In the spirit of Robert Adair’s cult classic The Physics of Baseball, here is a book that tackles the long-cherished myths of Civil War history—and ultimately shatters them, based on physics and mathematics. At what range was a Civil War sniper lethal? Did bullets ever “rain like hail”? Could one ever step across a battlefield by stepping only on bodies and never hard ground? How effective were Civil War muskets and rifles? How accurate are photographs and paintings?
In this genre-bending work of history, Scott Hippensteel puts the tropes of Civil War history under the microscope and says, “Wait a minute!” Combining science and history, Hippensteel reexamines much that we hold dear about the Civil War and convincingly argues that memoirs and histories have gotten it wrong.
This is a work of history and science for our era of “fake news”—and for well beyond. Readers will never look at the Civil War the same way again.
Scott Hippensteel is an Associate Professor of Earth Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where he focuses on coastal geology, geoarchaeology, and environmental micropaleontology. His early research involved the H. L. Hunley, the famous Confederate submarine, and used microfossils to interpret that great historical artifact. His previous work includes Rocks and Rifles (Springer, 2018), a look at how geology influenced the Civil War. A native of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, Hippensteel holds graduate degrees from the University of Delaware. He lives in Charlotte, North Carolina.
NetGalley Review: 5 stars
Last updated on 08 Nov 2021
"Here are some things that we all have learned about the American Civil War: 1.) There were battles when the air was filled with a hail of lead and it was so thick the bullets chopped down wheat and cornfields. 2.) The Confederate sharpshooters picked off selected Northern officers one by one. 3.) The death tolls were so great that on many battlefields you could walk across the field, stepping only on dead bodies and not touch the ground. 4.) The rivers ran red with the blood of the dead and dying. 5.) Mathew Brady was the first war photographer and took pictures of the major battles.
In his book Myths of the Civil War, Scott Hippensteel examines all these “facts” and explains why some of them are pure fiction. But can you learn about history by using scientific methods? Science cannot tell us what happened, but it can tell us what is not possible or probable. Dr. Hippensteel brings together history, math, and science to explore the possibilities surrounding these and other myths of the War.
I knew I would enjoy this book when I received it. I was not disappointed. I grew up next to the Civil War Battlefield in Petersburg, Virginia. I hunted for Minie balls, climbed on canons, and went through the mine shaft to visit “The Crater”. I have a working knowledge of certain aspects of the War, but I am not a historian. This book was so interesting, it was like catnip to me.
This work is not a boring treatise, but rather a book full of stories, photographs, and witty commentaries. With interesting graphs and other helpful aids, Dr. Hippensteel walks us through the suppositions every step of the way. He relates a story, then acts as a “Mythbuster” to prove if certain things were possible. Could a sniper pick off an officer from more than half a mile away? He uses ballistics and CSI-worthy trajectories to find out. He also explains how photographers envisioned their photographs to follow their narrative – moving bodies and combining multiple negatives to create a perfect scene. A word of caution – the included pictures are realistic appearing and are very graphic at times.
It is understandable for the brave men who fought in these battles to embellish their tales. Dr. Hippensteel quotes Colonel William Oates, who wrote in his memoirs, “No two men can participate in a great battle and see it just the same.” It is easy to understand how and why myths are created, but we must recognize the hyperbole and not perpetuate them as facts.
They say that the winners get to write the history. Now we have the tools and way-worth-all to discern fact from fiction and if not rewrite our history, at least make us aware of its flaws. I highly recommend Myths of the Civil War to anyone who is interested in the conflict or wants to understand how science and skepticism can further the understanding of our shared history."—Patricia House, reviewer at particiajhouse.wordpress.com
Myths of the Civil War is an entertaining book that uses scientific facts and data to counter common myths or euphemisms used to describe the Civil War and could also be a great educational tool. The book is a great example of ways to incorporate cross-disciplinary learning into a text. Myths of the Civil War covers the communications field, military history, and natural science in a concise, well-written historical monograph that can appeal to various audiences.