Description
Book SynopsisAs historian David W. Bright noted in Race and Reunion: The Civil War in American Memory, "No other historical experience in America has given rise to such a massive collection of personal narrative 'literature' written by ordinary people." This "massive collection" of memoirs, recollections and regimental histories make up the history of the Civil War seen through the eyes of the participants. This work is an overview of what Civil War soldiers and veterans wrote about their experiences. It focusses on what veterans remembered, what they were prepared to record, and what they wrote down in the years after the end of the war. In an age of increased literacy many of these men had been educated, whether at West Point, Harvard or other establishments, but even those who had received only a few years of education chose to record their memories.
The writings of these veterans convey their views on the cataclysmic events they had witnessed but also their memories of everyday events during the war. While many of them undertook detailed research of battles and campaigns before writing their accounts, it is clear that a number were less concerned with whether their words aligned with the historical record than whether they recorded what they believed to be true. This book explores these themes and also the connection between veterans writing their personal war history and the issue of veterans’ pensions. Understanding what these veterans chose to record and why is important to achieving a deeper understanding of the experience of these men who were caught up in this central moment in American life.
Trade ReviewIt is the ubiquity of the soldier voices that readers and historians alike will find impressive. It reminds both the Civil War historian and the Civil War buff that studying the words of soldiers—and thereby understanding their ideas and motivations, their hopes and their fears—enables us to see the war from the perspective of those who lived through it and experienced it at its best and worst moments. * Journal of Military History 11/01/2023 *
Military historians are fortunate that so many of the American Civil War's participants were literate and left behind detailed accounts of their service. This work collects many of them into an interesting volume on the Army of the Potomac. The author illuminates their thoughts, attitudes, and perceptions of the war raging around them. * Military Heritage 07/12/2022 *
Table of ContentsPreface Chapter 1 Remembrance as History Chapter 2 From Reunion to Revolution Chapter 3 An Incident on the Road to Spotsylvania Court House Chapter 4 One Vast Field of Intense, Earnest Action Chapter 5 If There is No Objection - None in the World Chapter 6 Skirmishers Three Deep Chapter 7 Maybe This Time Chapter 8 Pursuit to the Potomac Chapter 9 Return to the Rappahannock Chapter 10 Again, the Wilderness Chapter 11 Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor and Across the James Chapter 12 Petersburg Chapter 13 Closing Out the War Conclusion Bibliography Source Notes
