The Badax Tigers

With the art of a master craftsman, Nanzig has woven the rich and touching letters of two common soldiers who served in the 18th Wisconsin Infantry-Thomas J. Davis and Ransom J. Chase, coupled with Civil War era newspaper articles relative to the regiment-to produce a detailed look at this little known unit and, with detailed annotation, has compiled a history of service worthy of these veterans of Shiloh, Iuka, Corinth, Vicksburg, and Chattanooga. -- Terrence J. Winschel, historian, Vicksburg National Military Park, author of Triumph and Defeat, Vicksburg: Fall of the Confederate Gibraltar, and Vicksburg Is the Key
An outstanding and refreshing new social history of the life of a common soldier. . . . The Badax Tigers is a must-read and worthy addition to the library of both the Civil War scholar and enthusiast alike. -- Dennis J. Ringle, U.S. Navy (retired)
Twenty-nine year-old Private Thomas Jefferson Davis left a young bride of 18 after just two months of marriage when he marched off to war. His interesting correspondence provides a wonderful appreciation for the challenges of marital separation and how critically important were the receipt of letters. . . . Editor Thomas Nanzig has compiled and skillfully annotated a valuable collection of soldier's letters. -- William M. Anderson, Professor of Music Education Emeritus and Founding Director, Center for the Study of World Musics, Kent State University
Using dozens of well-written and detail-rich letters, Nanzig has constructed a documentary history of one unit that saw action throughout the war's Western Theater. But more than accounts of battles, these letters-many from a 29-year-old yeoman farmer-offer valuable insights on how northern soldiers viewed the South and the men who fought to defend it. -- Roger L. Rosentreter, Michigan State University and coauthor of Michigan's Early Military Forces
This book is an excellent source for anyone studying Civil War daily life. * Civil War Book Review *
The letters of Thomas Jefferson Davis reveal the ups, as well as downs, of service in the Western Theater. Remarkably readable, they document the real concerns of the yeoman soldier: providing for family back home and making it out of the war alive. -- Russell Horton, Wisconsin Veterans Museum