Overview

The insightful letters of a Harvard-educated staff officer's experience in the Army of the Potomac aCharles J. Mills, the scion of a wealthy, prominent Boston family, experienced a privileged upbringing and was educated at Harvard University. When the Civil War began, Mills, like many of his college classmates, sought to secure a commission in the army. After a year of unsuccessful attempts, Mills was appointed second lieutenant in the Second Massachusetts Infantry in August 1862; however, he was seriously wounded at Antietam a month later. Following a nearly yearlong recovery, Mills eventually reentered the service as a staff officer, although he remained physically disabled for the rest of his life. He was initially with the Ninth Corps during the Overland and Petersburg Campaigns and later at the Second Corps headquarters. During his time in the army, Mills served under seven different generals and witnessed some of the most intense fighting of the war. Mills's letters to his family offer enlightening insights about the Civil War in the East as seen from the perspective of an educated, impressionable, and opinionated Bostonian Brahmin. Compiled, edited, and privately published in a limited edition in 1982 by the late Gregory A. Coco, Through Blood and Fire did not achieve widespread attention and has been out of print for decades. This new edition of the Mills letters, extensively revised and edited by J. Gregory Acken, incorporates additional letters and source material and provides exhaustive annotations and analysis, revitalizing this important primary source for understanding a crucial era of our history.

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9781606354544

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Reviews

"""Few primary sources better inform us about the lives of Civil War soldiers than do their letters. .... With the recent publication of Through Blood and Fire in a ""revised and expanded edition,"" and expertly edited by J. Gregory Acken, bibliophiles now have an opportunity to finally read and own what is widely considered as one of the finest collections of published letters in existence."" —Emerging Civil War ""This second edition of Through Blood and Fire improves upon the original version by increasing reader understanding of the people, places, and events in Charles J. Mills' letters home. Taken as a whole, Through Blood and Fire is a worthy successor to Greg Coco's rare original and should be on the shelves of anyone interested in the Petersburg Campaign."" —The Siege of Petersburg Online ""In the many collections of Civil War letters published, those of Charlie Mills stand out. A line officer and, for much of the war, a staff officer, he had a unique perspective of the conflict. Greg Acken has done a superb job of editing and annotating Mills's letters and providing context."" —D. Scott Hartwig, author of To Antietam Creek: The Maryland Campaign of 1862 ""Charles G. Mills's observations about military affairs, Union commanders, northern politics, and other topics constitute a treasure trove of evidence to be savored by students of the conflict."" —Gary W. Gallagher, author of The Enduring Civil War: Reflections on the Great American Crisis ""Likeable, smart, articulate, and observant, Charles Mills left behind a written chronicle of an officer's life rarely exceeded in the literature of the Civil War—a close, vivid look at an army in the process of ultimate victory. Mills's Civil War letters are beautifully resurrected, edited, and annotated by Greg Acken and must become a standard source for anyone with an interest in the Army of the Potomac or the human experience of war."" —John Hennessy, retired National Park Service historian and author of Return to Bull Run: The Campaign and Battle of Second Manassas"

Author Information

J. Gregory Acken is an independent historian whose work has focused on telling the stories of Civil War soldiers through their letters, diaries, and memoirs. He is the editor of several books, including Inside the Army of the Potomac: The Civil War Experience of Captain Francis Adams Donaldson and Blue-Blooded Cavalryman: Captain William Brooke Rawle in the Army of the Potomac, May 1863–August 1865.

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