Ohio volunteer

"When his captain was killed during the Battle of Perryville, John Calvin Hartzell, of Portage County, Ohio, was made commander of Company H, 105th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He led his men during the Battle of Chickamauga, the siege of Chattanooga, and the Battle of Missionary Ridge. Late in Hartzell's life, his family implored him to set down his story, including his experiences in the Civil War. Hartzell did so diligently, taking more than two years to complete his manuscript. The writing reveals a remarkable memory for details, the ability to view events from a philosophical perspective, and a humorous outlook that helped him bear the unbearable."

"He also depicted the changing rural economy, the assimilation of the Pennsylvania Dutch, and the transformations wrought by coal mining and the iron industry. Hartzell felt individualism was threatened by the Industrial Revolution and the cruelties of the war. He found his faith in humanity affirmed - and the dramatic tension in his memoir resolved - when 136,000 Union soldiers reenlisted and assured victory for the North."--Jacket.