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BOOK REVIEWS lance, the lim3 '»' 41> f-,ited time span of these documents libLS:KIS ., w i., ' i makes one wonged , . '. 11 3 94 *© 4 ; der about their 8111, *I" # 4; t '.' 8" V*, 6vi1 overall usefuli ness, but any concerns about utility vanish after reading the first few chapters . These two men served in one of the most heavily engaged of all Federal infantry regiments and saw action in most of the important battles in the western theater of operations . Their vivid and frank descriptions of the battle of Missionary Ridge and Sherman' s Atlanta Campaign, for example, are important enough by themselves for shedding light on common soldiers' experiences and perceptions of the fighting, but added to that are those passages that provide tantalizing glimpses into the lives of GermanAmerican troops. Reinhart correctly highlights these sections and especially their discussions of AngloAmerican prejudice. One of the most telling statements comes from Rentschler' s March 10, 1864, letter, which argues you may possibly draw the conclusion that the mixing of Germans and Americans in the Army may be beneficial to both parties, but such conclusion is in error" ( 68).This assertion challenges the longheld and probably erroneousassumption that the Civil War served as an assimilative force for America's ethnics. We can only wonder how many other Germans shared Rentschler' s opinions. Excellent material for future scholarship from which to draw abounds in this volume. Reinhart' s introduction and epilogue are useful in providing background information on the two soldiers, their regiment, their families,and Kentucky' s GermanAmerican population. They are, however, less helpful in shedding insight on the historiography of Germans in the Civil War,but Reinhart is correct in notiiig that such scholarship is " very limited" ( xix). Indeed, much, much more remains to be written about the nineteenthcentury 's most important ethnic group,but the editortranslator ' s hard work in bringing the words of these two Kentucky Germans to light is undoubtedly a step in the right direction. Two Germans in the Civil War is an important and refreshing contribution to the literature, and belongs on the bookshelf of any serious historian of Kentucky,ethnicity,or the Civil Wan Christian B. Keller Gettysburg College Stewart Bennett and Barbara Tilley, eds. Tbe Struggle for tbe Life of tbe Republic: A Civil Wai'Narrative by Brevet Major Charles Dana Miller, 76' 1'Obio Volunteer Infantry. Kent: Kent State University Press, 2004. 301 pp. ISBN:0873387856 (cloth), 34.00. I. enette S. Taylor. " The Supply for Tomorrow Must Not Fail": Tbe Civil War of Captain Simon Perkins, Jr., a Union Quartermaster. Kent: Kent State University Press,2004. 264 pp. ISBN: 087338783x cloth), $ 35.00. harles Dana Miller and Simon Perkins,Jn had Ivery different careers during the Civil War,but both left behind a valuable legacy for students of that conflict. Miller,a Union infantry officer,served in a number of important battles in the western theater and wrote a lengthy memoir of his service shortly after the close of the war. Perkins, a Federal quartermaster officer,was engaged in a much different struggle, battling red tape to guarantee that men like Miller had the resources necessary to defeat the Confederacy. Instead of recording his recollections,Perkins preserved an amazing number 90 OHIO VALLEY HISTORY of documents from his military service out of which this detailed biography has been written. Both men have a compelling story to tell, and thanks to the Kent State University Press,their diverse experiences will finally be shared with a wide audience. Charles Miller, a grain merchant from Newark , Ohio, became a sergeant in the 766 Ohio Infantry in October 1861. He rose steadily through the ranks, eventually being appointed a captain before he resigned his commission and returned to Ohio in November 1864 ( although he received a promotion to brevet major following the war).Miller and his regiment saw action in some of the Civil War' s bloodiest campaigns, including Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Vicksburg and Atlanta,along with lesser known battles like Arkansas Post and Chickasaw Bluffs. Miller wrote a narrative of his service in the 1870s when events were still fresh in his mind. A literate soldier and a keen observer of people...

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