Civil War Memoirs

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I am currently reading the memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant. The only other CW Memoir I have read was Campaigning With Grant, by Horace Porter. I thought I'd make a thread for anyone who wanted to recommend or review any first accounts from veterans of the American Civil War. After I finish the Grant memoirs I would like to read a book written by a southerner to get a Confederates point of view, but not sure where to start.

 

[Nathanb1]

I am currently reading the memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant. The only other CW Memoir I have read was Campaigning With Grant, by Horace Porter. I thought I'd make a thread for anyone who wanted to recommend or review any first accounts from veterans of the American Civil War. After I finish the Grant memoirs I would like to read a book written by a southerner to get a Confederates point of view, but not sure where to start.

The obvious answer is Porter Alexander's memoirs, or Company Aytch by Sam Watkins....or both. They're not only well-written but entertaining as heck and give you both an officer's viewpoint and that of an enlisted man. And don't forget to check out the past threads on the Book and Movie Review forum for other ideas on diaries to enjoy.

 

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Thanks for the suggestion! Oh geez, I totally overlooked the book forum. I guess I am still getting familiar with this place.

 

[Brenal]

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A good book to read in conjunction with the Grant and Porter memoirs is Charles A Dana's Recollections of the Civil War. Dana, a newspaperman made an assistant Secretary of War, was sent by Stanton to be the governments eyes at the front to observe Grant and report back on the unfolding Vicksburg campaign. He was later with Grant at Chatanooga and throughout most of the Overland campaign. A really good read.

 

[donna]

If you want the views of an enlisted Confederate soldier, I recommend "Johnny Green of the Orphan Brigade". I wrote about it in book and movie thread.

 

[donna]

Another memoir I would highly recommend is "The Civil War Reminiscences of General Basil W. Duke, C.S.A". Duke entered the War when Missouri seceded and continued to have a long and remarkable career in the Confederate military, leading John Hunt Morgan's raiders after Morgan's death. Duke recounts his many experiences and encounters during the Civil War and Reconstruction and gives opinions of prominent men of the Confederacy, including Jefferson Davis, Nathan Bedford Forrest, and Albert Sidney Johnston. He describes life in the military camps in intimate detail and reveals in its anecdotes of military life the many complex realities of the Civil War.

 

[atom]

Thank you for the recommendations, donna! I didn't realize there were so many.

 

[1SGDan]

If you have any interest in Civil War engineers I recommend Building Bridges in War time by Wesley Brainerd

 

[Robtweb1]

"Two Wars", by Major General Samuel Gibbs French
"The 13th Tennessee Infantry, by it's Old Commander". Brigadier General Alfred J. Vaughan

 

[Freddy]

If you are interested in a Civil War Diary by a Union soldier then look here: www.civilwardiary.net

 

[jenkingish]

Watkins' "Company Aytch" was the first private soldier's memoir I read. I thought it was the best, and still do. I've read it countless times, and it will always be one of my favorites.