Mark Twain (aka Samuel Clemens) is an important figure not only in American literature, but he made the American way of English famous worldwide through his vivid descriptions of life in the interior of the United States and out in the West.

His books like ‘‘Tom Sawyer” and ‘‘Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” are among the many works he has written that have been read globally, promoting both the American manner of speech and the attitudes of Americans through his narrative. Yet to learn about Mark Twain’s views on the American Civil War one has to look into the articles he left behind.

English professor David Rachels of the Virginia Military Institute has collected Twain’s impressions of the Civil War compiling them into a single compact volume. When the Civil War broke out in 1861, Twain, a riverboat pilot along the Mississippi River, was out of a job. Traffic along this vital commercial artery came to a stop. Twain served in the Missouri State militia for two weeks before walking away from his unit and heading westward. Twain’s popularity led to speculation as to why he ran away from his state military commitment. To answer these questions it was vital to collect Twain’s comments and writings on the Civil War, a conflict that no doubt influenced his views, in one volume,.

The book is divided into Twain’s non-fiction and fictional commentary on the Civil War, but as the author points out his non-fictional views were laced with tall tales that do not meet the standard of a historical document. In his 1872 account ‘‘Roughing It,” of his travels out west, he writes about rich Westerners raising funds for the war effort. Five years later, Twain addresses America’s oldest military formation, the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts (given a charter in 1638) and although he is very vague about his service, he describes with humor the foibles of fresh troops volunteering from the Missouri countryside. It would not be until 1887 that he clears up the nature of his service to the Union Veterans Association of Baltimore.

Perhaps Twain’s most important contribution to the Civil War was publishing the personal memoirs of Union General Ulysses S. Grant. This provided the former President with $400,000 for his impoverished family and gave Americans a timeless and personal view of the American Civil War. Those interested in the American Civil War and American literature will enjoy reading this unique collection of Mark Twain’s views on the Civil War located now in one volume. A true understanding of the American experience and history cannot be complete without a thorough study of the American Civil War.

Editor’s Note: Aboul-Enein writes for two U.S. Navy base papers, the Naval Training Center Great Lakes Bulletin and the Naval District Washington Waterline. He acquired his interest in the Civil War during his time as an undergraduate student at the University of Mississippi. Aboul-Enein wishes to thank Personnel Specialist 1st Class (SW⁄AW) David Tranberg, president of the Pentagon Chapter of the First Class Petty Officer Association, for his edits and insightful comments.