Uncommonly articulate letters from a young German-American soldier with the Union forces
 
Sergeant William Remmel was a German immigrant who had settled with his parents and family in far upstate New York. His letters collected in Like Grass before the Scythe cover more than two full years of his service and provide details on military and social history in the eastern theater of operations and on the experience of the home front in upstate New York among a largely immigrant, working-class family and community.
 
Remmel wrote in English and apparently his parents responded in German. In addition to the important material on an immigrant family’s experience, Remmel also deals with the question of slavery, illness and hospital care (when he was wounded), the problem of hard war/total war, as well as the campaigns of Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and the Shenandoah Valley in 1864.
 

“The fate of Sergeant William Remmel, like thousands of men who wore blue and butternut, remains lost to the pages of history. Fortunately, his letters have survived, allowing him to speak across the tides of time.”
—Civil War History

“Like Grass before the Scythe is recommended to those who would like a deeper understanding of the thoughts and concerns of a rank-and-file Union soldier. Remmel's letters put a very real and human face on the life of the Civil War solider.”
—H-Net Reviews

“A strong set of letters. . . . Bender has done a remarkable job identifying the various people Remmel mentions in his letters. While this is hardly a social history of Remmel’s regiment, the reader does get a good feel of where the soldiers come from and what happened to them. Furthermore, the letters show much about family dynamics and the nature of life in the North during the Civil War.”

— Reid Mitchell, author of Civil War Soldiers

“Remmel, unlike many soldier correspondents who generally confined themselves to statements about the weather and their health, proved to be a keen observer of events and quite capable of articulating his opinions concerning complex issues. Remmel offers the reader interesting insights into the life and times of an infantry soldier who "saw the elephant" with the Army of the Potomac's famous VI Corps. Anyone interested in looking at the Civil War from the bottom up should make their acquaintance with Sgt. William Remmel.”
—Blue and Gray Magazine

“This is a highly valuable collection of letters, ably edited.”

— Steven E. Woodworth, author of The Art of Command in the Civil War