Cavalry units from Midwestern states remain largely absent from
Civil War literature, and what little has been written largely
overlooks the individual men who served. The Fifth Illinois Cavalry
has thus remained obscure despite participating in some of the most
important campaigns in Arkansas and Mississippi. In this pioneering
examination of that understudied regiment, Rhonda M. Kohl offers
the only modern, comprehensive analysis of a southern Illinois
regiment during the Civil War and combines well-documented military
history with a cultural analysis of the men who served in the Fifth
Illinois. The regiment's history unfolds around major events in the
Western Theater from 1861 to September 1865, including campaigns at
Helena, Vicksburg, Jackson, and Meridian, as well as numerous
little-known skirmishes. Although they were led almost exclusively
by Northern-born Republicans, the majority of the soldiers in the
Fifth Illinois remained Democrats. As Kohl demonstrates, politics,
economics, education, social values, and racism separated the line
officers from the common soldiers, and the internal friction caused
by these cultural disparities led to poor leadership, low morale,
disciplinary problems, and rampant alcoholism. The narrative pulls
the Fifth Illinois out of historical oblivion, elucidating the
highs and lows of the soldiers' service as well as their changing
attitudes toward war goals, religion, liberty, commanding generals,
Copperheads, and alcoholism. By reconstructing the cultural context
of Fifth Illinois soldiers, Prairie Boys Go to War reveals how
social and economic traditions can shape the wartime experience.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!