Two Germans in the Civil War: The Diary of John Daeuble and the Letters of Gottfried Rentschler, 6th Kentucky Volunteer Infantry.

Two Germans in the Civil War: The Diary of John Daeuble and the Letters of Gottfried Rentschler, 6th Kentucky Volunteer Infantry. Edited and translated by Joseph R. Reinhart. Voices of the Civil War. (Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 2004. Pp. xxxviii, 243. $32.00, ISBN 1-57233279-4.)

These documents represent an unusual collection. There are very few published diaries or letter collections that record the German experience in Union armies during the Civil War. Joseph R. Reinhart, an amateur historian, found only ten. Since roughly 200,000 Germans fought for the Union, Reinhart--who previously published a history on the Sixth Kentucky Volunteer Infantry--has obviously filled a significant gap. This book is a useful antidote for refuting stereotypes about German soldiers--especially the reputation for cowardice unjustly attached to them following the rout of Oliver O. Howard's corps at Chancellorsville in 1863.

Reinhart skillfully interweaves two primary sources, both of which were written in German. One is the diary of John Daeuble, a sergeant in the Sixth Kentucky. His diary begins in October 1862 and ends a day before his death in May 1864 near Pickett's Mill, Georgia. Before the war Daeuble, whose family had emigrated to Louisville during the 1850s, was a painter. As a soldier he fought at Shiloh, Stones River, Chickamauga, and Chattanooga.

Letters written by Gottfried Rentschler to a German-language newspaper, the Louisville Anzeiger, are the other source. Rentschler wrote the letters mainly to inform the German community in Louisville of events at the front. The letters began in November 1863; the last was dated August 30, 1864. Rentschler was a teacher before the war and was better educated than Daeuble. He served as a clerk in William B. Hazen's brigade.

The diary and letters are an interesting contrast. Daeuble's diary is laconic, understandable given his position in the army. Rentschler's letters are lively and are filled with gossip about various commanders, commentary on the low morals of the "secesh," and stories of heroic Unionists in East Tennessee. The letters demonstrate the breadth of Rentschler's education with frequent references to German history and literary classics, including Shakespeare's works.

One topic that both Daeuble and Rentschler stressed is the deprivations that afflicted Union soldiers in the western theater. General military histories make it clear that Confederate soldiers were often poorly clothed and fed, but understate similar conditions faced by Union soldiers in the west. Daeuble frequently referred to drawing quarter rations (mostly cornmeal) that had to last two days or longer. In late 1863 Daeuble also mentioned that men in his regiment were told to mend their shoes as best they could with sheepskin, although the men ignored that advice.

Reinhart edited these documents meticulously. He ran down every possible lead to identify places, buildings, and individuals mentioned in the diary and letters. There is even a footnote on the history of the Black Forest cuckoo clock that Rentschler referred to in one of his letters. The result is a book that is both entertaining and satisfying to read. It should be especially useful to students of Civil War military history.

University of Tennessee, Chattanooga

JAMES M. RUSSELL