The History Of The Fighting Fourteenth...14th Brooklyn State Militia..

Description

The History Of The Fighting Fourteenth...14th Brooklyn State Militia..."Red Legg Devils" by C.V.Tevis and D.R. Marquis, Baltimore 1993, 336 Pages, Photographs and Illustrations, Very Light Substance On Rear Cover, Regimental Roster, Hardbound in Light Blue Cloth, With No Dust Jacket As Issued.
This regimental history of the 14th Brooklyn(aka 84th NY Infantry) was produced by two reporters for the "Brooklyn Eagle" in 1911 when the regiment celebrated its 50th anniversary. It is hardly a definitive history since less than a third of the work covers their wartime service as a narrative. The middle portion of the book consists of poems, the stories of veterans, and official letters regarding the regiment, while the last section contains the regimental roster. I found that this history was often confusing, unclear, incomplete, and at times, inconsistent with other research. Despite these faults, it truly is a remarkable collection. Tevis and Marquis have included a great deal of primary source material in original form, such as official documents and letters from corps and division commanders, the colonel's account of Gettysburg, as well as the surviving portion of Col. Fowler's attempt to write the history of his beloved regiment. Anyone interested in Brooklyn's Civil War history will find this to be a revealing and enlightening read. However, it might also be helpful to investigate some more recent research. The 1994 reprint contains an impressive photographic supplement.