Review by Choice Review
Lyftogt, a lecturer at the University of Northern Iowa, which evolved from the Cedar Falls orphanage established for children of Civil War soldiers, presents a detailed history of the Civil War regiments drawn from that community. His study is quite different from Warren Wilkinson's Mother, May You Never See the Sights I Have Seen (Ch, Jul'90), a Massachusetts regimental history. Lyftogt's much briefer monograph covers the formation of the Iowa regiments and their role on the battlefields of Shiloh, Vicksburg, Chattanooga, Atlanta, and in the march through Georgia, but the work is too much a compilation of facts that often fails to present a good story. Each campaign is accompanied by a map to aid in the reading of this work, but none has any other value. The logistics are essentially clear. Lack of primary resources may be the reason for the absence of real depth to the stories told, many of which seem to be fillers, and/or to be irrelevant to the history. For most Iowa libraries and those with comprehensive collections of regimental histories. All levels. N. J. Hervey; Luther College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
