AllOtsego.com: Narrative History At Its Finest

Narrative History At Its Finest

10/30/09

Narrative History At Its Finest

DOMINICK J. REISEN
BOOK REVIEW

In his just released book, "Upton’s Regulars: The 121st New York Infantry in the Civil War," Salvatore G. Cilella Jr. recounts the history of this unit which was formed in Otsego and Herkimer counties.
This is the first full scale history of this unit since Isaac Best’s history was released in the 1920s. However, unlike that earlier history, Cilella’s work is free from the self-congratulatory tenor of Best’s work. This new tome is narrative history at its finest.
Cilella opens his work with a review of Otsego and Herkimer counties in the 1860s; giving very brief overviews of the history and contemporary state of the region.
He then goes into a lengthy discussion of the raising and organization of the unit under Congressman Franchot. He exposes Franchot as an admirable organizer but incompetent military commander who was soon replaced by Charles H. Clark. Clark is characterized by Cilella as being "the forgotten commander," as indeed he has been in history. After this short interval Emory Upton, who hailed from Batavia, took command.
Upton receives steady and well-deserved praise throughout Cilella’s book. Under his command, the unit was welded into a disciplined fighting force with spectacular results at the battle of Rappahannock Station in 1863.
Before that pivotal battle, Cilella writes, "the boys from Upstate New York had witnessed the horrors of Antietem, participated in the debacle at Fredericksburg, been decimated at Salem Church, and suffered through a 500-mile round-trip march through Gettysburg."
That was all in its first year of existence.
One of the book’s noteworthy features is the way it blends military history political history, at the national, state, and county levels. Each battle pertinent to the history of the 121st New York Infantry is recounted in such detail as to satisfy the most demanding military historian.
Strategy of the military leaders is discussed as well as the results of their battle plans. Military mistakes and blunders as seen through the eyes of the men of the 121st are treated equally with the brilliant military successes.
Additionally, Cilella discusses politics to illustrate its effect on the troops in the field. As the Lincoln Administration changed its war aims from the salvation of the Union to the freeing of the slaves, the reader understands the sentiments of the men in this unit.
Their rejection of the idea of fighting to free slaves softens as they witness the desolation of Pennsylvania on their march into Virginia. John Kidder of Laurens is quoted as saying, "Since we returned to Virginia after the Battle of Gettysburg, the soldiers have all got to be abolitionists."
On the statewide level, the reader sees how the activities of the Peace Democrats and the Copperheads, the war opponents of the north, angered the men of the 121st. Several times Cilella quotes letters from these men as they reveal their hatred of these opponents.
He also shows their jubilation as the Peace Democrats lose the 1862 election in New York.
Particularly hated was New York Governor Horatio Seymour, who was perceived as hindering Lincoln’s prosecution of the war. All of these themes are echoed at the county level in the various newspapers which are also quoted repeatedly in the book.
In researching this book, Cilella, a graduate of the Cooperstown Graduate Program, utilized the extensive primary source material available, some of which he has collected. He made great use of the excellent research library at NYSHA.
However, he also relied heavily on the talents of the many local historians throughout Otsego and Herkimer counties who aided him with primary source material, images, and research leads. Indeed, at an informal discussion held at the NYSHA library, Mr. Cilella thanked many of these local historians for their invaluable assistance.
This monumental work is sure to be the standard history of the 121st New York Infantry for the foreseeable future.

Dominick J. Reisen is former president, Otsego County Historical Association, and author of "Middlefield and the Settling of the New York Frontier: A Case Study of Development in Central New York, 1790-1865."

Labels: 11-06-09, Book Review, Frontpage

posted by The Freeman's Journal @ 12:00 AM

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