We were the Ninth : a history of the Ninth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, April 17, 1861, to June 7, 1864 /

Grebner's study of the Ninth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, first published in 1897, is not just another in a standard and repetitious line of Civil War hagiographies. In one way, the Ninth is familiar. As part of the Army of the Cumberland, it served in areas from West Virginia to Georgia from April 1861 to June 1864, and fought in key battles ranging from Shiloh to Chattanooga to Chickamauga. Where it diverged was more important than where it was similar. The Ninth, consisting mainly of Cincinnati Germans, was among a handful of German-speaking units. Grebner, a Cincinnati German and man of letters, wrote the study in his native language, employing techniques comparable to modern historians, e.g., the use of oral history, supplemented by diaries and other pertinent documents. Trautmann (Temple University) has translated, edited, rearranged, and annotated the original text, supplying readers with informative endnotes and a useful bibliography. Recommended for libraries specializing in Civil War, Ohio, and ethnic history.-J. Mushkat, The University of Akron