NF Civil war memories - recommendations

[Lukasz85]

Dear Gents,

could you recommend to me any good Civil War memories written by soldiers? I have read already "Co Aytch" of Sam Watkins which I found very interesting and touching ( even if I was not able to understand everything cause I'm not native english speaker).

Many thanks for your recommendations

greetings from Poland,
Lukasz

 

[gary]

John Billings' Hardtack and Coffee.
John Worsham' One of Jackson's Foot Cavalry
E. Porter Alexander's Fighting For the Confederacy
Elisha Hunt Rhodes' All For the Union

 

[FrankN]

Also,
Gone for a Soldier: The Civil War Memoirs of Private Alfred Bellard.

 

[13 IL Cav & 64 GA Inf]

In addition to some of the books that have been mentioned already, I have these books and think they are pretty good:
Rebel Private: Front and Rear - William A. Fletcher
Footprints of a Regiment - Recollections of 1st GA Regulars - William H. Andrews, First Sergeant
A Rebel's Recollections - George C. Eggleston
A Soldier's Story of His Regiment (61st GA) - G.W. Nichols, Private
Four Years With General Lee - Lt. Col. Walter H. Taylor

 

[gary]

Robert Sneden's Eye of the Storm & Images from the Storm
Ulysses S. Grant's Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant
E. Porter Alexander's Miliary Memoirs of a Confederate (this volume was for public reading and his Figthting For the Confederacy was meant for his family and not for the public. I consider Alexander and Grant the two best writers of the war).
Cockrell & Ballard's (ed) A Mississippi Rebel in the Army of Northern Virginia: The Civil War Memoir of Private David Holt
Richard Taylor's Destruction and Reconstruction
Alvah Hunter's A Year on a Monitor and the Destruction of Fort Sumter (Kid serves aboard a monitor and explores the ship and givess a good desscripttion of it).
George Dewey - Autobiography of George Dewey

 

[Lukasz85]

Robert Sneden's Eye of the Storm & Images from the Storm
Ulysses S. Grant's Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant
E. Porter Alexander's Miliary Memoirs of a Confederate (this volume was for public reading and his Figthting For the Confederacy was meant for his family and not for the public. I consider Alexander and Grant the two best writers of the war).
Cockrell & Ballard's (ed) A Mississippi Rebel in the Army of Northern Virginia: The Civil War Memoir of Private David Holt
Richard Taylor's Destruction and Reconstruction
Alvah Hunter's A Year on a Monitor and the Destruction of Fort Sumter (Kid serves aboard a monitor and explores the ship and givess a good desscripttion of it).
George Dewey - Autobiography of George Dewey

Gary, E. Porter Alexander's Miliary Memoirs of a Confederate or Figthting For the Confederacy - which one you find better for a simple reader like me?

 

[Lukasz85]

And if you would have to choose online 1 memoir? What your choice would be?

 

[Josh The Lighthouse Guy]

Ulysses S. Grant's Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant

There are also two annotated versions of Grant's memoirs available.

 

[gary]

Neato! I have the Archive Society reprint (unannotated).

Wyman White's The Civil War Diary of Wyman White. Best Civil War sharpshooter diary. I dug out his pension record and it broke my heart to learn that as an older an he had a lot of trouble related to his military service.

Berry Benson's Berry Benson's Civil War Book: Memoirs of a Confederate Scout and Sharpshooter. Closest equivalent to White's book. Mind you, Benson was a light infantry skirmisher and not a targe rifle armed marksman.

 

[gary]

And if you would have to choose online 1 memoir? What your choice would be?

Grant's. Then E. Porter Alexander. IMO, they're the best memoir from either sides.

 

[SJU]

Gary, E. Porter Alexander's Miliary Memoirs of a Confederate or Figthting For the Confederacy - which one you find better for a simple reader like me?

Great question. One is definitely more readable than the other. Unfortunately I can't remember which one but someone here will definitely answer.

 

[gary]

Lukazk85 - It's been decades since I've read either. Tthe former is the public face E. Porter Alexander penned and the latter was meant for his immediate familly. I would read Military Memoirs first and then Fighting second.

 

[Lukasz85]

Lukazk85 - It's been decades since I've read either. Tthe former is the public face E. Porter Alexander penned and the latter was meant for his immediate familly. I would read Military Memoirs first and then Fighting second.

Many thanks for your recommendations - I will take them into consideration. Greetings from Poland.

 

[SJU]

I read this many years ago. Good book from an enlisted man's perspective.

 

[gary]

Many thanks for your recommendations - I will take them into consideration. Greetings from Poland.

Greetings to our Polish friend from afar.

 

[Lukasz85]

I read this many years ago. Good book from an enlisted man's perspective.
View attachment 574158

Many thanks, I will buy it. Thank you for your recommendation.

 

[Lukasz85]

Most probably the next one on my list will be:

 

[SWS]

Greetings. My grandmother's family was from Gmina Jeleniewo in Suwałki.

I would recommend Captain D. Augustus Dickert's The History of Kershaw's Brigade.

 

[Lukasz85]

I read this many years ago. Good book from an enlisted man's perspective.
View attachment 574158

I have just finished this book. Wonderful. Many thanks for recommendation. Especially the ending was touching to me when the soldiers became brothers needed to bid farewell to each other.

 

[Peace Society]

I really enjoyed traveling with these guys:
Theodore Lymann - Meade's HQ
John Beatty - Citizen Soldier
Rufus Dawes - Service with the 6th WI