Publication of Note | June 2026
Jonathan W. White and Reagan Connelly, eds. “From Dakota to Dixie: George Buswell’s Civil War.” Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2025.
For decades the diary of George Buswell, a veteran of the Seventh Minnesota Infantry and Sixty-Eighth United States Colored Troops, was only available to researchers. It is fortunate that Jonathan White, a prolific historian and friend of MCWI, and one of his former students at Christopher Newport University, Reagan Connelly, recognized the value of Buswell’s diary and made it accessible to a broader audience.
Although Buswell did not participate in the Civil War’s most significant engagements, the value of his diary rests in what it reveals about how the Civil War truly was a transformative experience in so many ways. At the time of Buswell’s enlistment in 1862, he was a staunch Democrat. However, his wartime experiences transformed him into a staunch Republican who supported slavery’s destruction and the recruitment of Black troops into the Union’s service.
Beyond revealing how the conflict transformed him personally, Buswell’s diary offers valuable perspectives about what happened in the war’s various theaters. Additionally, Buswell offers his thoughts about some of the war’s most significant figures including generals Philip H. Sheridan and Ulysses S. Grant. For instance, when Buswell learned that Grant had been appointed general in chief in 1864, he believed that “success will finally be ours.” Indeed, Grant’s appointment became an important step on the road to Union victory.
Finally, Buswell’s diary provides important observations about how the war transformed communities where he was stationed, including Nashville, Tennessee, and the lives of the people who lived in them.
Buswell’s diary should be considered essential for anyone who desires a deeper grasp of the Civil War’s transformative power. To learn more about the book visit: https://www.upress.virginia.edu/title/10075/
