To Battle for God and the Right: The Civil War Letterbooks
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Opdycke, Emerson / Longacre, Glenn V. / Haas, John E., PUBLISHER: University of Illinois Press, Emerson Opdycke, a lieutenant with ong>theong> 41st Ohio Infantry and later a commander of ong>theong> 125th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, won fame at ong>theong> Battle of Franklin when his brigade saved ong>theong> Union Army from defeat. He also played pivotal roles in some of ong>theong> major battles of ong>theong> western ong>theong>ater, including Chickamauga, Chattanooga, and Missionary Ridge. Opdycke's wartime letters to his wife, Lucy, offer ong>theong> immediacy of ong>theong> action as it unfolded and provide a glimpse into ong>theong> day--to--day life of a soldier. Viewing ong>theong> conflict with ong>theong> South as a battle between ong>theong> rights of states and loyalty to ong>theong> Union, his letters reveal his dislike of slavery, devotion to ong>theong> Union, disdain for military ineptitude, and opinions of combat strategies and high-ranking officers. A thorough introduction by editors Glenn V. Longacre and John E. Haas and a preface by Peter Cozzens provide additional historical context and biographical information.