Brother Against Brother: The Lost Civil War Diary of Lt. Edmund Halsey

Contributing to a more nuanced understanding of the Civil War, Chadwick, a New York Daily News writer, offers a well-edited selection of the diaries and letters of Lt. Edmund Halsey of the Union army. Halsey was the son of a prominent family in Rockaway, N.J. He joined the Union army in 1862 over the vigorous objections of his father, and served as an officer in the 15th New Jersey until ill health and family obligations led to his resignation in December 1864. His older brother, a Virginia landowner, was an equally ardent Confederate, but that family rift was quickly mended after Appomattox. Halsey himself fought for principles--for preserving the Union and freeing the slaves--though he placed neither motivation higher than the other. He saw action with VI Corps at Chancellorsville, in the Wilderness and in the Shenandoah Valley, apologizing in one case for interrupting a letter because of overhead fire. He is most eloquent in describing war's commonplace miseries. He writes about body lice and ""soldier's cough,"" and about men keeping cartridges dry by putting them in their socks. He complains that ""it is so hard to get a girl,"" and worries about his prospects for civilian life. His words offer fascinating proof that the Civil War was fought by citizen-soldiers who regarded it as an interlude in their lives rather than as a justification for living. Chadwick's competent presentation of the context of Halsey's personal experiences enhances a work that will be welcomed by readers interested in the Civil War's human dimension. Photos not seen by PW. (May)