NF Suggestions For First-hand Accounts Of The Civil War?

Non-Fiction

Solomon

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Joined
Aug 20, 2017
Location
Knoxville, TN
As I start to build my small ACW bookshelf, I am becoming interested in first-hand accounts of the war. I typically lean more towards Confederate stories, but want and need to expand my knowledge of Union accounts, and I would say that a better qualifier would be that I am more inclined towards lower rank (say, private to captain) and more inclined towards diary-type accounts and memoirs of life in the army (or particular regiment, brigade, etc) or serving under a particular officer.

If there is not a previous thread on the forum regarding this subject, I would like this one to serve as a reference for others, so feel free to suggest anything that struck you as particularly well-written or moving, no matter the pay-grade or content. The books can be old or new, and from a large publishing house or local/university press, with the only firm qualifier being that they are first-hand. When making suggestions, please try to include the author and publisher, if known, so others can look for them if interested.

Many thanks in advance!
 
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Without knowing what you are looking for it is hard to suggest.

Fairly common ones from my home state of Michigan.

Civil War Journal of a Union Soldier presented by P.C. Zick 172 pages long.
Personal Reminiscences of Samuel Harris (first lt. Fifth Michigan Cavalry) 141 pages long

Less common.

The Civil War Letters of Johannes Van Lente (translated from Dutch in to English by Janice L. Van Lente). 173 pages. This book has some insight of what a Dutch immigrant living in the Holland Colony of Michigan thought. Not much military stuff but mostly private thoughts.

The Diary of Ira Gellaspie of the Eleventh Michigan Infantry. Nice little booklet of 51 pages if you can find it.

My Dear Wife the Civil War Letters of W.H. Withington. Hard to find 23 page booklet.

Michigan has several others that are well known and easy to find.
 
I recently read a couple--these are higher-up officers:

A Diary of Battle The Personal Journals of Colonel Charles S. Wainwright 1861-1865, ed. Allan Nevins. I did not like Wainwright, who (IMHO) was a horrible snob. On the other hand, his accounts are vivid and accurate, and his diary is a primary source for a lot of history. For example, Wainwright's diary is, I understand, the primary source for the account that General Reynolds was offered the command of the Army of the Potomac before it was given to Meade. Wainwright was Reynolds' chief of artillery for the First Corps and heard this directly from Reynolds on June 29, 1863. Wainwright was in all the Army of the Potomac campaigns except the Seven Days, during which he was on sick leave. In 1864-65, after the First Corps was reorganized out of existence, he was artillery chief for the Fifth Corps under Warren.

Forgotten Valor: The Memoirs, Journals, and Civil War Letters of Orlando B. Willcox, edited by Robert Garth Scott. Willcox was from Michigan, was captured at First Bull Run and spent over a year of what he called "A Tour of Southern Prisons," then was a division commander in the Ninth Corps. IMHO, he was a much more likeable person than Col. Wainwright, and I particularly enjoyed his letters to his wife and children.

[Edited later to correct the spelling of Willcox--autocorrect strikes again!]
 
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Thanks @major bill! Great suggestions, and a great start! I am interested in all, but will try to narrow my guidelines a tad in original post. I suppose I would like the thread to serve as a reference for others interested as well though too, broadly.
 
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Frank Haskell's account of the Battle of Gettysburg.
Personal Recollections of the Civil War by John Gibbon.
War Years with Jeb Stuart by W.W. Blackford.
Mary Chestnuts' Civil War Diary.
Diary of James Kidd by Eric Wittenberg.
Personal Recollections (Reminiscences) of the Civil War by John B. Gordon.
These are just a few titles off the top of my head. I have hundreds and hundreds in my private library. David.
 
Read any of a number of fine Civil War books written by John Michael Priest who focuses on the written accounts of individual soldiers, junior, and field grade officers. He does a fine job of describing battles thru the eyes of average combatant. His documentation will lead you to the original sources if you wish to delve in deeper.
 
Read any of a number of fine Civil War books written by John Michael Priest who focuses on the written accounts of individual soldiers, junior, and field grade officers. He does a fine job of describing battles thru the eyes of average combatant. His documentation will lead you to the original sources if you wish to delve in deeper.
I think he is a very good historian and speaker. I have heard him speak several times at various functions and enjoyed his lectures very much. A wonderful suggestion. David.
 
What I Saw of Shiloh by Ambrose Bierce.

It's a short and engrossing read, and best of all, totally free! Bierce was one of the most famous writers and satirists in the 19th Century, but before he gained national acclaim he served in the 9th Indiana Infantry during the Civil War. In 1881 the above account of his experiences during the battle of Shiloh was published in the San Francisco Wasp. The 9th Indiana was part of Don Carlos Buell's army that reinforced Grant on the night of April 6th.
 
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Arthur J Freemantle's take on the confederacy is very interesting. It does portray his view of confederate commanders, but awesome nonetheless. Called "Three months in the southern conferacy" I believe.

There is the eyewitness series by The late David Ogsden that portrays at least 5 different battles in a series of pamphlets he has done. It includes firsthand accounts of Franklin, Nashville, Shiloh, Perryville and Murfreesboro- each with their own dedicated book. Both federal and rebel accounts of privates, nco's and officers from both sides. Awesome job, just not always chronological as he had hoped.
 
I've read a lot of Confederate memoirs and diaries written by enlisted men or junior officers and these are some of the best I have read:

A Mississippi Rebel in the Army of Northern Virginia: The Civil War Memoirs of Private David Holt - excellent memoir by an enlisted man in the 16th Mississippi Infantry. Very detailed, well-written accounts of personal experiences and battles.

Civil War Memoir of Philip Daingerfield Stephenson, D.D. - great memoir by a boy from St. Louis who served in both the 13th Arkansas Infantry and later the New Orleans Washington Artillery in the Army of Tennessee.

Memoirs of a Confederate Scout and Sharpshooter by Berry Benson - by a soldier in the 1st South Carolina Infantry and later sharpshooter in the Army of Northern Virginia. He was also captured and escaped from prison camps twice.

Co. Aytch
by Sam Watkins - classic memoir by a soldier who served in the 1st Tennessee Infantry in the Army of Tennessee. Good account of the average soldier's life, though does contain some discrepancies as to certain events or Watkins' service.

Rags and Hope by Val C. Giles - very well-written diary by a member of the 4th Texas Infantry, Hood's Texas Brigade.

Lone Star Confederate by Robert Campbell - memoir and reminiscences by a soldier in the 5th Texas Infantry and later staff officer in Hood's Brigade. Very detailed accounts of some of their battles.

Rebel Private: Front and Rear by William A. Fletcher - another good memoir by soldier in the 5th Texas Infantry.

One of Cleburne's Command: The Civil War Reminiscences and Diary of Capt. Samuel T. Foster - excellent diary by a company commander in Granbury's Texas Brigade, Cleburne's Division, Army of Tennessee.

Captain Joseph Boyce and the 1st Missouri Infantry - Capt. Boyce's reminiscences of his service in Cockrell's Missouri Brigade. Fought in many of the major battles in the Western Theater.
 
" A Rebel war clerk's diary at the Confederate States Capitol " v.1. Jones, J. B. (John Beauchamp), 1810-1866, little obscure, but one of those published diaries containing interesting nuggets? Free!
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=yale.39002015354039;view=1up;seq=9

Regimental publications & personal narratives ... v.1 pt.6. Dornbusch, C. E. (Charles Emil), 1907-1990.
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=pst.000001562217;view=1up;seq=17 - bookmarked this because it's just useful but has personal stories.

Just two bookmarks from Hathitrust, it doesn't look like you'll need them! What a terrific reading list our members came up with!
 
The Confederate Veterans magazine is full of first hand accounts of the CW you can get a cd with all the issues on it and there are some "Great Reads"
 
I enjoy reading diaries and memoirs of the people who experienced the cw. I have had these books for almost forty years. Here are some of my favorites:

I RODE WITH STONEWALL, HENRY KYD DOUGLAS, War experiences of the youngest member of Jackson' staff, Chapel Hill publishers.

RECOLLECTIONS OF A CONFEDERATE STAFF OFFICER, Brig. Gen. Moxley Sorrel, CSA, Broadfoot Publishing Co.

FOUR YEARS ON THE FIRING LINE, James Cooper Nisbet, Personal Narrative of a Confederate Officer, Broadfoot Publishing Co.

MY DEAR PARENTS, James Horrocks, Letters from volunteer enlisted in 5th Battery New Jersey of Union Army, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Publishers.

BY AN OLD JOHNNIE, James Dinkin, Personal Recollections and Experiences in the Confederate Army. Morningside Bookshop.

THE CIVIL WAR DIARY OF WYMAN S. WHITE, First Sergeant,Company F 2nd U.S. Sharpshooters, Butternut and Blue Publishers.

A VIRGINIA GIRL IN THE CIVIL WAR written by Myrta Lockett Avary. The book is a record of the actual experiences of the wife of a confederate officer. (I discovered her name is Margaret Herron Bowden & husband's name: Joseph
Van Holt Nash. I was able to correspond with their great-grandson GH Greene a few years ago. He swore the story was true.)
 
FANTASTIC suggestions! I have a couple of those on my "to get" list, and definitely see a few I'd like to add. Thank you - all of you - especially for the mini-reviews. Great job CWT! Truly appreciated, and great resource!
 
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