Critical Analysis Of A Fierce, Wild Joy By Stephen Towne

Mastering the art of writing through well-rounded investigations and exemplary rhetoric, Stephen Towne critically challenges the deep-rooted theories regarding covert battles between Union intelligence operations and Confederate sympathizers in the Midwest. Along with being commended by the coauthor of the classic For the Common Defense: A Military History of the United States from 1607 to 2012, Dr. Towne is an associate university archivist at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and editor of A Fierce, Wild Joy: The Civil War Letters of Colonel Edward J. Wood, 48th Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment. By providing exquisite research and sources, Towne explores the impotent attempts made by Northern state and Federal†¦show more content†¦Meticulously and under immense effort, Towne crafts his information into distinct, defined portions, which allows readers to pick out interesting topics or details without much effort. Included at the end of the book, a fascina ting postscript assembles and reviews the chosen sources; illustrating this, Towne authoritatively discusses how the letters from the National Archives were interpreted upon in the book at â€Å"the extensive surviving documentation in the National Archives†¦shows the earnestness of military commanders’ beliefs in the imminent threat of disorder and insurrection† (308). Confronting and repudiating the misconceptions of previous studies while outstandingly defending his own arguments, Dr. Towne tests with his many established sources in a formal, supplementing manner. In further detail, the use of war letters in building logos provides especially beneficial for Towne’s stance. Highlighting a letter between Major General John. M. Schofield and a person nicknamed â€Å"M†, Towne affirms that the Confederate plotters were much more than just a nuisance to Federal operations by including that â€Å"the secret order plotted a general uprising in the West in order to cripple the Federal Authority so that Peace will be obliged to be made and the south acknowledged† (130). As can be distinguished in his work, corresponding evidence permeates throughout Towne’s logic, undeniably declaring his word as fact-based. Debating and