America's Corporal

America’s Corporal tells the fascinating story of a common soldier who led an uncommon life. James Tanner fought in the Union army as a teenager, lost his legs in combat at Second Bull Run, then pursued a career in politics and veterans’ affairs through the Gilded Age and beyond. James Marten does a remarkable job of recovering the details of Tanner’s life and evoking the world of late nineteenth-century America. Readers will find equal pleasure and profit in reading this compelling narrative.

* author of The Union War and The Confederate War *

America’s Corporal is a fascinating look at one of the Union army’s most remarkable veterans. Following Tanner from his enlistment as an enthusiastic seventeen-year-old, through his debilitating double-amputation, and on to his rise as a prominent figure in veterans’ affairs, James Marten chronicles a story at once extraordinary and exceedingly representative of the Civil War generation. Situating Tanner within the worlds of wartime medicine, veteran culture, urban life, and Gilded Age politics, Marten once again offers a beautifully written and compelling portrait of late nineteenth-century America.

* author of Remembering the Civil War: Reunion and the Limits of Reconciliation *

History enthusiasts whose interests have been confined to the Civil War years would do well to read this short book, for it shows how the conflict continued to affect America—and especially her veterans—for decades after the last shot was fired.

* Civil War Monitor *

Marten gives us a well-written, quite detailed account of Tanner’s life and work. He offers many insights into contemporary society, particularly from the perspective of a man with disabilities, at a time when there was almost no awareness of the problems of the handicapped. . . . A volume in UGP’s series “Uncivil Wars,” America’s Corporal is an excellent book, not only because it’s about a man who is today largely forgotten, but because of its look at a the problems of disabled veterans in the post-Civil War era.

* The New York Military Affairs Symposium Review *

Drawing on a variety of primary sources, Marten, who is chair of the history department at Marquette University, brings Tanner’s life and character into focus and shows what it meant to be a veteran in an era that at first worshipped the saviors of the Union but then found ambiguity in their political power and insistence on collecting ever-larger pensions.

* Columns *

[An] outstanding stud[y] of life after battle. . . . Mr. Marten focuses on James Tanner, a double amputee who vaulted into prominence when he was drafted on the spot to take the testimony of the witnesses to Lincoln’s assassination and who eventually became a spokesman for disabled veterans.

* Wall Street Journal *

“[Marten] has offered a strong portrayal not only of a man, but also the Gilded Age. . . . The result is a nuanced portrait of a man who was certainly committed to serving the veteran community of his day . . . Consequently, [the author] has helped illuminate late nineteenth-century America.”

* Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society *

Elegantly written and well-researched . . . Marten’s outstanding biography of this fascinating figure demonstrates that Tanner was more than symbolic of Gilded Age corruption. . . . Understanding that some Americans seemed contemptuous of one of the most iconic generations of American veterans, including an individual who suffered catastrophic injuries during his service, is critical to understanding the challenges facing American veterans of all eras and is an extremely valuable lesson of Marten’s study.

* Journal of American Histo