Reviews
Through meticulous scholarship and rare personal letters, photos, and documents, James B. Swan brings to life one of the Civil War's little-known Irish Legions. Swan's roster of the 90th Illinois and his annotated notes make Chicago's Irish Legion an invaluable resource."—Ellen Skerrett, editor of At the Crossroads: Old Saint Patrick's and the Chicago Irish, With Chicago's Irish Legion James B. Swan is offering more than just another history of an Irish regiment in the Union Army—this is an overlooked unit whose story provides great insights into the motivations and experiences of Civil War soldiers." —Susannah Ural Bruce, author of The Harp and the Eagle: Irish-American Volunteers and the Union Army, 1861–1865 , With Chicago's Irish Legion James B. Swan is offering more than just another history of an Irish regiment in the Union Army—this is an overlooked unit whose story provides great insights into the motivations and experiences of Civil War soldiers." —Susannah Ural Bruce, author of The Harp and the Eagle: Irish-American Volunteers and the Union Army, 1861--1865 , "Through meticulous scholarship and rare personal letters, photos, and documents, James B. Swan brings to life one of the Civil War's little-known Irish Legions. Swan's roster of the 90th Illinois and his annotated notes makeChicago's Irish Legionan invaluable resource."-Ellen Skerrett, editor ofAt the Crossroads: Old Saint Patrick's and the Chicago Irish, "Not as famous as some other units, the Irish Legion saw hard action at Missionary Ridge and the Atlanta Campaign, and marched with General William T. Sherman to the sea and the Carolinas. James B. Swan clearly and crisply recounts their memorable story, giving readers a fresh look at the Civil War in the west, and at the immigrant soldier experience." --Lesley J. Gordon, author of General George E. Pickett in Life and Legend, "With Chicago's Irish Legion James B. Swan is offering more than just another history of an Irish regiment in the Union Army--this is an overlooked unit whose story provides great insights into the motivations and experiences of Civil War soldiers." --Susannah Ural Bruce, author of The Harp and the Eagle: Irish-American Volunteers and the Union Army, 1861-1865, "WithChicago's Irish LegionJames B. Swan is offering more than just another history of an Irish regiment in the Union Army-this is an overlooked unit whose story provides great insights into the motivations and experiences of Civil War soldiers." -Susannah Ural Bruce, author ofThe Harp and the Eagle: Irish-American Volunteers and the Union Army, 18611865 , Not as famous as some other units, the Irish Legion saw hard action at Missionary Ridge and the Atlanta Campaign, and marched with General William T. Sherman to the sea and the Carolinas. James B. Swan clearly and crisply recounts their memorable story, giving readers a fresh look at the Civil War in the west, and at the immigrant soldier experience." —Lesley J. Gordon, author of General George E. Pickett in Life and Legend, "With Chicago's Irish Legion James B. Swan is offering more than just another history of an Irish regiment in the Union Army--this is an overlooked unit whose story provides great insights into the motivations and experiences of Civil War soldiers."-- Susannah Ural Bruce , author of The Harp and the Eagle: Irish-American Volunteers and the Union Army, 1861-1865 "Swan does credit to the regiment and to the field of Civil War historiography with this volume, the first comprehensive regimental history of the Irish Legion. Swan carefully details the regiment from the inside. . . . [and] appears to have used every available resource in compiling this regimental history. One gets the feeling that he is inside the regiment while reading this volume."-- Robert I. Girardi , The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society "In content and presentation, Swan's Chicago's Irish Legion is a fine regimental history of the 90th Illinois, a notable contribution to the military and ethnic Civil War literature."-- Civil War Books Authors "[Swan] is to be commended for giving readers as much information as possible on this interesting unit while keeping their story compelling and enjoyable. Highly recommended."-- Brett Schulte , TOCWOC - A Civil War Blog "This is well-researched, well-written piece of scholarship about the Irish-Catholic role in the Union cause. It will be of interest to-students studying the war, race relations, and immigration in the midnineteenth century."-- Terry Golway , American Catholic Studies "The 90th Illinois did not achieve the fame or glory of some other regiments on the field of battle, which is one of the reasons this book is so appealing. The absence of large-scale encounters for much of the history allows Swan to focus on the more mundane and everyday aspects of regimental life, often missing from other histories. . . . James Swan's book is more than simply a history of the battles in which the Irish Legion fought, it is a history of the war they experienced."-- Damian Shiels , Irish in the American Civil War, "Not as famous as some other units, the Irish Legion saw hard action at Missionary Ridge and the Atlanta Campaign, and marched with General William T. Sherman to the sea and the Carolinas. James B. Swan clearly and crisply recounts their memorable story, giving readers a fresh look at the Civil War in the west, and at the immigrant soldier experience." -Lesley J. Gordon, author ofGeneral George E. Pickett in Life and Legend, "With Chicago's Irish Legion James B. Swan is offering more than just another history of an Irish regiment in the Union Army--this is an overlooked unit whose story provides great insights into the motivations and experiences of Civil War soldiers." --Susannah Ural Bruce, author of The Harp and the Eagle: Irish-American Volunteers and the Union Army, 1861-1865 , "Not as famous as some other units, the Irish Legion saw hard action at Missionary Ridge and the Atlanta Campaign, and marched with General William T. Sherman to the sea and the Carolinas. James B. Swan clearly and crisply recounts their memorable story, giving readers a fresh look at the Civil War in the west, and at the immigrant soldier experience." --Lesley J. Gordon, author of General George E. Pickett in Life and Legend, "Through meticulous scholarship and rare personal letters, photos, and documents, James B. Swan brings to life one of the Civil War's little-known Irish Legions. Swan's roster of the 90th Illinois and his annotated notes make Chicago's Irish Legion an invaluable resource."--Ellen Skerrett, editor of At the Crossroads: Old Saint Patrick's and the Chicago Irish
