Perryville: This Grand Havoc of Battle by Kenneth W. Noe (review)

BOOK REVIEWS k, cuses on the loss suffered by Native Americans, alid here the author makes his sympathies knowli clearly. O'Donnell is explicit in his desire to expose the treachery of the United States goverliment and American settlers, and includes tc) that end a descriptioii of the murder of innocent Delaware wonien and children and other atrocities perpetrated upon unarmed victims. He also shows why, whether agreeing to peaceful alliances and treaties, resisting throiigh cooperative eff(, rts with several tribes,or attempting to assimilate int(, the growing European American population,Ohio's indigenous tribes failed to halt the advance of the Atiierican empire. Although references are made in the text and footnotes to land purchases or econoiiiic depression as they influenced polic> towards Indians, I would have liked to have read a bit tiiore about these subjects. O'Donnell ends this volume by reminding readers of the significance of Ohio's former inhabitatits. 1 would add that the archacological record of these past peoples is of vital importance to the ctiltura] menlory of these societies as well as ours, and that preservation of the state' s archeolc, gical sites, in the face of continued destruction,should be a concern for all of Ohioans. Iii addition tc) the book's rich content, O'Donnell has included an exhaustive bibliography valuable to readers who wish to furEJ ., 1 ' i'1 |119 1-1 .:. 141 I·, ': 1•. in,: Ii· 1.1,· r.!-•' M i · 1;1» ©, 11·.11 .i t. i,! i 1 11.: dt . 1.: t, · 1, 14! 444, 11, wr ir'. 11'.' 11, 5-'. rjr 41.it . 14.„ r. n . 1 r " i . ie·.,:. hell., b.,: 1.', .·.,·. ir t.,: L:, pi,i.. h. „':, r Ir:1 ., n,1 [1'. il.,: I·. J ·.'.. 1 rk .· i, r·,•'-'· r[ 1, ...--. 1.' 1!' ,| c.: 21':. 1 'lir J... 111: Iii: 1'if IL|..... 1 li.·'.. 3 11{ 1: LI, i, L'.· 11''· * 1311•' 11- : it mL66. Ma-'. 61 with . ib· hi,115111 ,*| . IC' t,1111'. n, inc mil!! ! l-' l " 2; t, :'' 1- 11:- \:•! 1 oi d i . 4* ti»':.. k,« Cful Unt-..':. 1 4 r . 14 I t -* F.1/ , f .'' fts» 1 t 1# .b v., r * 4' . . r 4 ther investigate the primary and secondary sources upon which this narrative is based. Alsc,the hook is very well designed and easy tc,read; the figures are informative and the production quality of the entire bc, c,k is excellent; and the author' s writin b style will appeal to readers of varied backgrounds. Foi- many, this book will be at the perfect level of detail, and ativone interested in reading a very clear and complete volume on Ohio' s historic tribes sh (, uld begin with this hook. Ellic, t Abranis Obic)Unitte}' Siti Kenneth W. Noe. Perryville:Tbis Grand Havoc of Battle. Lexington: The University Press of Kentucky,2001. 494 pp. ISBN: 0813122090 (cloth), $ 35.00. 11 this fine military history,Kenneth W.Noe has accomplished for the Civil War battle at Perryville , Kentucky,what Wiley Sword did fc, r the Tennessee battle of Shiloh Cor Pittsburg Landing). This is a deeply researched, capably written campaign and battle narrative that places the battle squarely within the broader strategies of the war in the fall of 1862 and that situates it particularly in the western theater,a yet underutilized subject in Civil War writing . Noe has offered the most thorc, ugh study of this battle,one that historians and gel»leralists alike still largely misunderstand, yet in print. The detail that the author offers to this battle,gleaned in part from his own thorough fimiliarity with the Perryville landscape. assists readers to feel the chaotic battle as it unfc, lded, right down a) the tlnbeatvble heat and debilitating thirst that drove both armies tc,the Chaplin River through the prolonged drought that gripped tlie country's middle region in the months surrounding it. Noe has effectively captured the " Babel of contusion ( 80)that characterized not only the behavior 72 OHIO VALLEY HISIORY of the units involved in the fight itself, but that captured the personal , political, and comtiiand relationships of the leaders on both sides. Kentucky's neutrility serves as backdrop...