Yankee Warhorse traces the biography of one of the few German-American major generals during the Civil War. Author Mary Bobbitt Townsend is a descendant of General Peter Osterhaus who started researching his life and ended up writing a book about him.

Though wary readers of this review may worry that this is one of those boring genealogical biographies that only the family would be interested in, Yankee Warhorse is instead a well-written historical biography of this general who was involved in several major battles during the Civil War. Chosen to please the Germans, he stood out as a great choice compared to other political generals, having received training as a soldier in Germany and gained experience as an officer in the 1848 German revolutions.

The chapters could have been subdivided, but other than that the book is well-researched and written. Townsens used battle reports and other primary sources, many of which have never been published before, and includes illustrations, maps, a bibliography and an index. This book is part of the University of Missouri Press’s Shades of Blue and Gray series and is highly recommended to Civil War enthusiasts and those interested in German-Americans.