In the Presence of Mine Enemies: The Civil War in the Heart of America, 1859-1864 (Valley of the Shadow Project)

If I wanted to describe Edward L. Ayers's In the Presence of Mine Enemies in one word, that word would be tedious. The premise is quite interesting: comparing and contrasting the experiences of the people living in the border counties on the eve, and during the first years, of the American Civil War.

To that end, he has selected Franklin County, Pennsylvania, and Augusta County, Virginia. Ayers has then painstakingly reconstructed the events and times from original sources: newspapers, letters, legal documents, diaries, and other public and private records.

The first section of the book is devoted to showing how similar the people and places are. Ayers does this, if anything, too well. Until half the men went off to fight in blue and the other half in gray, I could not keep the counties straight. He switches between them frequently and I often had to reread entire pages to make sure I knew which county was the focus of a particular episode.

These early chapters are also dry. The political arguments - whether recounted in newspapers or personal letters - simply do not make for compelling reading. There is little new material about John Brown's raid or the abolitionists' growing impatience, or the presidential election of 1860. I had determined to read this book months ago, though, and I had paid good money for the privilege (which I rarely do!), so I was determined to slog on.

Ultimately, I made the correct decision, as the firsthand accounts of war and the homefront do save the latter parts of In the Presence of Mine Enemies. In the end, though, this is a book for those who are interested in the original source material, and not simply a primer on the big early battles.