Brother of Mine: The Civil War Letters of Thomas and William Christie (review)

The letters of Thomas and William Christie offer a clear and articulate account of their personal experiences during the Civil War. Beyond simple notes on military campaigns and daily ritual, the correspondence between these two brothers and their family in Minnesota provides readers with the very personal perspective that these soldiers had on the war and their role within that conflict. The Christie brothers, who enlisted in the 1st Minnesota Battery in November 1861, participated in every major engagement in the western theater from Shiloh to Atlanta, and their correspondence provides fascinating insight into both the private reflections upon battle and their experiences as travelers in the land of secession.

For these men, it is clear that the Civil War was more than a lesson in military strategy. They wrote intimately of not only their brushes with death but of other deaths in the context of the larger war. “The best of our non-commissioned officers, Corporal Hanks, died yesterday morning after a long illness,” Thomas wrote to his father in June of 1862. “There was something sad in our comrade’s dying alone so far from home and loved ones, to be buried in these nameless woods—while the mighty march of events passed on and over his forgotten grave” (53). Furthermore, their commentary on the south illuminates the drastic sectional differences that eventually served to tear the nation apart. “This country could be made the Paradise of the south,” William wrote from Athens, Alabama, in May 1864, “the soil is very fertile, and the water very plenty for digging thirty feet” (223). Despite a captivation with the land, the people and the institution of slavery weighed heavily on the brothers. Diverting from his discussion of the agricultural potential of Athens, William moved into a more serious analysis of the southerners he encountered. “[Frederick Law] Olmsted’s Book of travel in the south don’t give you any Idea of Life as it has been here,” he wrote. He noted that behind the beauty and prosperity, “the whip cracked on the Backs of the toilers and the chains clanked on their limbs . . . so we needed this war, and God sent it, and surely it will end Right, for he will assuredly not cease until it is well done” (223).

As it stands, Brother of Mine is an impressive collection of personal correspondence, which justly deserves the attention Hampton Smith has given it. The editor did an excellent job of providing historical detail when necessary while allowing the documents to provide the true narrative. However, although Smith has given considerable attention to the editing of the actual letters, one wonders why he relied solely upon his introduction to provide the historical context for this collection. The chapters, broken down by date, would have benefitted from a brief discussion of their place within the broader war. Nevertheless, this collection is an excellent addition to the larger discourse on the experiences of the common soldier during the Civil War and enhances our understanding of the perspectives of the soldiers who served in the western theater of the war.