James W. King - Conspicuous gallantry : the Civil War and Reconstruction letters of James W. King, 11th Michigan Volunteer Infantry

CONSPICUOUS GALLANTRY

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Conspicuous Gallantry: The Civil War and Reconstruction Letters of James W. King, 11th Michigan Volunteer Infantry

Edited by Eric R. Faust

THE CIVIL WAR AND
RECONSTRUCTION LETTERS OF
JAMES W. KING,
11TH MICHIGAN VOLUNTEER
INFANTRY

Edited by Eric R. Faust

The Kent State University Press

Kent, Ohio

Material from the James W. King Collection appears courtesy of Western Michigan University Archives and Regional History Collections. Material from the Benjamin F. Bornder papers, the James Martin letters, the Wells Family papers, and the Anson De Puy Van Buren papers appear courtesy of the Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan

2015 by The Kent State University Press, Kent, Ohio 44242

All rights reserved

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 2014049078

ISBN 978-1-60635-243-4

Manufactured in the United States of America

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

King, James W., 18421903.

Conspicuous gallantry : the Civil War and Reconstruction letters of James W. King, 11th
Michigan Volunteer Infantry / edited by Eric R. Faust.

pages cm. (Civil War in the North)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-60635-243-4 (hardcover : alkaline paper)

1. King, James W., 18421903Correspondence.

2. United States. Army. Michigan Infantry Regiment, 11th (18611864)

3. SoldiersMichiganCorrespondence.

4. MichiganHistoryCivil War, 18611865Personal narratives.

5. United StatesHistoryCivil War, 18611865Personal narratives.

6. United StatesHistoryCivil War, 18611865Regimental histories.

7. Cotton farmersSouthern StatesCorrespondence.

8. Reconstruction (U.S. history, 18651877)TennesseeSources.

9. Reconstruction (U.S. history, 18651877)AlabamaSources.

10. Newspaper editorsMichiganCorrespondence.

I. Faust, Eric R., 1971 II. Title.

E514.511TH .K56 2015

973.7'474dc23

2014049078

19 18 17 16 15 5 4 3 2 1

And now you have before you one of the most startling episodes of the war; I cannot render it in words; dictionaries are beggarly things. But I may tell you they did not storm that mountain as you would think. They dash out a little way, and then slacken; they creep up, hand over hand, loading and firing, and wavering and halting, from the first line of works to the second; they burst into a charge with a cheer, and go over it. Sheets of flame baptize them; plunging shot tear away comrades on left and right; it is no longer shoulder to shoulder; it is God for us all! Under tree trunks, among rocks, stumbling over the dead, struggling with the living; facing the steady fire of eight thousand infantry poured down upon their heads as if it were the old historic curse from heaven, they wrestle with the Ridge. Ten, fifteen, twenty minutes go by like a reluctant century. The batteries roll like a drum; between the second and last lines of rebel works is the torrid zone of the battle; the hill sways up like a wall before them at an angle of forty-five degrees, but our brave mountaineers are clambering steadily onupupward still! You may think it strange, but I would not have recalled those men if I could. They would have lifted you, as they did me, in full view of the heroic grandeur; they seemed to be spurning the dull earth under their feet, and going up to do Homeric battle with the greater gods.

Journalist Benjamin Franklin Taylor,
eyewitness to the Battle of Missionary Ridge

The process of writing this book has ranked among the most rewarding undertakings of my life. This was a journey I could never have completed alone, and numerous people have earned my heartfelt gratitude for helping me along the way.

First, thanks to Sharon Carlson and the entire staff at Western Michigan University Archives and Regional History Collections for allowing me the opportunity and honor of publishing the James W. King Collection.

Next, I would like to recognize everyone at Kent State University Press for making the entire publishing process a pleasure. I am particularly indebted to Joyce Harrison, who recognized the merit in these letters at a time when the manuscript was at best a diamond in the rough. Without her support and encouragement, this project might never have seen the light of day.

Brian Craig Miller and Timothy J. Orr pored over the text and offered meticulous feedback and invaluable suggestions for improvement. Both of these gentlemen perceived value and significance in this letter collection from angles I had not even considered. Thank you both for enabling me to do justice to the topic. Copyeditor Margery Tippie was a pleasure to work with as well and saved me from numerous potential embarrassments. Any remaining errors and omissions are solely my responsibility.