The Bookworm: Nothing But Victory

Nothing But Victory: The Army of the Tennessee 1861-1865, by Steven E. Woodworth. 760 pages. Vintage Books. 2005.

Sherman found him that night, standing under the scant shelter of a tree, lantern in one hand, smoking a cigar. “Well, Grant,” Sherman quipped, “we’ve had the devil’s own day, haven’t we?”

“Yes,” Grant replied between puffs on his cigar. “Lick ‘em tomorrow, though.” (Page 188.)

To prepare for our trip to Shiloh, Bobblehead and I both read the first part of Nothing But Victory, a history of the Army of the Tennessee. The Tennessee, usually commanded by Ulysses S. Grant, was the first of two Union forces at Shiloh. (The other, the Army of the Ohio, arrived on the second day of battle to drive the Confederates back to Corinth.) Nothing But Victory provided much appreciated and enlightening background information regarding not only Shiloh but preceding battles and the leaders and soldiers of the Tennessee.

Named after the Tennessee River, which the army used for its initial campaigns in Kentucky and Tennessee, the Army of the Tennessee was totally comprised of what we now consider Midwesterners. (In the introduction, Woodworth explained that the current Midwest was considered the Northwest at the time of the Civil War. This was before most front range, Rocky Mountain, and western states had been admitted to the Union.) They were mostly from Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa. It also included a number of units from Missouri, though Missouri was kind of split during the war; many Missourians fought for the Confederacy, including Samuel Clemens.

Much as they did in the Army, Iowans played a pivotal role in the first part of the book. Along with the accounts of soldiers from elsewhere, Woodworth used the descriptions Iowans wrote in letters and diaries to give a personal touch to battles and military life. He quotes at least two soldiers from Iowa City and even begins the book with a DMR report of red snow falling in IC. The title itself is even lifted from a letter written by an Iowan, who told his wife they would settle for nothing but victory.

The first part covered everything from the initial enlistment drives to the aftermath of the Battle of Corinth. The book goes on to cover the army’s campaign in Central Mississippi and its drive through Atlanta to Columbia, South Carolina. Though Bobblehead and I were mostly interested in the account of Shiloh, every detail of the first months and year of the war was useful, especially for understanding Shiloh. Though it could use a number of maps to orient the reader, Nothing But Victory prepared us for our visit. As we toured the park, we basically knew what happened and where and could easily orient ourselves with the help of the information plaques and our map. The Sunken Road, the Hornet’s Nest, the Bloody Pond — all were locations we had read about. The same goes for points of interest in Corinth, though I had yet to finish Woodworth’s account of that battle. (I finished the last 10 pages or so yesterday.)

As informative as the book was, it did include a couple annoyances and blatant mistakes. For Bobblehead and I, Woodworth’s most egregious error was identifying Iowa City as the home of Upper Iowa University. Nice guess, but no. Iowa City is home to The University of Iowa, which, during the Civil War, was known as the State University of Iowa. UIU is located in Fayette, a fact I plan to tell Woodworth in an email. Also, during his account of the Battle of Shiloh, he mistakenly wrote about the wounding of Major General Lew Wallace. As it turns out, Lew Wallace was fine and well, and actually got lost on the first day and was no where near the battle. The General Wallace who was wounded at Shiloh and later died of his injuries was Will Wallace.

Frankly, I do not remember much about the Civil War and reading the rest of the book would be very beneficial during this anniversary era. However, I just do not feel like it; I will be returning it to Bobblehead. However, in time I may buy my own copy to finish it.