Description
Book SynopsisPresents a collection of letters and documents that offers a glimpse into a young officer's interesting but short life. This book features the relationships between the headstrong John Rodgers Meigs and his family and friends; his eagerness to please his demanding parents; his West Point experiences; and his life as a combatant in the Civil War.
Trade Review"In this 19th-century era of formality in communication, even in the most close-knit families, there is an air of informality and playfulness in the letters published here, which strikes the reader and refreshing and heartwarming. . . . For anyone interested in life at West Point during the war or about everyday life in the field, this is a fine book."--
Civil War News"Editor Giunta is to be commended for bringing the letters and official documents to publication. She offers a careful analysis of the controversial killing of Meigs. . . . Her efforts have produced a fine book on a notable Civil War family."--
Blue & Gray Magazine"Anyone seeking information on wartime West Point, army engineers, or Montgomery Meigs and his family cannot afford to miss this attractive volume."--
North & South"This book provides a solid documentary portrait of the life and death of Major John Rodgers Meigs. . . . Giunta has drawn her sources from an array of manuscript collections at the Library of Congress, the National Archives, and West Point. This book is therefore a useful source for immediate access to these scattered materials, and, through welcome translation of numerous letters and journal entries from the original Pitman shorthand used by father and son, Giunta renders many documents readable to nonspecialists for the first time. . . . This book provides an intimate view of this prominent family's wartime service and sacrifice."--
Journal of Southern History"This collection will appeal to historians of nineteenth-century family relations and those interested in the cadet experience at West Point."--
Civil War History"Mary Giunta's research into the life of Lt. John Rodgers Meigs has been meticulous and far-reaching in its scope and depth. The promise and the tragedy of this young man's life and early death are brought forth with care, understanding, and vividness in this worthwhile addition to our expanding knowledge of the great American maelstrom we call the Civil War."--John L. Heatwole, author of
The Burning: Sheridan's Devastation of the Shenandoah Valley
