Here's just three sample reviews of this fine text and outstanding 2by3' map... "Following his book, The Story The Soldier's Wouldn't Tell, about sex during the Civil War, Tom Lowry focuses here on a ... small area of central Washington, DC during the Civil War. Close to the heart of government lay this hot bed of vice and prostitution, catering largely to the military. Fascinating reading." John Bancroft, M.D., Director, Kinsey Institute, Indiana University "With this book on the bordellos of Washington, D.C., during the Civil War, Lowry has presented insights into a previously neglected aspect of the great conflict, which touched not only active-duty soldiers but also long-retired veterans. The usual description of 1861-1865 Washington portrays muddy roads, confusion, and men hurrying along the streets. Now we know where ... some of them were going!" Jack D. Welsh, M.D., Author of Medical Histories of Union Generals "A concise, open-minded, and lucid look at the vice district of Mr. Lincoln's City, where even the pressure of war could not change the hierarchies of power and the ordering of class, of race, and of gender. This is a scholar's illuminating look at the difficult questions about America's future which emerged in those sin-sodden streets. Future studies of this neglected subject will have a difficult time matching Dr. Tom Lowry's compassion, coherence, and class." Benedict R. Maryniak, President, Buffalo Civil War Round Tabl

A concise, open-minded, and lucid look at the vice district of Mr. Lincoln's City, where even the pressure of war could not change the hierarchies of power and the ordering of class, of race, and of gender. This is a scholar's illuminating look at the difficult questions about America's future which emerged in those sin-sodded streets. Future studies of this neglected subject will have a difficult time matching Dr. Tom Lowry's compassion, coherence, and class. Benedict R. Maryniak, President, Buffalo, Civil War Round Tabl

Tom Lowry has done it again! With this book on the Bordellos of Washington, D.C., during the Civil War, he has presented insights into a previously neglected aspect of the great conflict, which touched not only active-duty soldiers but also long-retired veterans. The usual description of 1861-1865 Washington portrays muddy roads, confusion, and men hurrying along the streets. Now we know where at least some of them were going! This book will interest not only Civil War buffs, but also present-day Washingtonians interested in the past of their city. An excellent map shows the location of more than sixty houses of ill-fame, and tables contain official U.S. Government ratings of their quality. Every Civil War enthusiast headed for our nation's capital must pack a copy of this book, along with the usual contemporary guides. Jack D. Welsh, M.D., Author of Medical Histories of Union Generals

Dr. Lowry's latest in a series of excellent books represents an edited version of the diary of Dr. William Marvel Smith, Surgeon of the 85th New York Volunteer Infantry (85th NYVI). Readers of this book will get a glimpse of the very private thoughts of a civilian doctor-turned-army surgeon doing the best he can to care for his men, while struggling with personal problems at home and in camp.

William M. Smith was born in New Jersey, the son of a practicing physician, and moved to southwestern New York State at an early age. After attending local schools until his mid-teens, he apprenticed himself to a local physician and studied medicine at Castleton College in Vermont.

He opened his own practice, and after some gaining some experience and success, Smith began to involve himself in local politics. He rose from being a local county supervisor, to election to the State Assembly, and finally as delegate to the 1860 Republican Convention in Chicago, where he cast a vote for the nomination of Abraham Lincoln.

Parallel with this success was tragedy: Smith's first wife died four years after the birth of their son, and his second wife died only months after the birth of another. In September 1861, Smith helped raise a company of the 85th NYVI and marched off to war, leaving behind his two sons and a new fiancée. The diary covers his service from June 1862 through May 1863, with entries for nearly every day.

Readers, perhaps lured by the title, should not expect a detailed treatise of the minutiae of battlefield medicine. After active participation in the Peninsula and Seven Days campaigns, Smith and the 85th spent most of their time "behind the lines" in Virginia and North Carolina. Indeed, many of the diary entries are simple recounting of daily sick calls or hospital visits. Still, there is plenty to satisfy the medical enthusiast.

The diary reveals that Dr. Smith had an excellent intuition regarding the dangers inherent in camping in the Virginia swamps. It was Smith's official report that finally convinced the brigade commander to allow the regiment to move to higher, and healthier, ground. An entry later in the diary, detailing an amputation procedure, shows that Smith was a capable surgeon as well. Other entries confirm the prevalence of venereal disease, especially among officers.

During his service, Dr. Smith was given the opportunity to appear before the Army Medical Examining Board in Washington, DC, to take a five-day test for promotion to a higher rank. The entire written part of the examination is reproduced in one of the appendices. Smith's detailed answers to the anatomical, medicinal, and surgical questions, provides an excellent perspective of the "knowledge bank" of a Civil War-era surgeon.
Dr. Smith had plenty on his mind above and beyond his medical duties. Indeed, Lowry contends that the diarist was fighting several "wars" at the same time: conflicts with officers in the regiment, struggles with political enemies at home, agony over leaving his young boys, and doubts about the fidelity of his fiancée; all compounded by idleness and loneliness when the regiment is not active in the field. These personal "battles" make for reading every bit as interesting as poignant as a combat diary.

Smith resigned from the service in mid-1863, returned home to marry his fiancée, and reopened his medical practice. His good reputation earned him the appointment of Surgeon General of the State of New York in 1872. In 1880 he was named the health officer of the Port of New York, a position he held for a dozen years. With more than a half million immigrants flooding the port each year, many disease-ridden, it was a position of immense responsibility. Smith earned praise for his work, a job made even harder by the scheming of politicians.

Dr. Lowry, best known for his own interesting and original works, such as The Story the Soldiers Wouldn't Tell and Tarnished Eagles, has proven himself to be an adept editor. He is at his best when goes beyond merely providing geographical or biographical references to names and places in the diary. As an experienced clinical psychiatrist, he is uniquely qualified to evaluate Smith's emotional and psychological state throughout the narrative. He is not afraid to chide the diarist when he is uncharitable, or diagnose morose entries as symptoms of depression.

In the humble opinion of this reviewer, the book does suffer a few faults. Though the maps are generally well drawn, one entitled "The Siege of Washington, NC" shows the general theater of operations, but no siege lines, making interpretation of the narrative more difficult than need be.

The nearly two-dozen photographs are well chosen, especially those of officers mentioned in the diary, although some of the captions result in confusion (one caption introduces an incident that does not occur for another hundred pages). A photograph or two of actual diary pages would have helped to personalize the narrative even more.

The book is somewhat "end-heavy" with six appendices, only a few of which add substantively to the narrative (for example, several pages are devoted to detailed descriptions of each transport ship and gunboat mentioned in the diary). Nevertheless, these distractions are minor, and do not detract from the narrative itself or from this reviewer's hearty recommendation.

In a history of the 85th NYVI, a writer noted that the day Dr. Smith left the regiment, the men all felt they were losing a "royally good man." Fortunately, Dr. Tom Lowry has brought Dr. Smith's story to light by writing a "royally good" book.

Swamp Doctor is filled with tidbits of Civil War life in 1862-63. Here is a 36-year-old doctor from Western New york, already twiced widowed and two young sons at home with live-in caregivers. Dr.Smith is regimental surgeon for a while, then goes home for a while to check on his boys and court his third wife, and returns to the often slow-paced War of the Rebellion. Surgeon Smith is a captivating storyteller and once you get the vision of life in camp and at home, it is hard to put the book down. Author Lowry has enriched the story with historical events, which adds to the relevance of Dr. Smith's experiences. If you have a passion for the Civil War, or are interested in what it was like being a surgeon in the swamps of Virginia and North Carolina, or just enjoy good non-fiction reading, Swamp Doctor is a book for you.

This is my candidate for Civil War book of the year. Dr. Lowry, perhaps the most accomplished researcher in the field, has published a series of books on the period, all of which are worthwhile, but this time he's done something a bit different. Publishing, for the first time, the Civil War diary of a regimental surgeon, Lowry has shown admirable restraint in adding only the introductory and bridge material (as well as the best footnotes I've ever seen) necessary for all readers to follow the flow of events in the context of the greater war. Surgeon William M. Smith, having lost his first diary during the initial fighting on the Peninsula, began another in time to capture the frustrations and confusion of the first great struggle for Richmond; thereafter, his regiment was posted to the Carolinas, an under-studied, but fascinating theater of war. The diary's value lies in its straightforward readability, as well as in its frankness. Dr. Smith worries over the loyalty of a fiancee left behind in New York, and wrestles with his religious beliefs; he observes rarely-reported battles and skirmishes, such as the inconclusive operations on the Virginia-Carolina line in 1862, then the subsequent forays from New Bern. In between, the reader gets the best account I've seen of the routines of camp life, of daily behavior in occupied territory, of how officers amused themselves (reading Les Miserables, for one thing), and even what room and board cost in the low country. The political nonsense that penetrated even the lowest levels of both armies is there, along with a rich variety of personalities, from selfless patriots to drunks and whoremongers. Throughout, I felt as if I were seeing the real Civil War at last, not some historian's vision through a high-powered telescope. As trite as it is to say this, I could not put it down. This well-written, understated book offers an incomparable window into the times, and I, for one, am grateful to Dr. Lowry for making this diary available to the rest of us. Very highly recommended!

As the authors quite rightly put, this was the prelude to Pearl Harbor. The Italian Navy was stationed at this harbor and posed a threat to British sea routes to Egypt, India, Singapore, and Australia. A daring attack by 21 aircraft from a British aircraft carrier damaged three Italian battleships and put them out of action for six to nine months. Since they were in a heavily protected shallow harbor, it was indeed a daring attack, which the Japanese copied to place the American Pacific fleet out of action. The Japanese attack was on a much larger scale.
One of the authors was a member of the attack group, and he gives his own account in the battle.
This is a nice little read. The book is short and has plenty of photos. A determined reader could finish this book in two to three hours. Taranto was indeed the prelude the Pearl Harbor, but now few people realize this. With Lowry's perspective, this is good book about the Second World War.

This is the story of how a small force of obsolete British Swordfish torpedo planes flew into Taranto harbor, surprised the Italian fleet, and sank three battleships. The attack force consisted of about twenty torpedo bombers which flew from a single British carrier in the Mediterranian sea. Although this book is short, the author does a good job of explaining the events leading up to the attack, and how this small force managed to take the Italians complelely by surprise. Furthermore, the Japanese used this attack as a model for their Pearl Harbor operation. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Pearl Harbor. The similarities between the two attacks are uncanny.

On November 11, 1940, a British aircraft carrier launched its torpedo bombers on a sneak attack on the Italian fleet anchored in the heavily defended port of Taranto. The Italian fleet was heavily damaged, and its morale was shaken. Among those examining the attack was Japanese admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, who had similar plans of his own...

This short book examines the attack on Taranto, all the while showing how that attack influenced the later attack on Pearl Harbor. Along the way, the author treats the reader to a history of aircraft carriers, torpedoes, the Italian and Japanese navies, and just about everything pertinent to a full understanding of the two attacks. After the Taranto chapters, there is another examining the attack on Pearl Harbor and the Battle of Midway. The eight(!) appendices cover such topics as British naval aviation, the raid on Bomba, Libya, the names of the British flight crews at Taranto, and much more.

This book is very well done indeed! The author takes a World War 2 episode that is largely overlooked in many history books, examines it in depth, and makes the whole thing fascinating to read. My one complaint against the book is that it contains only one map, a map of the port of Taranto. However, the book does include a number of great black-and-white pictures that really add to the text. Overall, I would call this a great book, one worth your time to read!

Dr. Lowry has added some color to the realm of Civil War History with his two books, Sex in the Civil War, and Tarnished Eagles. Lowry does a great job in picking out the interesting cases that also represent a good cross section of Civil War Justice. I heartily enjoyed this work. I'm not too sure of just how scholarly this is, but it certainly makes the soldiers appear much more human.

Far too many writers addressing the Civil War are guilty of childish romanticism. While that tremendous conflict certainly had its noble heroes and ample demonstrations of courage and self-sacrifice, any war--or human crisis of any sort--has its cowards and fools, its liars, thieves and rogues. This fine, factual book serves as a much-needed (and highly readable) balance to pulp fiction and pulp history heroics. It tells the stories of some of the officers who went wrong, either from deficiency of character or circumstance. In doing so, it enriches our understanding and visceral sense of the Civil War in ways that the next dozen adulatory biographies of mediocre generals will not. While I am a long-time fan of co-author William C. Davis, Dr. Lowry deserves special praise for his continuing literary efforts to describe the dramas and tragedies around, between and, sometimes, in the great battles. As a former soldier who served a full career, I can guarantee any reader that this book shows soldiers as more than a few of them really are--not gallantly charging the enemy, but energetically looking after themselves. While this book concentrates on some of the darker aspects of the war, those aspects are exactly the ones that are lacking in too much of what passes as history or historical literature. I would also recommend any of Lowry's or Davis's other superb Civil War books.

To me the book was written very well but their seemed to be something missing. I enjoyed reading about the accounts and mishappenings of the doctors and reading about how their court hearings went but in the same breath it would also have been much more appealing to me if the author would have given more detail about the actual war. However though thats just my opinion and it is still a good book.

This is an excellent book for the Civil War medical reenactor. It traces the court marshals of Union Doctors for various offenses. The Authors not only provide the facts of the case but commentary as to the validity of the case against the specific doctor. Their search of the court cases during the Civil War provide new insights into the difficulties of the Union Doctors in caring for not only the wounded and sick of their own regiments but that of others. Many times the situations were out of the hands of the doctor that caused their downfall. Very readable in about 3-4 hours, it provides a perspective not provided by any other book to date. The authors' research and organization of the cases are to be complemented. I own over 200 books on Civil War medicine, this one is a must for the serious medical reader of the age.

The research into this book is incredible. The stories of the court martials is enjoyable reading, though at times the stories become repetitive (thus the 4 stars and not 5). Lincoln the compassionate president is examined carefully through these court martial cases and in the final chapter. The final chapter, is a great look at Lincoln and his place in history.

I'm awarding one star for the title, one star for the subject and one for effort. My problem is I become impatient with an author who leaves me with more questions than answers.

As a young girl, I loved history. Unfortunately, every time I asked an earthy question such as what did women do for their personal needs or what were houses of ill repute, I was snarled at, lied to or just ignored. My knee jerk reaction has been to search for truthful answers to *all* my questions about the past especially in the realm of human nature.

Naturally when I saw The Story the Soldiers Wouldn't Tell, I immediately grabbed it. Unfortunately, while the book had excellent moments and the prose is good, it was over-all a disappointment. Dr. Lowry successfully titillated, but unsuccessfully answered the titillating questions he brought up.

For instance Dr. Lowry sites a lot of data concerning a variety of sexual dilemmas such as rape, venereal disease and prostitution. I am keenly interested in both learning and understanding these offenses particularly within the context of the Civil War. In my opinion however, his efforts were weak and lacked even a cursory analysis.

In the area of rape for instance, he provided the nitty gritty of several reported episodes and subsequent trials. Yet he never touched on the army's attitude towards these crimes or the prevailing cultural climate. The stories were left treading water in mid-stream. Did a 'boys will be boys' environment condone rape? How did the ordinary soldier feel about this crime against women? Were the women blamed as having somehow invited attack? If rape was as rare as he suggests, why? Even if Dr. Lowry couldn't solve these mysteries, I would have appreciated his acknowledgement that the questions exist.

The same was true when he discussed venereal diseases. He reported the horrific devastation and some of the customary remedies, but never indicated whether any of the unpronounceable potions had any medicinal value. It seems to me as both a medical and psychiatric doctor; he is uniquely equipped to provide a cogent explanation of these curatives. Was there any prevention? Did any of the medicines work? How did loved ones treat the men? Did they take their diseases back home? How did the army deal with this pervasive problem?

I am not sorry I purchased or read the book, only disappointed it wasn't as professional and complete as I had hoped.

All of the other reviewers are correct. This is a fine book with a few holes...but...where, I ask you, are the books on this subject matter that we can compare? There are, simply out, none. And in that vein, I am very impressed. My advice? Buy it, and read slowly...savor the details and the lucid writing. Hear, in your mind, Dr. Lowry reading this to you across a coffee table or a campfire. Marvelous writing that really speaks! And remember, read slowly - this is the only book of it's kind.

Now, the REAL VALUE here is not as a civil war reference (and I find useless those trivia bugs who dwell on which way the wind blew at 4:45am on the first day of Bull Run). This is not the point, nor the issue.

Please understand that Dr. Lowry has illustrated, in a way that can be deduced by the wise reader, the sexual mores of the United States for the last 200 years. What he has done is show that our conservative fear of sex in the last 50 years, like the drug wars, is completely irrational and not at all in keeping with our national history and ethnic makeup.

Dr. Lowry has produced a telling record that shows that we are not the prim and proper Americans that we pretend to be as we decry teen sex, homosexuality and AIDS.

This is a book to buy and share. 'Please Sir, can I have some more?'

I've read many books on the Civil War, but this is one of the best. Lowry does an incredible job digging up the seamy side of the war and presenting it in unflinching fashion. Yet at the same time, he views this stuff with a detached and nonjudgmental eye, and with gentle humor as well. Lowry often picks up where Bell Irvin Wiley left off in his wonderful "Life of Johnny Reb" and "Life of Billy Yank." Where Wiley tiptoed away from certain subjects (he was writing in the '40s, after all), giving the reader only a titillating tidbit followed by a footnote telling us we could find the information at some faraway library, Lowry seems to have gone and looked up that information for us, and presented it in all its glory. A notable example of this is the poem about collecting urine in the South for making gunpowder. Wiley only told us the poem existed; but Lowry prints it, and it's a howler! If you want to go on believing that all the Civil War soldiers were pure as the driven snow, this is probably not the book for you. But if you like your history fascinating warts and all, buy this book!

Highly overrated. Very disappointing and just a waste of money. Useful material for lining the bottom of the birdcage.