Title: Behind the Guns: This History of Battery I, 2nd Regiment, Illinois Light Artillery
Abstract:Behind the Guns: The History of Battery I, 2nd Regiment, Illinois Light Artillery. By Thaddeus C. S. Brown, Samuel J. Murphy, and William G. Putney. Edited by Clyde C. Walton (Carbondale, Illinois: So...Behind the Guns: The History of Battery I, 2nd Regiment, Illinois Light Artillery. By Thaddeus C. S. Brown, Samuel J. Murphy, and William G. Putney. Edited by Clyde C. Walton (Carbondale, Illinois: Southern Illinois University Press, 2000 [1965]. Pp. xxvi, 180. Paper $14.95). Regimental histories of the Civil War have become very popular of late. These stories tend to replace the grand strategies, with their national maps and colored arrows sweeping back and forth, with the experiences of the common soldier. Behind the Guns tells the story of an Illinois artillery battery. The battery mustered into service on December 31, 1861, and served throughout the war in the west. It campaigned with General Halleck to Corinth, fought at Perryville, Chickamauga, and served with General Sherman through the Atlanta Campaign and the final phase of the war. This book allows the reader to view the war in the west on a smaller scale, through the eyes of the participants. More than a simple look at the soldier's world, this book also describes the experiences of the artillery. Of all the branches of military service, the artillery is the least represented through personal reminiscences, being eclipsed by histories of infantry and cavalry regiments. As mentioned in the introduction, only twenty of the 387 Illinois unit histories focus on the artillery. An explanation for this ratio comes from the fact that Illinois batteries only made up thirty-three of the state's 202 units that served during the war. Additionally, the manpower of the batteries was much smaller than those of other units. Yet, their small number is no reason to discount the achievements of the artillery. These men provided valuable and important support to the armies. As attested by this story, they faced the same rigors as the ordinary foot soldiers, as well as unique problems that plagued the artillery. To overlook their participation skews the history of the armies that fought this valiant struggle. The authors, three of Battery I's recruits, chronicle the history of the unit. Brown and Murphy wrote the story after the war using available sources. They reconstructed the history out of personal papers, official reports, and interviews. Then Putney, the battery's bugler, edited the manuscript and contributed a number of the anecdotes that weave through the tale. Their purpose was not to write a complete history of the battery, but to outline its experiences for those acquainted with the unit's participants and to provide them with an understanding of what the soldiers went through. …Read More
Publication Year: 2001
Publication Date: 2001-10-01
Language: en
Type: article
Access and Citation
AI Researcher Chatbot
Get quick answers to your questions about the article from our AI researcher chatbot