Late to the Fight - (Conflicting Worlds: New Dimensions of the American Civil War) by Alexandre F Caillot (Hardcover)

About the Book

"In Late to the Fight, Alexandre F. Caillot explores the combat performance of the Union soldiers who filled newly raised regiments that fought through the Civil War's final year. Historians have typically regarded these late enlistees as substandard to those who signed on at the war's start. Using the experiences of the 17th Vermont and 31st Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiments to assess the record of late-arriving soldiers under fire, Caillot shows that these forgotten boys in blue left behind a record of valor and sacrifice essential to achieving the destruction of the Confederacy"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

In Late to the Fight, Alexandre F. Caillot explores the combat performance of the Union soldiers who filled newly raised regiments that fought through the Civil War's final year. Historians have typically regarded these late enlistees as substandard to those who signed on at the war's start. Using the experiences of the 17th Vermont and 31st Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiments to assess the record of late-arriving soldiers under fire, Caillot shows that these forgotten boys in blue left behind a record of valor and sacrifice essential to achieving the destruction of the Confederacy.

Review Quotes

"Caillot's well-written and meticulously-researched study assesses the combat performance of two US regiments who joined the Civil War in its final act, only to experience their baptism of fire in the Wilderness and the Petersburg campaign--among the bloodiest battles of the entire war. Ironically, their late enlistment, which included generous financial incentives, tainted these men as unpatriotic mercenaries. Caillot persuasively argues that these men's contribution allowed the Union Army to persevere during the dark days of 1864; only their sacrifices in the war's decisive last year allowed the United States to achieve its final victory."--Barbara A. Gannon, author of The Won Cause: Black and White Comradeship in the Grand Army of the Republic

"A splendid read. Caillot's insightful small-unit analysis succeeds in refuting the 'unsoldierly' reputation of those men who joined the Union army late in the war. Despite the mistrust of their veteran comrades, these soldiers bravely endured the test of combat in the final year of the war in the East."--Steven E. Sodergren, author of The Army of the Potomac in the Overland and Petersburg Campaigns: Union Soldiers and Trench Warfare, 1864-1865

"In a deft combination of social and operational military history, Caillot defies some of the Civil War's most enduring stereotypes. Usefully shifting our focus from why men fought to how they performed under fire, he recovers a remarkable tale of two federal regiments surmounting seemingly unthinkable challenges during the conflict's most punishing campaigns. Caillot scrubs the tarnish from the reputation of the Union's late-war enlistees. Methodologically rich and carefully argued, this is that rare book that challenges readers to rethink their conclusions--​as well as their questions."--Brian Matthew Jordan, Pulitzer Prize finalist for Marching Home: Union Veterans and Their Unending Civil War

"With great attention to detail and a focused effort to resurrect the story of two Union regiments raised for service late in the Civil War, Caillot has offered us a new take on an old subject. Late war men and the units they created deserve respect as effective military men and organizations, Caillot convincingly argues, as he deploys personal accounts, statistical analysis, and official reports to support this important study of late war men on campaign and in battle."--Earl J. Hess, author of Civil War Field Artillery: Promise and Performance on the Battlefield

About the Author

Alexandre F. Caillot holds a doctorate in history from Temple University.