The Civil War from Chapel Hill Rare Books
The Civil War from Chapel Hill Rare Books.
By Michael Stillman
Though the last soldier to fight in this great war died half a century ago, it still rages on in the minds of collectors, historians, descendants, and all kinds of students of the war. "What ifs" abound for its many battles, so often won by the South despite daunting odds, though ultimately the South would fall to greater northern manpower and the indomitable will of its Commander in Chief. The Civil War is filled with stories of courage and honor, yet equally filled with tales of unspeakable horror. Chapel Hill Rare Books brings us back to this defining moment in U.S. history, when it was determined that the Union would stand but slavery would fall. Their latest catalogue, entitled Civil War, contains 375 items pertaining to the period when brother rose against brother, and much of a generation lay dead or maimed.
Chapel Hill is a North Carolina bookseller, so it should not be surprising that most of these items reflect the Confederate point of view. The majority are either books about Confederate leaders, soldiers, and their actions, or Confederate imprints. However, there are a few treatises from the northern side, and some from neither point of view. Whether you come from the North, South, or neither, if you remain fascinated by this enormous and deadly family dispute, as so many still do despite the passage of time, you will be fascinated by the collection Chapel Hill offers. Here is a quick look inside the catalogue.
Richard Taylor's Destruction and Reconstruction is generally considered one of the best memoirs of the Civil War, not to mention one of the more ironic. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant General in the ranks of the Confederacy, and was one of their more effective commanders in Louisiana and Alabama. His forces were the last east of the Mississippi to surrender, on May 8, 1865, a month after Lee threw in the towel. Taylor's memoir was published in 1879, the year he died, and covers his service in the war and post-war opposition to Reconstruction. The irony of Taylor's confederate career was that he was the son of President Zachary Taylor, who had pledged to personally lead troops against the South if it ever seceded, and would hang those who rebelled against the country with less reluctance than he had hanged deserters and spies while leading U.S. forces in the Mexican War. Richard chose to follow the path of his brother-in-law, Jefferson Davis, but it is a good thing Dad was not still around to discipline him after the South seceded! Item 251 is the rare first English edition, published the same year as the first American. Priced at $385.
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The Civil War from Chapel Hill Rare Books
Confederate General and presidential son Richard Taylor.
While Taylor continued to fight after Lee's surrender, Major General Bryan Grimes led the last of Lee's troops to continue the fight. Grimes' forces were still battling at Appomattox while Lee was reaching his agreement with Grant on the morning of April 9, 1865. Reportedly, when told of the surrender, he initially wanted to move his forces to join others in North Carolina still fighting the Union. However, he was convinced that this was not the wise choice, surrendered his troops and returned home, never to engage in politics again. Grimes was assassinated in 1880 as a result of a personal dispute. Item 179, by Henry London, was published in 1886 in memory of Grimes: Memorial Address on the Life and Services of Bryan Grimes... $300.
As long as we're on "lasts of," somewhere in here is the last Confederate imprint. It is not certain which book so qualifies, but it is believed to be one of these two. Item 354 has most often been called the last Confederate imprint. The book is Observations in the North: Eight Months in Prison and On Parole, by Edward Pollard. It is one of only three Confederate prison narratives published during the war. Reviewing the book on March 24, 1865, the Richmond Evening Courier stated that wide circulation of this book would give southern forces "abundant reason for brave resolution and unwavering hope in the eventual security of Confederate liberties..." Evidently circulation was not widespread enough as it was barely two week later that Lee surrendered. $1,150.
The other possible candidate for last Confederate imprint is Prisoner of War, or Five Months Among the Yankees...during an Enforced Summer Residence North, by Anthony Keiley. This is a second Confederate prison narrative, and Keiley was lucky that his enforced residence in Elmira, New York, occurred in the summer rather than winter. Elmira in winter is no place for a southern boy. Chapel Hill speculates that this book may be the last Confederate imprint as it is the scarcer, fewer copies having been distributed beyond Richmond before that city burned, but emphasizes there is no hard evidence to establish a priority between the two prison books. Item 333. $3,000.
Now for the lighter side of the Civil War. How do you find something humorous in this horrific war? Evidently, Confederate soldier A.C. McLeary was able to, and recounted these tales in Humorous Incidents of the Civil War. This book was published around 1903, so perhaps the worst memories had faded a bit by then. Give McLeary credit for finding a way to make people laugh. Commenting on his combat success, he says, "Well, I killed as many of them as they did of me." Item 191. $275.
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The Civil War from Chapel Hill Rare Books
Hard to find humor from the Civil War.
Here's a title that sounds a bit odd to me: "Our Women in the War." The Lives They Lived; The Deaths They Died. I have heard the expression "lives they lived" many times before, but "deaths they died?" That is just a very odd sounding expression. Anyway, this 1885 book is a compilation of memories from 79 Confederate women. Item 211. $250.
This unnamed southern author let his opinion of northerners be known in this 1863 book, The Confederate. By A South Carolinian. He explains, "The Southerner, descended from the Cavaliers of Europe, is of the superior race." On the other hand, "The Abolitionist of the North, sprung from the scum of England, of Scotland and of Ireland, bred in bigotry and intolerance, is the inferior race." Good thing this gentleman wasn't bred in "bigotry and intolerance." He must have learned it. Wasn't it this kind of thinking that got the South in hot water in the first place? Item 363. $2,250.
Now for equal time for the North, though this is not the typical northern book. Item 295 is McClellan: A Vindication of the Military Career of General George B. McClellan. Author James Campbell evidently saw something from the hindsight of 1916 that most of McClellan's contemporaries had missed. General George McClellan was the leader of Union troops dismissed by President Lincoln for his lack of battlefield success, who was similarly unsuccessful in his presidential run against Lincoln in 1864. $175.
Lest anyone forget what the Civil War was really like, we conclude with the Confederate Surgeon General's 1863 publication, A Manual of the Military Surgery Prepared for the Use of the Confederate States Army. This includes much information on treating battlefield injuries, including illustrated procedures for amputating hands, feet, arms and legs. For all the glory, this is what the war was like for those on the battleground. Item 367. $3,850.
Chapel Hill Rare Books is located online at www.chapelhillrarebooks.com, phone number 919-929-8351.
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