The Day Dixie Died - The Battle of Atlanta

The 26th Ohio Veteran Volunteer Infantry: The Groundhog Regiment is the gripping story of the men and boys who valiantly fought to preserve their country's glory during the Civil War.  These brave souls were among the first to answer the Union's call to duty and among the last to be mustered home. They proudly adopted the nickname, "The Groundhog Regiment," as the rodent's agility and determination epitomized their strengths.  The Old 26th played a pivotal role in numerous major western theater campaigns and battles, from the early conflicts in western Virginia and Shiloh to the bloody fields of Stones River, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, Kennesaw, Spring Hill, Franklin, and Nashville.  After the war's end, the veterans yearned to write their regiment's history as so many other units had done. Regrettably, the high price of publishing proved to be too steep for the soldiers, and their dream of telling their story died with them.  The descendant of two veterans of the 26th Ohio, Jeffrey A. Hill resurrected their dream and brought it to fruition. Meticulously researched, this history is based on over three hundred primary source documents from the soldiers.  From the daily struggles of the privates to the internal anguish of Colonel Fyffe and the other senior commanders, the history offers an intriguing insight into the men who preserved the Union.  The book chronicles the involvement of the 26th Ohio from the initial fervor following Fort Sumter, throughout the War, and the post-war activities of the veterans. The appendices include an updated roster, list of burial sites, and a photo gallery.   The history is a lasting tribute to the men who so bravely fought to protect what they held most dear: their country. At long last, here is their story...

" Winner of the Seaborg Award A History Book Club Selection On October 8, 1862, Union and Confederate forces clashed near Perryville, Kentucky, in what would be the largest battle ever fought on Kentucky soil. The climax of a campaign that began two months before in northern Mississippi, Perryville came to be recognized as the high water mark of the western Confederacy. Some said the hard-fought battle, forever remembered by participants for its sheer savagery and for their commanders' confusion, was the worst battle of the war, losing the last chance to bring the Commonwealth into the Confederacy and leaving Kentucky firmly under Federal control. Although Gen. Braxton Bragg's Confederates won the day, Bragg soon retreated in the face of Gen. Don Carlos Buell's overwhelming numbers. Perryville: This Grand Havoc of Battle is the definitive account of this important conflict. While providing all the parry and thrust one might expect from an excellent battle narrative, the book also reflects the new trends in Civil War history in its concern for ordinary soldiers and civilians caught in the slaughterhouse. The last chapter, unique among Civil War battle narratives, even discusses the battle's veterans, their families, efforts to preserve the battlefield, and the many ways Americans have remembered and commemorated Perryville. Kenneth W. Noe holds the Draughon Chair in Southern History at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. He is the author of several books and articles.