Despite its important role in the early years of the Civil War; the Army of the Ohio remains one of the least studied of all Union commands. With All for the Regiment; Gerald Prokopowicz deftly fills this surprising gap. He offers an engaging history of the army from its formation in 1861 to its costly triumph at Shiloh and its failure at Perryville in 1862.Prokopowicz shows how the amateur soldiers who formed the Army of the Ohio organized themselves into individual regiments of remarkable strength and cohesion. Successive commanders Robert Anderson; William T. Sherman; and Don Carlos Buell all failed to integrate those regiments into an effective organization; however. The result was a decentralized and elastic army that was easily disrupted and difficult to command--but also nearly impossible to destroy in combat. Exploring the army's behavior at minor engagements such as Rowlett's Station and Logan's Cross Roads; as well as major battles such as Shiloh and Perryville; Prokopowicz reveals how its regiment-oriented culture prevented the army from experiencing decisive results--either complete victory or catastrophic defeat--on the battlefield. Regimental solidarity was at once the Army of the Ohio's greatest strength; he argues; and its most dangerous vulnerability.
#3921015 in Books Louisiana State Univ Pr 2009-05-01 2009-05-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.60 x .90 x 5.60l; .88 #File Name: 080713418X208 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Insight Into the Fourth WisconsinBy Donna J. RunnelsMy great-great-great grandfather; Truman Parmelee; served in the Fourth Wisconsin Cavalry; his son; Franklin; served in the First Wisconsin Cavalry. Unfortunately after I bought this book; I found out his tale ends before Truman enlisted at age 38. However;it was still beneficial to read. The story starts at Camp Utley in my home town of Racine; Wisconsin. The story ends when General Paine is shot; and his leg is amputated. Halbert Paine is laugh-out-loud funny in some places. The last chapter consists of humorous anecdotes.General Paine came off as a very good person; not afraid to stand up against an order telling him to kick all the slaves inside out of the perimeter. He also objected to burning down a town because the citizens and slaves would be homeless.I knew that the Fourth had started as an infantry unit. This book gives what appears to be an overly simplistic explanation of how the Fourth became a cavalry unit. But it was more than I knew before.As an interesting aside; Truman sides in 1924 at the age of 98 on the day my mother was born.1 of 2 people found the following review helpful. I Came Away with A Great Deal of Respect for General PaineBy Richard L. HansonGeneral Paine's letters show him to be a highly literate and engaging man with a self-deprecating brand of humor that makes him all the more likeable. The most interesting events in the book center around General Paine's refusal to obey the orders of his immediate superior; General Williams; to allow slave-catchers to enter his lines to retrieve escaped slaves. His subsequent arrest for standing up for his beliefs show him to be a hero as well. This book is more than just a good primary source for the Louisiana campaign; it's an engaging read as well.1 of 2 people found the following review helpful. A personal view of the early Civil War on the MississippiBy Mark LongstrothThis short book is easy to follow. It is Paine's edited Diary. I found it easier to follow than A History of the 4th Wisconsin Infantry and Cavalry in the American Civil War; the unit that Paine commanded at the beginning of the campaign. The book added a fair amount to my understanding of the early campaigns in the Lower Mississippi. It gives a good picture of the motivations of a Yankee General who was in the Army not for personal gain but because he believed the cause (Union and the end of slavery) was right. For those interested in the Civil War in Louisiana; or frictions between occupier and the occupied; this would be a good book to read. Paine had lived in the area before the war and was familar with the people and locations. There are not a lot of graphics; a map of Louisiana on the front piece and half dozen figures in the middle of the book.
