The Greatest Trials I Ever Had: The Civil War Letters of Margaret and Thomas Cahill ed. by Ryan Keating

Abstract

Reviewed by: The Greatest Trials I Ever Had: The Civil War Letters of Margaret and Thomas Cahill ed. by Ryan Keating Angela M. Riotto The Greatest Trials I Ever Had: The Civil War Letters of Margaret and Thomas Cahill. Edited by Ryan Keating. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2017. ISBN 978-0-8203-5155-1, 248 pp., paper, $29.95. Aiming to preserve the Civil War experiences of one family, Ryan Keating has edited and published the letters of Thomas and Margaret Cahill of New Haven, Connecticut. [End Page 398] Limiting his changes to the original letters and by providing footnotes to clarify the narrative, Keating offers easy access to one family's wartime correspondence—an extensive collection spanning from November 1861 to October 1864. Thomas and Margaret's letters shed light on various topics, among them military service and leadership, occupation duty, financial responsibility and difficulties, and family dynamics. Although the Cahills—a well-connected, middle-class, Irish-Catholic family—may not be entirely representative of all northern families during the war, this collection nevertheless offers a fresh perspective of the northern home front. As a historian of the ethnic Irish wartime experience, Keating finds particular value in the Cahills' ethnic and religious heritage and community connections. The collection offers a glimpse into the interdependence between soldiers and their home communities and the role that the Cahills, as active community members, played in relaying information between groups. At first glance, Thomas's responsibilities as colonel of the 9th Connecticut and Margaret's role as a go-between in the affairs of men in the regiment and their families may seem unexceptional to historians of the northern home front. However, the high frequency with which the Cahills refer to messages or packages that must be delivered to individuals other than themselves or reminders to check on community members reveals that home front matters were never very far from the minds of at least one Union regiment. Along with insight into the Irish experience during the war, the correspondence illuminates less glory-filled wartime experiences. This reviewer finds the everyday difficulties of serving far from home and away from family one of the most enlightening and valuable contributions of this collection. Thomas and Margaret often discuss missing or delayed letters, spoiled food from long passage, and the trouble of sending letters or packages so far a distance—Connecticut to Louisiana. Moreover, Margaret's reminders that the children keep asking for their father reminds the reader of the difficulties faced and personal sacrifices made by military families. The reviewer finds little fault with collection, but one minor issue is the lack of narrative clarification in the later sections. In his footnotes, Keating thoughtfully recommends books and provides further information on community members, but this is the limit of his interjections. Any clarification of chronology is found in the introduction, which causes the reader to flip back to find the answers to questions not answered within the correspondence. Despite these minor issues, this collection is a valuable resource for historians interested in the northern home front. Instructors may also find this useful in the classroom, particularly for a primary source analysis assignment. Keating's introduction and footnotes provide the historical background and the Cahills provide the enjoyment. [End Page 399] Angela M. Riotto University of Akron Copyright © 2018 The Kent State University Press