The Civil War World of Herman Melville

Rating:
Summary: Aspects of Melville
Review: Stanton Garner details a day by day chronology of Melville's activities during the Civil War and links them to Melville's first published book of poetry, _Battle Pieces: Aspects of the War_. Garner's prose is elegant, his sources are thoroughly documented, and his insights into Melville's art are incisive and illuminating. Readers interested in the Civil War may find much of interest pertaining to daily life in northern communities, but this book is not about the War as much as it is about Melville and _Battle Pieces_.

_Battle Pieces_ has been dismissed by some critics as a collection of poorly executed war poems by a failed writer past his prime, but Garner shows us how Melville exercises his prodigious creative talent to build a literary work unlike any contemporary product in the style of its poems and in its substantive treatment of a complex subject. By placing the poems in their historic context and linking them to the family's political views (conservative Democrats disposed toward support of the McClellan candidacy etc.), we gain insight into many otherwise hidden associations.

Garner's chronology begins with Melville's 1859 voyage to San Francisco aboard his brother's ship _The Meteor_ and continues until just after the publication of _Battle Pieces_ in 1866. Among the more interesting episodes is Melville's visit to the front during the late winter of 1864 to see his cousin, Lt. Henry Gansevoort. This leads to an evening's audience with General Grant, where we imagine Melville gaining valuable material for his work. The next day, he joins an expedition of troops scouting for Moseby's men during which he is directly exposed to the dangers of war.

Some prospective readers may be tempted to wait for the publication of Hershel Parker's second volume of _Herman Melville: A Biography_. Parker's work, written in much the same style, will have the benefit of Parker's decades of experience updating the Melville Log, so we can expect additional biographical detail. But Garner's insights into Melville's literary work give _Civil War Years_ enduring value worthy of a separate volume.

While Garner provides pertinent excerpts of Melville's poems as he discusses them, readers will want a copy of _Battle Pieces_ near them as they read.