Iowa Confederates in the Civil War

I am blessed by David Connon's friendship, his writing, his meticulous research, and this book! I was born and raised in Iowa. Of course, our history teachers spent time in the classroom teaching about the Civil War. I don't recall many details of that teaching. The main points, I suppose, were, rightly, that slavery was evil, and rebellion against the U.S. Government nearly destroyed our country. After my first 58 years in Iowa, I have lived in South Carolina for nearly 9 years, and there are some -- shall I say -- "different" perspectives by a distinct minority of people in the South. Particularly in the rural regions, people still fly Confederate flags, and they talk about "The War of Northern Aggression," or "The War for States' Rights." Such is misguided thinking, but David Connon reveals the complexities of war loyalties in his wonderful book. I found it remarkable that some Iowans DID fight for the South in the Civil War. And David does such a great job of telling those individual stories. If you are a student of history -- if you are interested in the Civil War, no matter where you have lived -- if you want accounts you can trust, due to the tremendous historical research -- THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU!

In moving and dramatic detail David Connon tells the stories of seventy-six Iowa Confederates in the Civil War. He explored a vast number of original sources, letters, diaries, census data, newspaper pieces to draw intimate portraits of the Iowa Confederates and paint a vivid picture of that time.Connon finds that what motivated these men ranged from opportunism to family connections and political sympathies. However, as he says, “stories are the driving force of this book.” And the stories captivate the reader. Each could be the basis of a movie. There are, for example, James and Cora, two articulate, deep feeling people whose love is disrupted by the war. James leaves a promising law career in Iowa to move to Richmond, Virginia, where his father is a State House legislator. He meets Cora and falls deeply in love. “I have had more influence over every lady I have been intimate with than yourself, and none as much over me.” But he also is devoted to the Confederate cause and helps form a company while also trying “to get through this war with as little needless fighting and exposure as possible as is consistent with duty.” As the war comes between them, James challenges Cora to speak her feelings. She responds: “You are right, I don’t always write as I feel. I have so taught myself to think without speaking, and feel without acting, avoiding especially all that can annoy or grieve.” It takes ten years until James senses that she is ready for this commitment, telling her: “The future is our world. There is or must be no past. The present is a prison.”Connon’s collection of stories ends with a poem by Dutch-Iowan Johannes Haps who, in World War I took down the Confederate flag he had honored until then. “Let it rest in peace.” Replacing it with the Stars and Stripes, he ends his poem: “Let it float over land and sea, Proud emblem of liberty.”Connon is well aware of his complex enterprise. In his introduction he quotes from Clare Mulley’s The Women Who Flew for Hitler. Mulley acknowledges that letters and diaries “can bring moments of profound empathy…but also the sudden shock of finding inexplicable prejudice, or worse…” The reader experiences both.Gabrielle Robinson, Author

I discovered this superb book after listening to the author being interviewed by Dr. Gerry Prokopowicz on the Impediments of War podcast about the Civil War. Historian David Connon offers sketches of 76 Iowans who left the Union state to fight for the Confederacy. That may not sound like many, but each one has a fascinating backstory. Some even owned slaves. I can certainly relate to the examples he gives of divided families, having, if tradition is correct, an ancestor in Indiana who took off on a raft for New Orleans to join the Southern army and was never heard from again. Particularly poignant was the fate of Albert Newall, who died in Delaware prison camp a month after the surrender of Appomattox. I won't spoil the story of what happened when his sister went East to retrieve his body and bring it back home, but it will tear at your heart. Highly recommended.

Mr. Connon writes this digestible compendium of a rare decision in 1861-1865 by 76 individual Iowa men, whose loyalties to the Southern political cause or way of life was strong enough to displace themselves (and often any immediate family) south of the Mason-Dixon line, then formally fight in lower military ranks against their place of birth.Some of Mr. Connon's ancestors were from both Union and Confederate ranks, and he grew up knowing both sides of the conflict which was augmented by historical data and visits by his family, with most of his nephews named after military generals. It is common knowledge that the history books are always written by the victors, so any person not supporting the Union side by 1865 would have been declared as traitorous. Mr. Connon researched how a sufficient life in Iowa could easily enough be traded for fighting, toil and eventual defeat, with the spectre of slavery as a major source of conflict. His original weblog was titled 'Confederates in Iowa: Not to Defend but to Understand'.The researched book is easy to understand despite the inevitable grappling for power amongst the higher military echelons. He also states the various motivations for such individual changes by Iowans, and all is accomplished within a relatively small volume. The resulting concise analysis is to be commended.

This book was engaging and kept me curious from beginning to end. Connon introduces history about Iowa and the Civil War through the meticulously and well-researched personal lives of the 76 Iowans who broke ranks with their fellow citizens to side with the South. Their reasons were as varied as their personalities and backgrounds and is a reminder that when we paint history with too broad a brush we lose important details. Connon has resurrected some of those details with vivid and empathetic descriptions that shine a light on the humanity we still hold in common (not necessarily the politics), with those he covers. Well told stories and clearly well-researched. Highly recommend for anyone who is a student of the Civil War or a student of human nature.