Stig Forster's effort on Prussian military leadership and Gerd Krumeich's piece on the "people's war in Germany and France from 1871 to 1914. Moreover , Manfred Messerschmidt's lucid analysis of reform within the Prussian Army prior to the Wars of Unification and Jay Luvaas's insightful work on the influence of the German Wars on late nineteenth-century U.S. Army reform demonstrate the need for further comparative efforts on modern military systems and cultures. In short, this book deserves space on the shelf of every student of war. It is not the definitive answer to the nagging question of what constitutes total war, but it does set the framework forthe discussion. Perhaps Lt. Gen. Philip Sheridan answered the query of what constitutes total war succinctly when advising Otto Von Bismarck on the German course of action during the Wars of Unification: the enemy peoples, Sheridan cautioned, "must be led with nothing but their eyes to weep with over the war." Indeed, all enemy peoples' tears spent agonizing over the results of these "total" wars have proven inestimable. Mark Grandstaff Brigham Young University The Salmon P. Chase Papers Vol. 3: Correspondence, 1858-March 1863. Edited by John Niven. Associate editors, James P. McClure and Leigh Johnsen. (Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press, 1996. Pp. xxxi, 481. $45.00.) The Salmon P. Chase Papers Vol. 4: Correspondence, April 1863-1864. Edited by John Niven. Associate editors, James P. McClure and Leigh Johnsen. Assistant editor, Kathleen Norman. (Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press, 1997. Pp. xxxi, 481. $45.00.) Salmon Portland Chase was at the center of American politics and antislavery agitation politics from the 1840s until his death in 1873, occupying such positions as United States senator, governor of Ohio, secretary of the Treasury, and chiefjustice ofthe U.S. Supreme Court.As such he enjoyed and maintained a vast correspondence with the luminaries of the middle period of American history. In these next two volumes in the series of Chase's papers, editor John Niven gives us a penetrating glimpse of Chase and his correspondents through the bulk of the Civil War. The letters chosen are excellent representatives ofChase's mountainous correspondence, andthey are luxuriously footnoted and referenced. Scholars and students in general should be aware of the material residing in these published letters, for they touch upon vital issues of the war period. Chase 144CIVIL WAR HISTORY kept abreast of all movements touching upon slavery and the fate of blacks. He obtained much advice about the proceedings at Port Royal, South Carolina, and volume 3 has an abundance of letters from Mansfield French, Edward L. Pierce, and William H. Reynolds on the condition of the slave population in the Sea Islands. Likewise, these volumes, especially the fourth, have numerous letters from New Orleans about the regimes of Nathaniel P. Banks and Benjamin F. Butler. The writers debated the economic future of the freedpeople and brought up the issues of wages, apprenticeships, land leases, and yeoman farming. Also prominent in this collection is the controversy over emancipation and the use of black troops. When Chase wrote letters to others, he commented about Lincoln's slow-but-sure movement to emancipation. Indeed, in his letters one can almost witness the changes in Chase himself as he evolved from an individual holding constitutional anti-extensionist views to a fervent advocate of black suffrage. As one would expect, many letters deal with financing the war effort. These letters are dry reading and at times not quite as informative as one would wish; nonetheless, they provide a glimpse into Chase's economic thinking and his powers ofcalculation. In particular, Chase showed his distaste for paper money and an unstable standard of value. He wanted a national...