Well, I'm an Aussie with a growing fascination and interest in the ACW. I have `Gettysburg' on DVD and have just finished `The Killer Angels' by Michael Shaara. The whole concept of a `civil' war amazes me and after having read `Angels' I am particularly struck by the melancholy tone to the ACW - it really was `brother against brother'.
I am very moved by the fact that many of the senior officers on both sides had previously served together and were very good friends (Armistead and Hancock) and this to me is truly very sad.
I intend to find out as much as I can about this subect and would welcome any recommendations on `first-hand' written accounts of the war from either side. Any suggestions.
Howdy Brian,
Welcome!....It is wonderful to have someone here from outside our borders. I’d love to hear your take on the war. I think you can find some stuff you are looking for at these sites. If not just ask. We are all eager to help.
Welcome and good luck on your search on the 'Civil War!' Tommy in the above post has listed some excellent sites to begin your research and I would further suggest that you cruise the posts here on this board for some excellent debates on the war and its causes.
Welcome and please do not be afraid to ask questions, give opinions and participate in debates!
Sincerely,
Unionblue
__________________ "The American people and the Government at Washington may refuse to recognize it for a time but the inexorable logic of events will force it upon them in the end; that the war now being waged in this land is a war for and against slavery." Frederick Douglass
"Loyalty to our ancestors does not include loyalty to their mistakes." George Santayana
Welcome to the board! I, too, am excited to have someone from outside the borders here on CWT. I'm glad you've picked up the The Killer Angels. That book is a personal favorite of mine. Well, I hope to see you in some of the other discussions. -Rallyround
If you'd like a book describing the experiences of the common Civil War soldier, I might suggest <u>Company Aytch</u> by Sam Watkins. Watkins was a Confederate who served all four years of the war and saw action in a number of battles.
The book may be available through a number of sources, but I know it is available at Amazon.com.
Many thanks for kind words of welcome. Aphillbilly, am working my way through the sites you mention. Wow! What a wealth of info - so much to see, so little time!
George, you will be pleased to know that I have placed an order with Amazon for `Company Aitch', as well as "All for the Union: The Civil War Diary and Letters of Elisha Hunt Rhodes (Vintage Civil War Library)". Both look good; now if I can just wait the 6 weeks or so it takes for the books to get `down under' .
Australia is a place I've wanted to get to for quite a while; one of these days, I'll get there.
While some of the members might disagree with me, the books written by James McPherson offer valuable information on the Civil War. For two of his books, which I found particularly insightful, McPherson researched thousands of Civil War letters and hundreds of diaries. For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War, 237 pages, is the most complete. What They Fought For, 1861-1865, 88 pages is a series of lectures based on his research for the previous book.
I found it interesting to compare the personal motivations described in these two books with the motivations listed in the WWII classic, Men Against Fire, by Brigadier General S. L. A. Marshall.
Well, once again, welcome, Brian, and remember: The Infantry lends color to what otherwise would be a stuffy affair.
It certainly was one grand family feud and if you read any of the books by the top officers like Grant, Lee, Longstreet, et al, they all knew one another. Right now I'm reading Otis Howard's (Chancellorsville 11th Corps fame) memoirs and he does a bit of name dropping himself.
Besides emancipation, the best thing that came from this squabble is plenty of good reading for those of us who can reflect upon it from the safety of our homes.
Here is a site providing a lot of first hand accounts of the war from the Southern viewpoint. It is free, and you don't have to wait for the book to be delivered eh?
YMOS
tommy
Not sure why this link doesn't work here but if you copy/paste it, then it works fine. If it doesn't work for you, let me know.
First-Person Narratives of the American South
Collection of Electronic Texts
"First-Person Narratives of the American South" documents the American South from the viewpoint of Southerners. It focuses on the diaries, autobiographies, memoirs, travel accounts, and ex-slave narratives of relatively inaccessible populations: women, African Americans, enlisted men, laborers, and Native Americans. The texts for this project come from the Academic Affairs Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the Editorial Board for Documenting the American South guides its development.
(Message edited by aphillbilly on September 13, 2003)
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