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Civil War Connections |
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Civil War Connections |
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By Robert D. and Cheryl J. Allen Published by Robert D. and Cheryl J. Allen |
Learn more about the contribution Macomb County, Michigan, made to the Union Cause during the American Civil War. In their new book "Macomb County Civil War Footprints", Bob and Cherie Allen identify six volunteer soldiers from Macomb County who served in Michigan units and their accomplishments during this conflict. The stories begin with the artist from Memphis and the carpenter from Armada who became cavalry sergeants and captured approximately 70 Confederate soldiers and their battle flag without firing a shot, progress through the carpenter from Armada who is widely credited with shooting Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart, then chronicle the prison experiences of the school teacher from Disco (Shelby Township) who became an infantry officer, highlight the career of the lawyer from Mt. Clemens who became the only Civil War general buried in Macomb County, and culminate with the military career of an 1812 soldier from Mt. Clemens who served his country into the beginning of the Civil War. In addition to an in-depth study of their military service, the reader will learn about these soldiers' lives before and after the war. To help tell the stories of these individuals, there are over 90 photographs included in the book. REVIEW: If you ask most students of Civil War history to name famous Michigan soldiers, you would be lucky to get one or two names -- George Custer for sure and maybe Israel Richardson or Moses Wisner. Then ask them to name someone from Macomb County and you would probably get no response. In this, their third book honoring Macomb County soldiers who fought in the War of the Rebellion, the Allens are making sure that we know what our local men did to help the United States during the war. These are stories of hometown heroes whose bravery often goes unnoticed in the larger and more general volumes writen about that era. The authors present for us the stories of six men and bring forth a depth of character and commitment representative of the over 90,000 Michigan men who served in the Union cause. The documentation in this work is outstanding and the extensive research, most often from primary sources, including pictures, maps, copies of pay records, pension records and regimental histories, helps to provide a better understanding of the men and their role in the war. This book would be an excellent choice for the library of both the serious student as well as the casual reader of Civil War history and is a must for any Michigan Civil War historian.
—Bill Grandstaff, Historian and Facilitator, Israel B. Richardson | |