In our current wave of zoo-historicism, it is fitting that we now have—and, indeed, should have—a volume about the significance of animals in the American Civil War. Animal Histories of the Civil War Era tracks several unique aspects to animals in the war—including the treatment of horses, the ethics of eating meat, and the role of the national zoo. In the introduction, Hess adopts an intersectional position: “Both animal studies and animal history are interdisciplinary in nature” (2). Although he lists some of the disciplines involved—“history, science, environmentalism, psychology, philosophy”—his main focus appears to be the merging of history with an appreciation for animal ethics. Indeed, the first works that he references are by Singer and Regan.1
Later in the introduction, Hess indicates a general disapproval of many of the current animals-in-war books, citing their “popular and all too often superficial nature” and saying that “they tell the story...