General Halbert Eleazer Paine; commanding officer of the 4th Wisconsin Regiment of Volunteers; took part in most of the significant military actions in the lower Mississippi Valley during the Civil War. Nearly forty years after the conflict's end; Paine -- a former schoolteacher and attorney who would become a three-term congressman -- penned recollections of his wartime exploits; including his involvement in the Vicksburg campaign; the operations that resulted in the capture of New Orleans; the Battle of Baton Rouge; the Bayou Teche offensive; and the siege of Port Hudson. Now available for the first time; A Wisconsin Yankee in Confederate Bayou Country provides Paine's reflections and offer his excellent eyewitness account of the complexities of war.Paine describes in detail the antiguerrilla operations he coordinated in southern Louisiana and Mississippi and his role in the defense of Washington; D.C.; where he commanded a portion of the line during Confederate General Jubal Early's 1864 movement against the city. His experiences shed light on the daily struggle of the common solider and on the political and legal debates that dominated the times. In one striking episode; he describes his arrest for refusing to return to their masters fugitive slaves who entered his lines. He discusses the occupation of New Orleans and the relations between Federal soldiers and local slaves and provides definitive commentary on dramatic incidents such as the burning of Baton Rouge and the destruction of the ironclad ram C.S.S. Arkansas. A departure from most accounts by Union army veterans; Paine's story includes less celebration of the grand cause and greater analysis of the motives for his actions -- and their inherent contradictions. He sympathized with the many "contrabands" he encountered; for example; yet he callously dismissed a reliable servant for suggesting that the rebels fought well. Despite expressing kind feelings toward certain southern families; Paine all but condoned his troops' "excessive looting" of local homes and businesses; which he viewed as acceptable retribution for those who resisted Federal authority. After the war; Paine also served as commissioner of patents; championing innovations such as the introduction of typewriters into the Federal bureaucracy.With a useful introduction and annotations by noted historian Samuel C. Hyde; Jr.; A Wisconsin Yankee in Confederate Bayou Country reveals many of the subtle advantages enjoyed by the troops in blue; as well as the attitudes that led to behavior that left a violent legacy for generations.
#3238241 in Books Louisiana State University Press 1997-05-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.50 x .36 x 5.51l; .44 #File Name: 080712186X136 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Excellent scholarship and writingBy Marilyn F. PattersonExcellent scholarship and writing. Too bad most Americans today are too ignorant or brainwashed to take the truth to heart.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Interesting viewBy unemployed nmartistGood behind the scenes stories about the hardships loved ones had back home and how it affected the soldiers.5 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Homefront as the key...By Charles C. DiVincenti Jr.A collection of Mr. Ramsdell lectures; this modest sized account spotlights the problems within the Confederacy as a key to the eventual collapse of the CSA. Of interest is the fact that these ideas were first presented 50+ years ago; offering the reader a look back at the historical thought of the time (1937). Rather than dwell on now-tired themes of "big battles" or "the big man" approach; Ramsdell ponders the effect of the homefront as a key to failure of Southern Independence. With the families of the frontline soldiers suffering varying degrees of want; Ramsdell examines topics as varied as speculators; lack of salt (!); farms left unattended; and the Confederate monetary system as culprits in the demise of a unified Confederacy. Some charts; tables or such would have been helpful in presenting some of the information. Secondly; no sources or footnotes are offered!
