Men of Granite

During the Civil War, some thirty-five thousand New Hampshire soldiersrepresenting approximately 11 percent of the states populationwere dispatched to serve the Union in seventeen infantry regiments, two cavalry regiments, three artillery batteries, and three companies of sharpshooters and as members of miscellaneous naval and marine units. Shaffer tells the story of these forces in a thorough history of New Hampshire combat troops in the years before and during the Civil War. Told in chronological order, Shaffers narrative follows the experiences of New Hampshire troops, primarily in Virginia and South Carolina. The soldiers also fought in major battles such as Manassas, Antietam, Gettysburg, and Cold Harbor. A chapter each is devoted to the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862 and the Battle of Chancellorsville in May 1863. Shaffer also details the disaster of the Battle of Fort Wagner in July 1863, in which New Hampshire lost more soldiers than in any other operation. He also follows his subjects return after the war to recount their homecoming and to cement understanding of their sacrifice.