Reviewed by:

• An Environmental History of the Civil War by Judkin Browning and Timothy Silver
• Rachel K. Deale

Judkin Browning and Timothy Silver's An Environmental History of the Civil War reimagines the Civil War as a crucial "biotic or biological event" in the American environment (p. 4). According to Browning and Silver, the Civil War altered human interaction with the physical environment and its microbes. By combining traditional military history with scientific studies, the authors persuasively demonstrate how sickness, weather, food, animals, death and disability, and terrain affected how Union and Confederate soldiers fought and how Americans remember the war. In doing so, Browning and Silver provide a comprehensive interpretation of the Civil War as they present the conflict as a watershed event in environmental history.

Building on Jack Temple Kirby's work, Browning and Silver emphasize that people share a natural community, in which the environment affects human activity and humans alter the environment. The authors argue that it is important not to separate the actions of commanders from the natural environment. While military historians have long attributed the failure of George B. McClellan's 1862 Peninsula campaign to his overcautiousness, Browning and Silver demonstrate that McClellan's lack of understanding of the topography of the Virginia Peninsula and the violent thunderstorms the troops experienced also contributed to the campaign's outcome. The authors are nevertheless cautious not to overstate the environment's role in McClellan's failure to take Richmond. Although the rains delayed the Union advance by making roads impassable, and the flooded Chickahominy River prevented Union forces from unifying, the authors admit that McClellan's poor decision making still contributed to the campaign's lack of success. [End Page 341]

Browning and Silver also show that Union and Confederate soldiers fought an invisible enemy that "brought immediate and profound changes" to the environment (p. 9). As military units gathered for training, soldiers became sick with diseases such as measles, salmonella infection, cholera, typhoid, dysentery, diarrhea, typhus, malaria, smallpox, and yellow fever. Disease spread rapidly as infected soldiers passed bacteria into streams, groundwater, and cooking stations. By the spring of 1862, the conflict "had already created a new and distinct pattern of microbial exchange," as contagious infection common in the North spread to the South and the Midwest (p. 37). Ultimately, the contaminated water supply led to dehydration, electrolyte abnormalities, and heat exhaustion because few soldiers were able to consume enough water to endure long sun exposure.

Throughout the war, large armies traveling with thousands of animals moved through small rural communities. In doing so, soldiers smashed fences, depleted the food supply, slaughtered hogs, chickens, cattle, and sheep, and defecated and urinated wherever they pleased with no regard to health hazards. The animals that accompanied the troops brought blowflies and spread diseases such as hog cholera.

Topography also played an important role during the conflict. Terrain shaped command decisions as commanders used dense forests and naturally made trenches for cover. During battles, shells destroyed trees, and minié balls damaged tree bark, leaves, and the surrounding terrain. Forests were also depleted, as men cleared wooded areas to grow crops. After battles, small towns were filled with decaying bodies and dead animals, which released bacteria, hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, methane, and other gases and various harmful fluids into the soil.

An Environmental History of the Civil War is recommended for historians, students, and those interested in Civil War, military, or environmental history. The book is organized chronologically in thematic chapters. Overall, it is a well-argued book that succeeds in providing "a more holistic way of thinking about the Civil War" (p. 7). The book's length, readability, and fresh perspective would make it a great addition to any Civil War or environmental history course.

审核人：

• Judkin Browning和Timothy Silver的《内战环境史》
• 瑞秋·凯利（Rachel K. Deale）

Judkin Browning和Timothy Silver的《南北战争的环境史》将南北战争重新构想成美国环境中至关重要的“生物或生物事件”（第4页）。根据布朗宁和西尔弗的说法，内战改变了人类与自然环境及其微生物的相互作用。通过将传统的军事历史与科学研究相结合，作者有说服力地证明了疾病，天气，食物，动物，死亡和残疾以及地形如何影响联盟和同盟士兵的作战方式以及美国人对战争的记忆。这样做时，勃朗宁和西尔弗将内战作为环境历史上的分水岭，将内战作为一个分水岭事件提供了全面的解释。

Browning和Silver在杰克·坦普尔·柯比（Jack Temple Kirby）的作品的基础上，强调人们共享一个自然社区，在这个社区中，环境影响着人类的活动，人类改变了环境。作者认为，重要的是不要将指挥官的行动与自然环境区分开。虽然军事历史学家长期以来一直将乔治·B·麦克莱伦（George B.McClellan）的失败归因于他的谨慎，但布朗宁和西尔弗证明，麦克莱伦对弗吉尼亚半岛地形的缺乏了解以及部队经历的猛烈雷暴也促成了战役的结果。尽管如此，作者还是谨慎地表示，不要夸大环境在麦克莱伦（Mc克莱llan）接任里士满（Richmond）失败中的作用。尽管下雨使道路无法通行，从而延迟了联盟的前进，[结束页341]

勃朗宁和西尔弗还表明，联盟和同盟国的士兵与一个无形的敌人作战，对环境“带来了直接而深刻的变化”（第9页）。随着军事部队的集训，士兵患上了麻疹，沙门氏菌感染，霍乱，伤寒，痢疾，腹泻，斑疹伤寒，疟疾，天花和黄热病。随着被感染的士兵将细菌传递到溪流，地下水和烹饪站中，疾病迅速传播。到1862年春季，冲突“已经创造了一种新的和独特的微生物交换方式”，因为在北部常见的传染性感染扩散到了南部和中西部（第37页）。最终，受污染的供水导致脱水，电解质异常，

在整个战争中，与数千只动物一起旅行的大军穿过农村小社区。这样做，士兵砸碎篱笆，耗尽食物供应，宰杀猪，鸡，牛和羊，并随便便便和小便，不考虑健康危害。伴随部队的动物带来了飞蝇，并传播了猪霍乱等疾病。

在冲突期间，地形也起着重要作用。地形决定了指挥决策，因为指挥官们使用茂密的森林和天然的沟渠作为掩护。在战斗中，贝壳破坏了树木，迷你球破坏了树皮，树叶和周围的地形。随着人们清理林区种植农作物，森林也被消耗ple尽。战斗结束后，小镇上到处都是腐烂的尸体和死亡的动物，它们将细菌，硫化氢，氨气，甲烷和其他气体以及各种有害流体释放到土壤中。

南北战争环境史建议历史学家，学生和那些有兴趣在内战，军事或环境史。这本书按主题章节的时间顺序排列。总体而言，这是一本争论不休的书，成功地提供了“一种更加全面的内战思维方式”（第7页）。这本书的篇幅，可读性和新颖的视角使其成为任何内战或环境史课程的绝妙补充。