Commanding Boston's Irish Ninth: The Civil War Letters of Colonel Patrick R. Guiney, Ninth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry
by: Patrick R. Guiney (Author), Christian G

Hardcover. NY, Fordham University Press, 1st, 1997, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket. 280 pages. The Ninth Massachusetts Infantry, which saw duty with the Army of the Potomac, was composed primarily of Irish immigrants and their descendants who hailed from Boston. One officer, Patrick R. Guiney, eventually rose to command the regiment as a colonel prior to suffering a service-ending wound in 1864. He left a full record of his men's activities in his letters to his wife, Jeannette; the letters also reveal that Guiney's political views, which leaned toward Lincoln and the Republicans, were not shared by most of his fellow officers or men. Editor Samito has provided a rather detailed prolog and annotation for the letters, which tell us as much about Guiney as a husband as they do about matters at the front. Among the numerous collections of Civil War letters that appear in print, these are distinguished for the author's forthright discussion of political and military affairs. Clean copy.