Rating: 
Summary: The Dark Side of the Ledger
Review: Thomas P. Lowry, a physician with an interest in history, seeks to dispel the common perception that the American Civil War was fought by sublime marble figures on horseback. In large part he succeeds, but only by way of over-kill on the seemly side. Indeed, some readers may walk away from this book convinced that the War Between the States was fought entirely by drunken, insubordinate, gambling prostitute-chasers. The book consists of 17 short chapters, each covering a short topic that forms part of the author's tapestry. Chapters include topics such as officer misconduct, court martials, rape, VD and prostitution, all in relation to army units. The author does make some valid points here that are supported by documentary evidence, such as the high VD rates in the Union army that probably had an operational impact. While deaths from VD were not an immediate issue, up to 25% or more of soldiers in some units were debilitated. The units that were hardest hit by this disease were those that were stationed for prolonged periods of time near cities, rather than combat units in the field that had low rates. Although the evidence on the Southern side is weaker, apparently the Confederate army had lower VD rates since more of their forces remained in the field for longer periods. However, on most subjects the author's evidence is fragmentary, based on hospital returns and provost martial records. Other parts of this book are based on scraps of diaries, letters and other wartime bric-a-brac. At times the author is overly-salacious and tends toward gossipy assertions, such as President Lincoln's relationship with a former male law partner. Another chapter on religious scandals involves two chaplains and is not very germane to this account. Overall, historians might find this book interesting for shedding some light on the darker corners of the Civil War, particularly in reference to certain individuals such as Major General Judson Kilpatrick and Major General Joseph Hooker. Military readers might appreciate the information concerning the impact of disease on troop discipline and morale. However, the book is rather superficial and includes no appendices or supporting data. Some of the depiction of events, such as Daniel Sickle's role at Gettysburg is inaccurate, where the author claims, "in a few hours, half his corps was dead or wounded." In fact, Sickles' 3rd Corps suffered 35% losses in the entire three days at Gettysburg. Readers should treat other passages with equal circumspection.
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