Civil War Talk by Lisa Murphy – “engrossing…informative, and engaging.” “Five stars for a superb book. And an extra star for telling a forgotten tale of Black soldiers in Milliken’s Bend—a narrative that evoked strong emotions 160 years ago, and still can today.” Murphy does an excellent job of succinctly and accurately summarizing the main points of the book.

Civil War History – “Barnickel’s study just might resuscitate public memory of this forgotten battle, for she has produced a well-written, thoroughly researched, and informative book.” (Vol. 61, no. 1, March 2015, pp. 96-97)

H-Net Review by Brian M. Jordan – “Barnickel excels by situating the fight at Milliken’s Bend in the longer history of slavery, emancipation, and white racial anxieties.” “An impressively even-handed chapter unpacks the ‘tangle of fact, fiction, and half-truths’ surrounding the fortune of the white and black prisoners.” Reviewed with Kevin Levin’s Remembering the Battle of the Crater, Jordan calls both books “impressively researched, well-written,” and “excellent.” (July 2014)

Journal of the Civil War Era – “Barnickel devotes much of this book to developing the cultural context of the battle…. allowing the author to suggest the most probable course of events.” (Vol. 4, no. 2, June 2014, pp. 318-321)

Register of the Kentucky Historical Society – “superior to many Civil War battle studies” by describing the social context and significance of the battle. (Vol. 112, no. 1, Winter 2014, pp. 134-136)

On Point – Journal of Army History (print edition) – “a significant contribution;” an “exceptional book;” a “well-researched study” and “a must-read”. (Winter 2014, p. 52)

Civil War Monitor – Kevin Levin’s review, with a thought-provoking question at the end. (Nov. 2013)

Civil War Times – “Stellar.” “This account should go a long way to give [the battle] the recognition it deserves.” (Dec. 2013)

Civil War News – an “impressively researched work.” “Thanks to Barnickel’s fine study, Milliken’s Bend may now finally assume its proper place in Civil War history.” (Oct. 2013)

Civil War Book Review – “one of those books which furthers our understanding of the war”; “Barnickel should be commended…. well researched and well written….Scholars and students of the Civil War era alike will find merit in this work.” (Aug. 9, 2013)

Civil War Books and Authors – “an exhaustively researched gem and a model for future combined battle and memory studies.” (May 13, 2013)

SoldierStudies.org – “an excellent scholarly work…” (May 5, 2013) [This post is no longer active.]