Faith of the Fathers - by Robert J Miller (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Faith of the Fathers provides a captivating collective biography of the Catholic priests who served in America's most deadly war.

Faith of the Fathers brings to light the forgotten stories of courageous chaplains whose commitments to faith and to men at war during America's most divisive conflict have long been overlooked. The Reverend Robert J. Miller provides a comprehensive and compelling portrait of the 126 priest-chaplains who served during the Civil War and reflects on the importance of religion and faith in nineteenth-century America. As a culture of death and horror raged around them, Catholic priest-chaplains met the needs of soldiers and officers alike, providing years of faithful and dedicated service in hospitals, prisons, battlefields, and camps.

Whether ministering to Union or Confederate soldiers (or both), in eastern or western theaters, in battle or camp, these priests risked their lives to bring faith and hope to one of the darkest and most devastating periods of American history.

Review Quotes

"Faith of the Fathers is a valuable addition to scholarship on the chaplaincy, Civil War-era religion, and American Catholicism. . . . More than just recounting the story of men like Fathers Corby and Cooney, Robert J. Miller suitably carries on their inquisitive legacy." --The Civil War Monitor

"This was a fascinating read. . . . [Faith of the Fathers] helps expand the idea of what other people in the Civil War are doing beyond the infantrymen." --Civil War Digital Digest

"Faith of the Fathers . . . is an indispensable resource for those who also want the numbers--broken down by denomination, Union and Confederate, with ratios of chaplains to soldiers--and the history of early religious representation in the American military." --Military Heritage

"You do not have to know a thing about the Civil War to be awed and inspired by the incredible 126 priests you will meet in this book; from hearing confessions for hours, scrounging up wood to make an altar out in the field, or crawling out into an open battlefield to give solace to the dying regardless of what color their uniform was." --Angelus

About the Author

The Reverend Robert J. Miller is a retired Catholic priest, scholar, and former president of the Chicago Civil War Round Table. He is author of six books, including Both Prayed to the Same God: Religion and Faith in the American Civil War.

James M. McPherson is an American historian specializing in the American Civil War. He is the George Henry Davis '86 Professor Emeritus of United States History at Princeton University. He received the 1989 Pulitzer Prize for Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era.