I came across the diary of John Quincy Adams Campbell while researching my dissertation at the Western Reserve Historical Society in Cleveland. In it I found a wealth of evidence that was useful to me as well as a lot of material that I knew other Civil War historians would find valuable. (Material from the diary informs, for example, For Cause and Comrades, James M. McPherson's prize-winning study of soldier motivation during the war.) For that reason, and because of its unusually lucid style, I decided to get the diary published. The Western Reserve Historical Society graciously extended permission to do so. My collaborator, Todd D. Miller, did the grunt work of actually transcribing the diary and also made research forays from Washington, D.C. to Newton, Iowa. Without Todd's invaluable assistance, The Union Must Stand would not have seen the light of day. I'm also grateful to Jennifer M. Siler, my long-suffering editor at the University of Tennessee Press, as well as Prof. Frank L. Byrne, Sr., editor of the Voices of the Civil War series of which The Union Must Stand is a part.

From the dust jacket:

Only rarely does a Civil War diarist combine detailed observations of events with an intelligent understanding of their significance. John Campbell, a newspaperman before the war, left such a legacy. A politically aware Union soldier with strong moral and abolitionist beliefs, Campbell recorded not only his own reflections on wartime matters but also those of his comrades and the southerners--soldiers, civilians, and slaves--that he encountered.

Campbell served in the Fifth Iowa Volunteer Infantry from 1861 to 1864. He participated in the war's major theaters and saw early action at Island No. 10, Iuka, and Corinth. His diary is especially valuable because he viewed the war as both a field-commissioned officer able to make intelligent combats about and as a former enlisted man with a feel for the soldier's life. He was present during Grant's campaign for Vicksburg and depicted the bloody failure of the May 22 storming of Confederate fortifications in unsparing terms. He then went on to fight at Chattanooga and took Gen. William T. Sherman to task for his poor leadership at Missionary Ridge.

The Union Must Stand contains more than Campbell's journal. Editors Mark Grimsley and Todd Miller have written an introduction that provides background and information and places the diary in the context of current debate over the ideological commitments of Civil War soldiers. An appendix reproduces fifteen of Campbell's letters to his hometown newspaper in which he shared his impressions of both war and slavery.

With its unique point of view, valuable insights into the conduct of various campaigns, and vivid depictions of some of Civil War combat ever set to paper, Campbell's diary offers both a wealth of new material for historians and exciting reading for enthusiasts. Combining a journalist's accuracy with a zealot's enthusiasm, it makes a forceful statement about why one man went to war.

Illustrated with twelve photographs or engravings and ten maps.

The Editors: Mark Grimsley is an associate professor of history at the Ohio State University and the author of The Hard Hand of War: Union Military Policy toward Southern Civilians, 1861-1865.

Todd D. Miller is a history teacher and an independent researcher for Time-Life Books' Civil War series. He lives in Ashland, Ohio.

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