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Rating: 
Summary: Insightful, poignant, real
Review: I didn't think this book would mean so much to me but it did and I'm pleased. I am a mother, feminist, and yankee; certainly not a student or enthusiast of the Civil War. Somehow this book came to my attention and I read it at first out of boredom. But I could not put this book down. In feminist studies we say "the personal is political." Through the depiction of John Wampler, this book masterfully demonstrates that concept. Kundahl tracks this man's life in careful detail, from his uniform to his marching orders. Kundahl delves where other historians fear to tread; the homelife. It doesn't matter that he fought for the South or the North. It doesn't matter that he was an engineer rather than a foot soldier (although the description of 1800's engineering principles is fascinating.) Fundementally, John Wampler was a man, a husband, a son, a father who sacrificed everything for duty and maybe even just a sense of adventure. Kate Wampler demonstrates the concept of bravery as well. While John went off to war, she kept her family and community together. Very rarely does a historical text bother to address in such detail the effects of war on women and families. Perhaps the fact that Kundahl is related to this extraordinary woman serves as the impetus for that desicion. Perhaps we should all look to our family trees to find such matriarches. I would highly recommend this book. It reminds me of another excellent book entitled "Galileo's Daughter" by Dava Sobel. That book chronicals the life of Galileo through corrispondence with his daughter.
Rating: 
Summary: A Unique Voice
Review: Kundahl's biography of Morris Wampler is an excellent read! The story of Wampler's life and untimely death has an appeal for Civil War enthusiasts, for those interested in the development of the engineering profession, and for those who would like to learn about the life and times of an average citizen in a tumultuous period in American history. The material of the book has been gathered from Wampler's personal diaries and from the painstaking research of the author, who is Wampler's great, great grandson. The rich source material and Kundahl's deft handling of it give the reader the immediate experience of Wampler's life from his early education at the Mercer Academy to his work with the U.S. Coast Survey, an important scientific body that was mapping the Nation's expanding boundaries, and, finally, to his labor and ultimate sacrifice in support of the Confederate cause. Viewing the progress of the Civil War from the vantage point of and, at times, in the very words of a mid-level officer is an extraordinary experience.Kundahl had done a masterful job for transforming Wampler's life into a compelling experience for the reader. Four stars!
Rating:
Summary: A Unique Voice
Review: Kundahl's biography of Morris Wampler is an excellent read! The story of Wampler's life and untimely death has an appeal for Civil War enthusiasts, for those interested in the development of the engineering profession, and for those who would like to learn about the life and times of an average citizen in a tumultuous period in American history. The material of the book has been gathered from Wampler's personal diaries and from the painstaking research of the author, who is Wampler's great, great grandson. The rich source material and Kundahl's deft handling of it give the reader the immediate experience of Wampler's life from his early education at the Mercer Academy to his work with the U.S. Coast Survey, an important scientific body that was mapping the Nation's expanding boundaries, and, finally, to his labor and ultimate sacrifice in support of the Confederate cause. Viewing the progress of the Civil War from the vantage point of and, at times, in the very words of a mid-level officer is an extraordinary experience. Kundahl had done a masterful job for transforming Wampler's life into a compelling experience for the reader. Four stars!
Rating:
Summary: A Peripheral View
Review: This is an interesting book for a variety of reasons. The subject is John Morris Wampler, a young man whose life we follow from an inauspicious start in pre-civil War MD, to his untimely end as a Confederate Captain in Charleston, SC. The story is made doubly interesting, as Wampler is the author's great-great-grandfather, and one can feel Kundahl's personal investment to tell the story completely and without embellishment. One strength of the book is the insight it gives us into the institutions that built our country. Prior to the war, Wampler finds his early niche with the U.S. Coast Survey; at the time, an organization considered to be the premier scientific organization in the country and charged by Congress to conduct a thorough survey of the US coastline. For those with a technical bent, they will enjoy Kundahl's detailed description of the surveying techniques used by Wampler in his work along the Texas coast. Another strength is the unadorned manner in which we follow Wampler's somewhat unsuccessful pursuit of fame and fortune, both prior to and during the war. Kundahl provides a solid record of Wampler's attempts to advance his career, to include the sometimes clumsy use and abuse of mentors. The underlying story could probably be written about any aggressive 30-year-old, however, and that adds credibility to the book, showing us that human nature has not changed. The real strength--and in some respects the weakness--is Kundahl's description of Wampler's involvement in various actions during the war. At best, Wampler's involvement was alwyas peripheral. Kundahl's strength is his ability to take the perspective of the periphery and show how it played into the greater scheme of things. For those without a detailed knowledge of the Civil War, however, the view is sometimes hard to grasp. While the book is well-illustrated with Wampler's maps--his forte--battle maps showing the greater picture would be a very welcome addition. Nonetheless, the thorough accounting of Wampler's actions does give an excellent insight to the life of a staff officer. This duty is not usually depicted in typical histories, which tend to focus on the generals at the top or the infantryment at the bottom. In addition, the book gives a good review of the art of military engineering during the war and opens the idea of other books focusing on specialized staff functions at the time. The book ends with the very personal story of Wampler's widow trying to place his sacrifice into a framework that brings it the dignity and honor she feels it deserves. Kundahl's ability to draw on family records gives this section special poignancy. Given his access to family records, Kundahl's book also raises an interesting question: In this age of e-mails and telephone calls, will such books be able to be written in the future? There will always be a large public record to help document the actions of the generals and a corpus of front-line reporting to reveal the ordeal of the privates. It is doubtful, though, that these personal accounts from the periphery--which is no doubt the view of the vast majority of the participants in any period of history--will be preserved. If for nothing else, Kundahl's telling of one particular individual's peripheral view is a valuable addition to our understanding of this period in our history.
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