Pittsburgh During the American Civil War 1860-1865 - A Review
By
James Wudarczyk

Arthur B. Fox, Pittsburgh During the American Civil War 1860-1865, Chicora, PA: Mechling Bookbindery, 2002.

(Note: This review originally appeared in the September 2002 issue of “The Arsenal,” the newsletter of the Greater Pittsburgh Civil War Round Table. Permission to post this review on the Lawrenceville Historical Society’s website was granted by Ulli Baumann, editor of the publication.)

At one of the Soldiers’ Fairs, two gentlemen were discussing histories, when one theorized that journalists write the best histories because they have a way of condensing vast amounts of material and extract only the bare facts. In some respects, Arthur Fox fits into this category because he combines his discipline as an academic historian and a freelance writer for the Tribune Review. Fox’s work is in many ways more of a compiling of materials under ten general headings than it is a written history in the strictest sense. This in no way detracts from the book but rather enhances it as a valuable reference.

It is incredible that it took more than 135 years following the end of the American Civil War before someone finally wrote a history that illustrates the role of Pittsburgh in that great conflict. Although Fox contends that his work is not definitive, there is no doubt that Fox’s Pittsburgh During the American Civil War has laid a solid foundation that is rich in information. Prior to Fox’s book on the subject, researchers had to sort through mazes of newspapers, magazine articles, and manuscripts. Thus, Art Fox is to be commended for his initiative in tackling so broad of a subject and collecting so much scattered material in one volume.

The hardbound book is 235 8 ½ x 11 pages of text, end notes, and bibliography, and traces the area’s role from shortly before the outbreak of the war through its end with the creation of the G.A.R. (Grand Army of the Republic) posts. Granted that many of the topics have been previously explored, but Fox has collected so much data that even the most ardent local historical researchers will uncover numerous new facts. Fox is to be most commended for his work on identifying the Civil War training camps and proving grounds for the testing of artillery.

Fox acknowledges several members of the Greater Pittsburgh Civil War Round Table in either the text or in the endnotes. These are Bill Reynolds (Mr. Reynolds is also a member of the Lawrenceville Historical Society), John Carnprobst, Ed Hahn, and Ruth McCartan.

Since this publication is called “The Arsenal,” it is only appropriate that we take a brief look at how Fox treats the subject of the Allegheny Arsenal. While his treatment of the 1862 explosion is little more than a rough overview, Fox surprises his readers by noting that in December of 1864 eight boys were arrested in connection with stealing bullets. The lead apparently was being melted for resale. He also documents the harassment during the Election of 1864 when workers at the Arsenal were threatened with dismissal if they supported or voted for General George McClellan. While Civil War enthusiasts like to think that the concept of preservation of the Union was widely accepted and advocated throughout the war, Fox points out in an endnote that many in the North in the summer and early fall of 1864 were frustrated by inflation, the draft, attacks on civil liberties, the Army’s stalemate at Petersburg, Virginia, and the Atlanta campaign.

In his chapter “The Business of War,” Fox points out that labor costs more than doubled from 1861 to 1865. He attributes the cause directly to inflation and labor shortages.

The Fox study is so crammed with facts and assorted data that it is almost impossible to pick any one chapter for a detailed analysis. Also, there is no shortage of endnotes. The section on “The Fort Pitt Foundry and Artillery Proving Grounds” contains 126 notations.

Other chapters examine Pittsburgh hospitals and subsistence agencies, fortifications, and Confederates in Pittsburgh.

This book is long over-due. Let’s just hope that we will not have to wait another 135 years before more of the missing blanks relating to our heritage are filled in.