Melville and the visual arts Book

This book is part social history and part classic battlefield text. The authors discuss the origins and the regiments and motivations, including slavery, localism, and honor. The battle itself does not occur until nearly 200 pages into the book. The narrative of the battle is solid, although not as lively as Catton, Sears, or Daniel. I do applaud them for dealing with politics, strategy, and society. The battle itself was bloody, but one of the more indecisive engagements of the war; it merely kept Southern hopes of reclaiming Missouri alive, which were dashed at Pea Ridge. As such, discussing the communities that sent these men to war, and the importance of community, was a welcome departure from more classic battlefield accounts.