Cozzens - This terrible sound: the battle of Chickamauga

W HERE so many have been helpful, it is hard to adequately express my gratitude. One of the most pleasant aspects of writing a book of this sort is the contact it brings with professional librarians and archivists. I would like to thank several who went out of their way to help me locate manuscript items. They are Anne B. Shepherd of the Cincinnati Historical Society; Catherine Kidd of the Greene County District Library, Xenia, Ohio; Linda McCurdy of the William R. Perkins Library, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina; Ruby Shields of the Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul; Martha Clevenger of the Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis; Wendy Greenwood of the Ohio Historical Society, Columbus; Herbert Hartsook of the South Caroliniana Library, University of South Carolina, Columbia; Ann Alley of the Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville; and Julia Hodges of the Howard-Tilton Memorial Library, Tulane University, New Orleans. James Ogden III, Historian at the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, not only directed me to manuscript sources at the park library but shared his extensive knowledge of the campaign with me.

I am also very grateful to Carley Robison, the archivist of Knox College, Galesburg, Illinois, for her kind assistance in providing me with photocopies of materials from the fine Ray D. Smith Civil War Collection.

My special thanks go to Paul Yon, Ann Bowers, Steve Charter, and Marilyn Levinson of the Center for Archival Collections of Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio. They are true professionals who are refreshingly enthusiastic about their collections, and with good reason. The center's William P. Sullivan Collection of Twenty-first Ohio Papers represents the finest grouping of letters anywhere pertaining to the Battle of Chickamauga. The acting regimental commander during the battle, Major Arnold McMahan, devoted much time in his later years to gathering evidence pertaining to the regiment's role on the second day of the battle. In so doing, he corresponded with numerous officers and enlisted men, North and South. I recommend this collection to anyone interested in the fighting on Horseshoe Ridge.

I would also like to thank several other individuals for their assistance. Charles Van Adder of Forked River, New Jersey, graciously provided me with information pertaining to Captain John Sloan of Wood's Confederate Brigade, as well as other materials from his private library. Laurence Strayer of Dayton, Ohio, made available to me the correspondence of Dr. J. T. Woods, historian of the Ninety-sixth Ohio, from his extensive personal collection of materials pertaining to Ohio's participation in the war. Richard Sauers of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, made available that portion of his exhaustive hand-written index of the National Tribune pertaining to the Chickamauga Campaign. Dr. Sauers's index is an invaluable tool that merits publication. Sharon Miller of Ravenna, Michigan, provided information she had gathered on soldiers from the area of Muskegon, Michigan, who served at Chickamauga. Adrienne Hanrahan of Oak Park, Illinois, brought to my attention the letters of Colonel Silas Miller. Robert Younger, the owner of Morningside Press in Dayton, Ohio, made available to me materials from his library pertaining to Ohio units at the battle. My gratitude also goes to Dan Weinberg, proprietor of the Abraham Lincoln Book Shop, Chicago, who helped me first get into print.

I am especially indebted to Kenneth Bandy of Beloit, Ohio, a true gentleman and a friend. Few can claim a greater understanding of Chickamauga, and certainly no one has a deeper appreciation of the suffering and sacrifice that occurred there. Ken shared his knowledge openhandedly throughout my writing of This Terrible Sound. He read the manuscript as well, and I deeply appreciate his suggestions and comments.

I would also like to express my gratitude to James Bier of Champaign, Illinois, for the fine battle maps, which add immeasurably to the book, and to my editor, Carol Bolton Betts, with whom it is a great pleasure to work.

To my friend Keith Rocco of Downers Grove, Illinois, sincere thanks for providing the evocative sketches that appear in this book and for a great painting for its jacket.

To my wife, Dee Ann, my warmest thanks for her gentle support and patience while I wrote the manuscript.

A final note: In referring to places on the battlefield, I've tried whenever possible in the text to retain a contemporary flavor. Thus, Snodgrass Hill is treated as the Snodgrass hill, Dyer Field as the Dyer field, and so on. Before 19 September 1863, no one had any cause to honor them with proper names.