In our current wave of zoo-historicism, it is fitting that we now have—and, indeed, should have—a volume about the significance of animals in the American Civil War. Animal Histories of the Civil War Era tracks several unique aspects to animals in the war—including the treatment of horses, the ethics of eating meat, and the role of the national zoo. In the introduction, Hess adopts an intersectional position: “Both animal studies and animal history are interdisciplinary in nature” (2). Although he lists some of the disciplines involved—“history, science, environmentalism, psychology, philosophy”—his main focus appears to be the merging of history with an appreciation for animal ethics. Indeed, the first works that he references are by Singer and Regan.1Later in the introduction, Hess indicates a general disapproval of many of the current animals-in-war books, citing their “popular and all too often superficial nature” and saying that “they tell the story factually, with a minimum of research and a lot of easily digested information” (4). With such a bold and ambitious introduction, the book appears to present itself as the tome about the Civil War that animal scholars have awaited for years, something genuinely interdisciplinary. However, the collection is not rich in methodology, and, to damn it with Hess’ own faint praise, it too contains “a lot of easily digested information.”Each of the chapters, however, is a stellar example of traditional research, delving into primary materials that are both clear and engaging. Michael E. Woods’ opening essay, “Antebellum Camel Capers and the Global Slave Power,” is a masterful example of storytelling. Yet, it does not mention other historians until the last three paragraphs, and it is not particularly interdisciplinary, except for a paragraph that mentions a novel. One exception in terms of interdisciplinary work is Mark Smith’s chapter “All the Buzz: Why Bees Mattered in the Civil War,” which discusses theory, quotes other historians, and has an economics slant.A book entitled Animal Histories of the Civil War Era might have engaged more with the historical wartime poetry involving animals or the use of animals in political cartoons and in popular music and literature, let alone with historiography or theory. Not even when discussing vegetarianism does the book draw much from the insights of current animal-ethics scholars. Although far from the interdisciplinary study that Hess promised, the book is a must-read within its particular field, and, to the editor’s unwitting disapproval, possibly for its “easily digested information.”
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Mar 1, 2023
Denisa Krásná 
Open Access