Behind Bayonets: The Civil War in Northern Ohio

by David D. Van Tassel, John Vacha

A valuable addition to the literature on Ohio and the Civil War Eminent Cleveland historian David Van Tassel had undertaken the challenge of writing an illustrated history of the Cleveland homefront during the Civil War. Unfortunately, he died in 2000 before completing his manuscript. Historian John Vacha completed the final chapters using notes, lists, and ideas that Van Tassel had gathered, and their efforts are presented in Behind Bayonets . Behind Bayonets focuses on Ohio’s substantial role in the Civil War. It is perhaps the only work that uses published and unpublished sources written by northeast Ohioans to comment on the causes, course, and purpose of the war. It does not provide an overview of battles, but it does address soldiers’ enlistments and early camp experiences, women’s experiences, public reactions to emancipation and the general political interest in the war, local business growth during the war, and Lincoln’s assassination and the funeral train’s stop in Cleveland. The authors use moving first-person commentaries and accounts to illustrate and explain these issues and situations. Additionally, the text is lavishly illustrated with rare photographs from the Western Reserve Historical Society’s archives. This regional perspective on the war is a noteworthy addition to Civil War literature, offering insight into what was going on at home while the war was being fought.

Genres: Civil War

136 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2006

Reviews

[Joseph]

I'll admit it...I was drawn to this book because of its local focus. Being from NE Ohio, I typically enjoy the few titles I find that are local history. The author(s) did a good job of telling about NE Ohio's Civil War experience. As good as the text was I actually enjoyed the photos just as much. Overall, a very good concise quick read.

[Karol]

For someone who lives in northeast Ohio, this was a fascinating look at the areas involvement in the Civil War. The author was a professor of history at Case Western Reserve University and his profound interest (and dare I say love) for the subject was apparent. While not "edge of your seat" reading, this book still held my interest from beginning to end by bringing to light the individual experiences of those involved in the war as well as those on the home front: men, women, white and black. An excellent history of the Civil War years in this area.