A Day-by-Day Chronicle of the Life of a Nation
Republished by Gramercy, 1998, 624 pp.
Review by Jim Gallen
Most Civil War books focus on a campaign, a battle, or an
important personality, but that is not the way a war is lived. War, as a part of life, is lived day-to-day on
many fronts: east, west, on the seas, and at home. It is lived day-to-day by
soldiers, by sailors, by politicians and by common citizens. And as indicated
by the title of his book, Robert Denney describes the events of the life of a
Nation during its greatest trial, day-by-day.
His book provides daily entries from January 1, 1861 to May 30, 1865 (although the Prologue provides a background of the main factors of the war). Each month begins with a short summary of the situation as it existed at the beginning and a brief explanation of the trends which played out during the month. He then treats us with day-by-day entries of multiple diarists interspersed throughout the book who describe the deeds of political, military and naval leaders amidst those of enlisted men and civilians.
Among the most frequently quoted are John S. Jackman of the
"Orphan Brigade," whose men could not return to their Kentucky homes,
and the 15th Illinois Volunteer Infantry’s Lucius Barber.
I have particular interest in Barber's entries because my
great-grandfather, Patrick R. Nealon, was a member of the same company of the
15th. Barber's entries gave me an
insight into Patrick’s war experience. I
often wondered if he was involved in any of the reported acts of bravery or
mischief. I was unaware that the men in the
15th were only held prisoner for 47 days, and that they did return to combat
after their parole. The story of their
participation in the Grand Review was another surprise to me.
Mr. Denny’s text is enhanced by photographs and maps from
the era and supplemented by a helpful index.
The Civil War Years is an excellent study of the popular history
of the Civil War as lived day-by-day that should be informational and enjoyable
for any student of the conflict.
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Jim Gallen is a St. Louis, Missouri attorney. He is Chairman of the Military History Club of the Missouri Athletic Club, a member of the St. Louis Civil War Roundtable (https://civilwarstlmo.org/), and member of the Ulysses S. Grant Camp of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War.