In 1861; Francis Moore appeared to be a perfectly ordinary; twenty-three year old man: a carriagemaker in the bustling Mississippi River town of Quincy; Illinois. And there he might well have lived out his life in unadventurous comfort. But then the Civil War burst out; and Moore; along with most of his friends; like young men North and South; rushed to enlist in the army. His cavalry regiment soon set off for what proved to be four years of warfare; plunging him into harrowing experiences of battle that would have been unimaginable back in his small hometown and that uprooted him; body and soul; for the remainder of his life. Enter The Story of My Campaign; the remarkable Civil War memoir of Captain Francis T. Moore; which historian Thomas Bahde here offers in an original edition to contemporary readers for the first time. Moore began the war as a private in Company L of the Second Illinois Volunteer Cavalry; and was soon promoted to lieutenant and then captain of his company. He spent most of the war fighting guerillas in Missouri; Kentucky; Tennessee; Mississippi; and Louisiana. He fought at the battle of Belmont; Kentucky; in 1861 and raided Mississippi with General Benjamin Grierson in 1864. He also battled Confederate leaders; such as Nathan Bedford Forrest and Leonidas Polk. His unflinching chronicle of small-scale and irregular warfare; combined with his intimate account of military life; make his memoir as absorbing as it is historically valuable. Moore was also an unusually articulate young man with strong opinions about the war; the preservation of the Union; the institution of slavery; African Americans; the people of the South; and the Confederacy: his wartime observations and his postwar reflections on these themes provide not only a captivating narrative; they also provide readers with an opportunity to examine how the conflict endured in the memory of its veterans and the nation they served. The enormous social upheaval and staggering loss of human life during the Civil War cannot be overstated: the estimated 2 percent of Americans— or 620;000 people—who died in the conflict would be the equivalent of 6;000;000 people today. The Story of My Campaign offers an indelible account of this conflagration from the perspective of one of its survivors. It is evidence of a hard war fought—and the long hard life that followed.
#909600 in Books 1995-08-15Ingredients: Example IngredientsOriginal language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.98 x .73 x 6.04l; 1.00 #File Name: 0874517281283 pages
Review
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Solid; terse; and informative writingBy M GBremer tackled a lot in his examination of the internal and external factors that shaped the Bible commonwealths; as well as the legacy they left behind. This is not an easy topic to carry; because it takes a lot of insight into and practical knowledge of Protestantism to get accurately depict and explain Puritan thinking and living during the 17th; 18th; and 19th centuries. Fortunately; Bremer seems to have that. Moreover; he successfully pulls off a review of a long period of history without making his chronicle disjointed or leaving the reader confused about the causes of important philosophical; political; and ecclesiastical transitions. More importantly; he doesn't get bogged down in nominal events or figures in Puritan society. Bremer sticks to the major themes; characters; and events in the movement and explains them in depth.I have only a couple of critiques. At times; Bremer does not provide enough analysis on major events towards the end of the book; like his chapter on the influence of the Enlightenment. Also; he sometimes sums up chapters to fast after introducing a lot figures and events. In addition; Bremer does not necessarily chronicle the Puritan movement in sequential order; He jumps around a lot; which at rare moments; is confusing. Lastly; I feel as if Bremer somewhat trivializes the influence that Protestantism; more specifically Calvinism; had on the Enlightenment by choosing to conclude his book by focusing only on the Enlightenment's influence on Puritan society without coming full circle to get at its deeper roots. I feel like he makes it seems as if the Enlightenment was a secular movement that had the profound effect of further liberalizing Puritan society. This is one of a handful of instances where I think Bremer puts a modern spin or modern liberal; political tilt to the development of Puritan society and the legacy it would leave for the founding fathers. However; Bremer's survey of the era does not go so far as to address in detail the Puritan legacy; so this comment is more my perception as to where his synthesis was developing.This book is a must read for anyone looking to really get a clear view of what Puritan life was like; its purpose; and its failures. Certainly; this book is well written and easy to read; and I would say it is the best way to go for a first read into the subject.16 of 16 people found the following review helpful. Very good introduction (4.5 *s)By J. GrattanThe Puritans of late 16th century England could not abide the traditional and passive religious practices of the Church of England as dictated and performed by its clergy and bureaucracy. For them religion was all consuming and demanding not only within churches but in day-to-day lives. As Calvinists they could only hope to atone for the condition of man as deserving of damnation by leading godly-inspired lives. It was in fact such determination and need that led the Puritans to overcome tremendously difficult circumstances to establish hoped-for exemplary religious communities in New England beginning in the early 17th century.The evolution and subtle religious differences of those New England communities and the greater ramifications of such are the focus of the author. The systems of governance are also closely examined especially in terms of enforcing the religious standards of the communities. The Massachusetts Bay community established in 1630 garners the most attention; although Connecticut; New Haven; Plymouth; and Rhode Island are well covered. The author's narrative continues through the Great Awakening of the 1740s.Most of the male residents of the colonies participated in selecting government officials; but more so to reinforce legitimacy than as an expression of democracy. Leaders were deferred to; not challenged. The New England Puritans were for the most part Congregationalists which permitted churches much leeway in their religious practice. However; there were core religious tenets of the Puritans which had to be subscribed to; such as the concept of predestination. Initially; persistence in deviant views led to punishments and/or banishment from a colony. Later; more profound challenges to Puritanism; such as that by the Quakers; actually led to executions. Gradually; over the course of the century; Puritan religious practices broadened in response to events and dissenting views - for example; the practice of baptism. The calls for liberty that resounded in revolutionary America seem to have little precedent in Puritan New England.The author shows in some detail how the political turmoil in 17th century England; especially the restoration of Charles II and the Glorious Revolution of 1688; impacted the Puritan colonies primarily in terms of changes in religious emphasis and the shape of governance including shifts in the standing of colonial charters. The amicable relations that the Puritans had with the natives of the region for several decades completely deteriorated with King Philip's War of 1675-76. Thereafter; racist views began to predominate.Despite its relative brevity; the book covers a lot of ground concerning the first one hundred years of the history of New England. Many of the leading citizens of the era are identified. Without being a religious tract; the book is strongest in describing the basics of Puritanism; its different strains; and its controversies. The book much like the Puritans starts to run out of steam at the turn of the century; but is nonetheless a very good introduction to Puritanism and the Puritans.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Great bookBy SudweeksExcellent resource for understanding puritans and the establishment of New England
