Soul of a Port: The History and Evolution of the Port of Milwaukee by Leah Dobkin (review)

Book Reviews 103 troops at the center left at Antietam, the unit saw no fighting in Maryland and only a little at Fredericksburg. The regiment fought fiercely, though, in hand-to-hand combat toward the end of the second day at Gettysburg, losing its leader, Colonel Harrison Jeffords, to a bayonet thrust. After participating in Grant’s Wilderness Campaign, the regiment’s surviving members were divided on June 19, 1864, the last day of the men’s three-year enlistment: roughly half went back to Michigan and half stayed in the army. Though the authors continue the story of those who remained in the war effort after June 19, the history of the regiment effectively ended on that day. Of those who stayed in the army, some fought in Virginia, while others were put into a reorganized Fourth Michigan and stationed in diverse places, including Tennessee and, after the war, Texas. Perhaps the most moving chapter is the final one, “I Saw Passing a Great Army,” which explores the ways in which veterans remembered, explained, and mythologized their time in the army as “part of an epic, something larger than life—the Army of the Potomac” (p. 264). This is a lovingly produced book. Most impressively, the authors— probably with considerable expense to Michigan State University Press— include the regiment’s roster, which is ninety-six pages long. A paragraph or more accompanies the name of each man who served in the Fourth Michigan, detailing his experiences during and after the war. Flipping through this section will humble most readers, as it is the literary equivalent of walking through the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C. The names, the dates, the hopes—failed and realized—make these soldiers of the past very real. In fact, the roster provides souls for the very marble statues and war memorials that Bertera and Crawford fear have distorted our memory of this great and terrible war. Bradley J. Birzer Russell Amos Kirk Chair in American Studies, and Professor of History, Hillsdale College Leah Dobkin. Soul of a Port: The History and Evolution of the Port of Milwaukee. Charleston, S.C.: History Press, 2010. Pp. 139. Bibliography. Illustrations. Index. Paper, $19.99. Lake Michigan serves a wide range of distinct and rewarding functions in the lives of Milwaukeeans. Area folks frequently flock to its shores for picnics, festivals, and fireworks in the summer months. Despite 104 The Michigan Historical Review the added snow it sometimes brings, the lake makes long winter months a bit more bearable by keeping the air a little warmer than inland. It is also an invaluable source of fresh water that has kept Milwaukee hydrated, working, and brewing throughout its history. Leah Dobkin argues, however, that perhaps the lake’s most vital and beneficial service to the lives of Milwaukeeans—its use as a major commercial thoroughfare, and the Port of Milwaukee as an important interchange in this commercial traffic—remains largely overlooked and underappreciated. In her work, Soul of a Port, Dobkin examines the many significant contributions the Port of Milwaukee has made, and continues to make, to the growth and prosperity of the city. She argues that, from its development as a shipbuilding and wheat-shipping center in the 1850s through the 1870s to its service to the city’s major industries throughout the twentieth century, the port remains intimately tied to the success of Milwaukee’s economy. While there have been many great social, economic, and political changes during its 170-year history, the port has remained incredibly resilient in its ability to adapt to shifting demands Dobkin claims. This resiliency, she indicates, comes from some of the port’s unique features. For example, even though it is relatively small, Dobkin explains, the port has an experienced staff with a worldwide reputation for honesty and cooperation (pp. 23-24). The port’s public ownership, blended with “private-sector sensibilities,” Dobkin claims, has also made it more flexible and diversified than other ports and better able to meet the challenges of changing markets (pp. 17-18). Dobkin reveals that, in addition to adapting to and facilitating commercial changes throughout its history, the port has also been an important...