To Battle for God and the Right : The Civil War Letterbooks of Emerson Opdycke

Emerson Opdycke, a lieutenant with the 41st Ohio Infantry and later a commander of the 125th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, won fame at the Battle of Franklin when his brigade saved the Union Army from defeat. He also played pivotal roles in some of the major battles of the western theater, including Chickamauga, Chattanooga, and Missionary Ridge. Opdycke's wartime letters to his wife, Lucy, offer the immediacy of the action as it unfolded and provide a glimpse into the day-to-day life of a soldier. Viewing the conflict with the South as a battle between the rights of states and loyalty to the Union, his letters reveal his dislike of slavery, devotion to the Union, disdain for military ineptitude, and opinions of combat strategies and high-ranking officers. A thorough introduction by editors Glenn V. Longacre and John E. Haas and a foreword by Peter Cozzens provide additional historical context and biographical information. "Emerson Opdycke, a lieutenant with the 41st Ohio Infantry and later a commander of the 125th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, played pivotal roles in some of the major battles of the western theater, including Chickamauga, Chattanooga, and Missionary Ridge. He won fame at the Battle of Franklin when his brigade saved the Union Army from defeat. Opdycke's letters to his wife, Lucy, offer the immediacy of the action as it unfolded and provide a glimpse into the day-to-day life of a soldier.". "Opdycke viewed the conflict with the South as a battle between the rights of states and loyalty to the Union. An opponent of slavery, he considered it an inherent evil and believed slaveowners had been corrupted by the very institution they sought to protect. His letters reveal his opinions of combat strategies and high-ranking officers, his devotion to the Union, and his disdain for military ineptitude. Behind the fiery temper and arrogance revealed in these letters shine concern for his family's welfare and a loving and intellectual relationip with Lucy."--BOOK JACKET. The wartime letters of Opdycke, a lieutenant with the 41st Ohio Infantry and later a commander of the 125th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, to his wife Lucy, reveal his views on slavery, the conflict between states' rights and loyalty to the Union, along with firsthand accounts of the fighting in the western theater, including the battles of Chickamauga, Chattanooga, Missionary Ridge, and Franklin Emerson Opdycke, a lieutenant with the 41st Ohio Infantry and later a commander of the 125th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. This book features Opdycke's wartime letters to his wife, Lucy, that provide a glimpse into the day-to-day life of a soldier. It reveals his dislike of slavery and disdain for military ineptitude. IN LATE SUMMER 1861, Emerson Opdycke and the other members of the fledgling Forty-first Ohio Volunteer Infantry were introduced to the rigors and discipline of military routine at Camp Wood in Cleveland. Edited By Glenn V. Longacre And John E. Haas ; Foreword By Peter Cozzens. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 313-319) And Index.