Brothers `Til Death: the Civil War Letters of William, Thomas, and Maggie Jones, 1861-1865.

Edited by Richard M. Trimble. (Macon, Ga.: Mercer University Press, 2000. Pp. [xxiv], 173. $35.00, ISBN 0-86554-698-3.)

Brothers `Til Death can be added to the long list of published soldiers' letters. Besides the Jones siblings, this book contains many letters from John Cottrell (who was courting Maggie) and others who were from the same area of New Jersey. All of them survived the war, although Thomas lost his right arm at Fort Wagner.

The letters are preceded by photographs and map sketches (mostly done by the editor), which would be more useful if they had been placed with the appropriate chapter. There are five chronological chapters, each with an introduction. While these provide a general context for the letters, there is rarely any connection to the actual documents that follow. Readers familiar with the general history of the war can proceed directly to the letters.

The letters reveal much that is expected. In September 1861 William writes that "the boys are all well and hearty" (p. 8). As early as June 1862 Thomas notes that "the Rebels are nearly played out and ... the war is nearly over" (p. 25). Both Thomas and William expressed their anger over emancipation and the dismissal of General McClellan. In 1862 there is pride in battle. By 1864 William writes that he hopes to stay in the rear if he can. There are expressions of loneliness, battle weariness, and resentment of those who avoided service. Surprisingly, however, there is not a single complaint about their officers.

Scholars should be reluctant to use this book. There is no description of the collection or even a statement as to the number of letters in it. The reader has no idea about what criteria were applied in the selection. I was especially troubled when editor Trimble decided not to use many of William's letters in chapter 5 because they "bec[a]me more cynical and sarcastic" (p. 125)--is this a proper ground for omission? There are other problems. The editor had his students at Manasquan High School and Brookdale Community College work on the documents. They were told to correct spelling but not syntax. Some editing of the syntax was done by the editor and "further `cleaning up' was done by the typists" (p. 159), but there is no indication where such changes were made. The bibliography is woefully thin, and there was far too great a reliance on the official regimental history.

Professor Trimble is to be commended for having his students work with primary sources. A student can get a flavor of the life of some soldiers in the Civil War by perusing these letters. The historian, however, will have to rely on more scholarly compilations.

LESTER BALTIMORE
Adelphi University