Georgia Sharpshooter: The Civil War Diary and Letters of William Rhadamanthus Montgomery, and: Rebel Georgia (review)

book reviews317 to the decline of nativism. And what was true of the Germans and Irish also applied to the smaller number of Scandinavian and other immigrant regiments. These points are well taken, although it is to be regretted that Professor Burton did not rely more heavily on foreign-language newspapers and several secondary works of importance to his subject. Some of these are cited in his bibliography without evidence of their having been consulted, while others, like Jorg Nagler's Fremont contra Lincoln, are not mentioned at all. It is also surprising that little is said about the tribulations of the Eleventh Corps with its German units. And the omission of a consideration of the black troops is to be regretted. The appearance of a second edition has given the author an opportunity to correct a few minor errors, which he did. However, he failed to remedy such mistakes as the reference to a Prussian province of Lithuania, which never existed , and to Marcy Tweed, whose name was William M. Tweed. But for a detailed study ofthe ethnic regiments, this book is indispensable and will certainly continue to be an excellent supplement to Ellen Lonn's classic Foreigners in the Union Army and Navy. It deserves to be widely read. Hans L. Trefousse Brooklyn College Graduate Center, CUNY Georgia Sharpshooter: The Civil War Diary and Letters ofWilliam Rhadamanthus Montgomery. Edited by George Montgomery, Jr. (Macon, Ga.: Mercer University Press, 1997. Pp. vii, 120. $16.00.) Rebel Georgia. By F. N. Boney. (Macon, Ga.: Mercer University Press, 1997. Pp. vii, 107. $24.95, cloth; $15.95, paper.) In April 1 863 Brigadier General WilliamTatum Wofford, acting on a resolution of the Confederate Congress ofthe year before, raised and trained a special unit which subsequently was named the Third Battalion, Georgia Sharpshooters. The men were carefully picked byWofford from the regiments in his brigade on the basis of their war records. Among them was William Rhadamanthus Montgomery , a seasoned veteran in Phillips Infantry Legion. Montgomery was commissioned First Lieutenant, Third Battalion, June 17,1 863. His letters and diary substantiate the presence of the Battalion at the battle of Gettysburg, a fact which has been disputed in Gettysburg literature and lore. In truth, primary material on the unit is scarce, rendering Montgomery's book valuable indeed. The Third Battalion distinguished itself in every engagement ofWofford's Brigade until the surrender at Appomattox. With its fellow units in the Union and Confederate armies, it paved the way for present-day Special Forces. The casual reader will find this little volume fascinating; the researcher will find it a godsend. The paucity of editing, purists notwithstanding, actually enhances the authenticity ofthe letters and diary with a sense ofimmediacy, uninterrupted by footnotes or parenthetical punctuation marks. 3i8CIVIL war HISTORY In Rebel Georgia, Professor Boney presents a succinct popular history of the turbulent Civil War period in the Empire State. His presentation of the secession crisis and subsequent mania, though pared down for the layman, is cogent and eloquent. Every facet of the war as it affected the state is covered as he shows the progress of the conflict as reflected in events in Georgia: The state's industrial efforts to meet the rising demands of the military, the sometimes maverick Governor Joseph Brown, the paralyzing shock of the Great Invader, the erosion of the people's will; all are presented in engaging prose. Key Confederate figures from Georgia, military and political, are discussed in their proper time and milieu, albeit one wonders just what General John B. Gordon did at Chancellorsville that had him "emerging as one of Lee's ablest lieutenants" (38). He had already proven himself at Sharpsburg the year before and was to do much more in 1864-65. Another eminent Georgian, General William T. Wofford, neglected by the author, accomplished more at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg than Gordon and busied himself in early 1 865 feeding the people and restoring law and order in northwest Georgia. The author ties the past to the present with frequent similes which deal with popular movies and/or well-known works of twentieth-century literature such as All Quiet on the Western Front. Eminently readable, this...