Winning and Losing in the Civil War: Essays and Stories (review)

76CIVIL WAR HISTORY Woodworth has produced a lively and readable narrative account ofa topic in need of exploration, but his analysis is not corroborated with enough evidence, certainly not the documentation one should have when challenging the likes of Frank Vandiver and Archer Jones. Further examination—and explanation—is still needed. Kenneth H. Williams The Papers ofJefferson Davis Rice University Winning and Losing in the Civil War: Essays and Stories. By Albert Castel. (Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1996. Pp. xii, 204. $29.95.) Although most readers are familiar with Albert Castel through his numerous monographs, in particular his prize-winning (and deservedly so) work Decision in the West (1992), his latest contribution also deserves a place on the sagging bookshelves ofboth Civil War scholars and buffs. Culled from numerous articles and essays written during Castel's fruitful career, Winning and Losing in the Civil Warcombines in one volume insightful and diverse pieces that range from a discussion of how the North almost lost the Civil War to an interesting look at that unsung hero in American military history, the Army mule. As with the author's earlier works, readers will not be disappointed with this collection. To lend coherency to the volume, Castel grouped the writings thematically. The best ofthese fall under the rubric of"Setting the Record Straight," in which he reconsiders the evidence underlying controversial events—for example, the infamous Fort Pillow massacre—in order to come to a more accurate understanding of what actually happened. In another piece he inspects Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind for historical accuracy. Other gems include essays published for the first time. In one of these, an assessment of how the Civil War ended in a Federal victory, he lends more weight to the "contingency thesis" posited by James M. McPherson in Battle Cry ofFreedom (1988). Not only does Castel maintain that the North could have lost the war at several junctures, he illuminates one of those crossroads—the fall of Atlanta in 1864— and shows the linkage between Sherman's conquest and Lincoln's reelection. The successful conclusion of the "Red Clay Minuet," he believes, guaranteed another term for the Republican president and, in so doing, ensured that the war would continue until the Confederacy perished. Although not a new interpretation , Castel further enhances the case by arguing that the election of George B. McClellan would have dramatically altered the war's outcome. Young scholars will especially enjoy the "Afterword" in which Castel contemplates the future of Civil War scholarship and discusses what he calls the "Quest for Originality." Using recent trends in the literature as guideposts, he offers advice on choosing a topic for research and publication. For example, Castel believes that challenging the major orthodox interpretations of the war, BOOK REVIEWS77 an enormously valuable enterprise if done correctly, is not only exceedingly difficult in a heavily mined field like the Civil War, but it has also become the favored approach of careerist historians seeking instant fame and those advancing personal ideological agendas. Instead offollowing this treacherous path, the author proposes that historians stick to "setting the record straight" by reexamining the evidence underlying certain events and drawing new conclusions. This task he believes to be "the most important that historical scholarship performs" (33). One does not have to agree with Castel to acknowledge the perceptiveness of his arguments. This volume is vintage Castel. His refreshing and provocative candor packaged within his usual lively prose is guaranteed to entertain and inspire and perhaps to furrow many a brow. But after all, isn't that what historians are supposed to do? William B. Feis Buena Vista University IslandNo. 10: Strugglefor the Mississippi Valley. By Larry J. Daniel and Lynn N. Bock. (Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1996. Pp. xi, 202. $24.95.) In the first book-length study ofthe Island No. 10 campaign, Larry J. Daniel and Lynn N. Bock provide an excellent, detailed description ofthe military activity, analyze the strategy and tactics and contribute to our understanding of the officers in command. Island No. 10, the tenth island in the Mississippi River south of the Ohio River, represented the Confederacy's chief defense against the superior...