Civil War narratives tend to run like the documentary: an overview of the entire war, ending in 1865.

But that’s not the way anyone experienced the Civil War.

James Marten’s The Sixth Wisconsin and the Long Civil War: The Biography of a Regiment provides the account as advertised: to look at the war experience, and its aftereffects, through the lens of a singular regiment.

The author has chosen the Sixth Wisconsin, part of the “Iron Brigade” fame, at least in part because it was fairly well documented. He was able to access many journals of soldiers as well as hometown news reports and later pension applications to put together the story of who the soldiers were and what they experienced.

In this way the author is able to tell the story of how the Civil War was experienced by the Sixth Wisconsin, and he provides great detail about their enlistments, preparations, preliminary engagements, and some of their most harrowing experiences at Antietam and Gettysburg. He was able to well demonstrate how the heavy casualties taken at those battles really shattered the regiment; new soldiers would be added to the Sixth Wisconsin, and it would become even larger than before, but it was not exactly the “Iron Brigade” it had been.

The author was well able to demonstrate just how much suffering and death took place during the Civil War well apart from battles. We read of many soldiers dying of various conditions and illnesses without ever reaching the battlefields. We get to hear about the miserable camp experiences which often fostered said diseases. And then there are the stories of what soldiers experienced in prisoner of war camps.

The “long” aspect of the “long Civil War” gave voice to the reality of the effects of the war on its participants after the guns fell silent after Appomattox. The lingering health difficulties and challenges with employment and relationships are of course present, but also the frequent gatherings and number of associations of soldiers developed in order to maintain the kinds of connections and camaraderie engendered by their shared war experiences. By the end, the reader understands well why the author has profiled Rufus Dawes to a significant extent, for his life well embodied the experience of the “long” Civil War.

I approached this book with some personal interest since a last namesake ancestor was part of the Seventh Wisconsin; not exactly the same experience, but very similar, and part of the same “Iron Brigade.” But one does not need to have an ancestor in the Civil War to appreciate the individualization and personalization of the Civil War experience which the author facilitates in this work.

Follow the men and families of the 6th Wisconsin Regiment through the process of the Civil War with this intriguing and informative read from 1861 to 1864. Get an insight into the types of men who signed up for the war and those that were drafted towards its end. I especially was interested in what happened to the survivors and widows once the war ended. Did the men go home? How did they live with their injuries? Marten goes into depth on how hard it was to get pensions from the government at this time. People had to have documents when sometimes they didn't exist or if the soldier couldn't read.
In an interesting way, the author brings forth the struggles and times of these Wisconsinites. He goes into all aspects of a soldier's life and touches on hard times of those left behind. A fascinating read and one I recommend. Thank you Netgalley for this opportunity to read an advanced copy.

I thought this was a fantastic book. I loved how it focused on a smaller, lesser known part of the Civil War and connected it to the broader picture. I learned a lot from this book and I will be recommending this one too everyone. Thank you for the opportunity to read it early! Fantastic book!

Thanks to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the privilege of being offered to read this pre published book, views expressed are my own.
I believe the author James has taken over 8 years on this, dare I say, seminal work. Yes its a niche book which draws upon myriads of first hand documentation of the 6th Wisconsin that earned its title as part of the 'Iron Brigade' Union, very early on during the American Civil War 1861- 1865.
As an aside many Civil War regiments had nicknames such as "Swamphogs" 19th Indiana Infantry, "Mozart Regiment" 40th New York Infantry; with the Iornbrigade in my opinion holding a special place and achievements with other regiments very aware of its stalwart nature in battle.
This book does not just list the battles and skirmishes that the regiment took part in, no what James has meticulously done to document the social, the individual experiences, insights gleaned from a huge number of archival letters, reports and memoirs of those who fought and died during those 4 years of war. In 1890 RUFUS R. DAWP:S. wrote in his preface
"With the hope that I may contribute something of value for the history of one of the most faithful and gallant regiments in the army of the Union, the Sixth Wisconsin Volunteers, and with the especial object of preserving tor our children a record of personal experiences in the war, this book has been published."
James Marten has taken a huge leap and expanded on this drawing upon over a hundred plus years of gathered information and continued where Rufus left of - James does mention Rufus and draws from his book, there is a huge reference section and further reading offered. The 6th "Wisconsin and the long Civil War" is divided into specific chapters exploring the early days of volunteering for the regiment, sharing details who joined up, why some recruits were declined - never thought about it but you were exempt at joining if you had lost your two front teeth !! reason being you were unable to tear off the tops off cartridges. Chapters on first exposure to battle, casualties, statistics on origin, injuries and everything that you as a reader or historian would be interested in, skirmishes and details of the larger picture of war can be found elsewhere is strategic and tactical books.
I found it a huge log of information each 'bit' links to an individual even causing me an emotional moment or two as James account is so personal. There is so much in here it suits a dip and return many times and can very happily sit on your self to be picked up and delved into again and again. A wonderful dive into personal aspects of the 6th Wisconsin.

Vital addition to Civil War scholarship that takes previously used archives and presents a new perspective to America's most costly War. Using the sources of one regiment to create a macro history is a brilliant methodology for historians.