profited from them but escaped the gallows. Author Walter E. Wilson, a retired Navy Captainand former head of U.S. Naval Intelligence operations in Europe, has authored numerousarticles and reviews.“THE CHICAGO BOARD of TRADE BATTERY in the CIVIL WAR”, by Dennis W. Belcher. McFarland& Company, Inc., Publishers: 2022, 379 pages, 7”x 10”, softcover, $39.95. Visit,www.mcfarlandpub.com.In July 1862, the Chicago board of Trade used its influence to organize perhaps the mostprominent Union artillery unit in the Western Theater. Enlistees were Chicagoans, mainlyclerks. The battery was involved in 11 major Civil War battles, 26 minor battles and 42skirmishes. They held the center at Stones River, repulsing a furious Confederate attack. Theythen joined 50 other Union guns in stopping one of the most dramatic offensives in theWestern Theater. With Colonel Robert Minty’s cavalry, they resisted an overwhelming assaultalong the Chickamauga Creek. Author Dennis Belcher’s history chronicles the actions of theBoard of Trade Independent Light Artillery at the battles of Farmington, Dallas, Noonday Creek,Atlanta, in Kilpatrick’s Raid, and at Nashville, and Selma. Author Belcher has edited or authorednine books on the Civil War and has published in the “North & South Magazine”.“THE 117 th NEW YORK INFANTRY IN THE CIVIL WAR, A History and Roster”, by James S. Pula.McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers: 2023, 336 pages, 7”x 10”, softcover, $49.95. Visit,www.mcfarlandpub.com.James S. Pula, a professor emeritus of history at Purdue University Northwest, as well asauthor of innumerable books and scholarly articles, to say little about the numerousdistinguished awards, prizes, and Crosses, has provided one of the best unit histories of the CivilWar. And, what a story that history is. The troopers of the 117 th fought in the defense ofWashington in September of 1862 and concluded shooting in the Carolinas in April of 1865.They fought on the Virginia Peninsula in 1863, Cold Harbor and the Siege of Petersburg in 1864,and Fort Fisher and North Carolina when the war ended on Monday, April 10 th , 1865. So muchcan be said about author Pula’s mini masterpiece. In this humble reviewer’s opinion, hedeserves to stand shoulder to shoulder next to Shelby Foote. Those who confirm includeChristian B. Keller, professor of history, U.S. Army War College, “One of the most enthrallinghistories in the last two decades, sparkling detail, good history, and a crackling great story.”John Michael Priest, author of “Antietam: The Soldiers’ Battle”, echoes, “I thoroughly enjoyed itand believes this work fills a void in the history of the forgotten places in the war.” And, prize-winning Ralph Peters, author of “Cain at Gettysburg”, seems to sum it all up, “Magnificent . . . Icannot see how any regimental history could better portray the reality of the resilient, devoted
Union soldier than the book in your hand.”
