To Battle for God and the Right : The Civil War Letterbooks of Emerson Opdycke

by Opdycke, Emerson; Haas, John E.; Longacre, Glenn V.; Cozzens, Peter

• ISBN13: 9780252027741
• ISBN10: 0252027744
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2003-01-28
• Publisher: Univ of Illinois Pr

Summary

Emerson Opdycke, a lieutenant with the 41st Ohio Infantry and later a commander of the 125th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, won fame at the Battle of Franklin when his brigade saved the Union Army from defeat. He also played pivotal roles in some of the major battles of the western theater, including Chickamauga, Chattanooga, and Missionary Ridge. Opdycke's wartime letters to his wife, Lucy, offer the immediacy of the action as it unfolded and provide a glimpse into the day-to-day life of a soldier. Viewing the conflict with the South as a battle between the rights of states and loyalty to the Union, his letters reveal his dislike of slavery, devotion to the 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 foreword by Peter Cozzens provide additional historical context and biographical information.

Author Biography

 

Glenn V. Longacre is an archivist with the National Archives and Records Administration, Great Lakes Region, Chicago. John E. Haas is a reference archivist with the Ohio Historical Society, Archives/Library Division, Columbus.

Table of Contents

Foreword	ix
Peter Cozzens
Acknowledgments	xiii
Editorial Method	xvii
Introduction
``To Battle for God, and the Right''
August 31, 1861--February 13, 1862	1	(13)
``I Am Sick of Doing Nothing''
February 15, 1862--March 31, 1862	14	(12)
``On Ground Made Red''
April 12, 1862--April 29, 1862	26	(8)
``Halleck Out Witted''
May 12, 1862--August 10, 1862	34	(12)
``I Am Proud of the Regt.''
December 31, 1862--February 10, 1863	46	(8)
``A Very Pretty, Wealthy, Secesh Place''
February 14, 1863--June 23, 1863	54	(27)
``The Roads Are Awful''
June 29, 1863--September 21, 1863	81	(15)
``They Can Kill Us, but Never Whip Us''
September 21, 1863--September 30, 1863	96	(9)
``Cruel War''
October 1, 1863--October 25, 1863	105	(16)
``I Sacrificed My Personal Ambition''
October 28, 1863--November 28, 1863	121	(17)
``I Am Sick of Being under Potomac Generals''
November 29, 1863--January 25, 1864	138	(21)
``We Are in God's Hands''
March 31, 1864--May 3, 1864	159	(10)
``Under Fire''
May 5, 1864--June 9, 1864	169	(14)
``How Long Oh Lord How Long''
June 12, 1864--July 1, 1864	183	(9)
``In Sight of Atlanta''
July 4, 1864--August 3, 1864	192	(17)
``Such a Sea of Blood''
August 6, 1864--September 7, 1864	209	(13)
``An Important Captured City''
September 9, 1864--September 24, 1864	222	(7)
``Hood Is Making Desperate Efforts''
September 26, 1864--November 1, 1864	229	(12)
``Fight Whenever and Whereever You Think Best''
November 3, 1864--December 13, 1864	241	(18)
``Brilliant Victories''
December 17, 1864--January 6, 1865	259	(10)
``I Cannot Remain Away from You and the Boy Any Longer''
January 8, 1865--March 28, 1865	269	(13)
``Broken Limbs and Bleeding Hearts''
March 30, 1865--June 14, 1865	282	(15)
``Homeward Bound''
June 17, 1865--August 29, 1865	297	(10)
Appendixes	307	(6)
Bibliography	313	(8)
Index	321