My Great Great Grandfather, Private Thomas Quinlan (who is on page 230 of this book)who fought under DeForest with the 12th Connecticut Volunteers, would have been proud of the way in which DeForest's written words immortalize the battles that they fought for future generations to understand just how brutal the Civil War battles were. DeForest describes the battles in such a way that the reader feels that they are there on the battlefield. This book is a "MUST HAVE" for any Civil War library/collection.

Professor Gary Scharnhorst has done readers interested in the American Civil War a great favor in his erudite and readable introduction to John De Forest's novel. One can only hope that for the next edition he will reduce by eighty or ninety percent the number of his Explanatory Notes which, if necessary for some under-educated undergraduates, will seem demeaning and at times inaccurate to educated Penguin readers. (Walter Scott's good Bailie Jarvie would have taken umbrage to see himself described as "a Scots weaver"!)

When I read "Miss Ravenel" several years ago, I did not fully appreciate it--now that I'm very much into The War, I have a new outlook. Yes, it's dated, and to modern readers, the dialogue at times is corny and silly (as is DeForest's hesitancy to be more explicit about certain sexual matters). To me,though, that's part of the charm, along with its Victorian sentimentality. It's too bad it was not appreciated when it was published in 1867. Anyone interested in The War needs to read this--and keep in mind the fact that I'm a blue-blooded Southern boy.

Very dry for fun reading but great for reports, etc. When I say dry I mean it won't be fun to read just for fun. I used it for a report on the Mashantucket Pequot tribe and although it didn't have anything in partcular on them it had things they may have done or do. I recomend it.