NF What's your favorite Civil War diary/memoir?

Non-Fiction

lupaglupa

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In the course of doing research for my family history, I've read a lot of diaries/memoirs written by CW soldiers. Some have short, factual entries written during the war, some have long narratives written well after the war was over. All give a glimpse not only of the events observed by the soldier but also of the personality of the writer. Nearly all are interesting but a few are special - just great accounts of one person's life that would be enjoyable to read even if you weren't a big fan of the Civil War era.

So - I'm curious. What's your favorite among the diaries and/or memoirs you've read?
 
Although I've read a number of good Civil War books by participants I'd have to say my favorites are "Memoirs of a Volunteer " by John Beatty and "With Grant and Meade from the Wilderness to Appomattox" by Theodore Lyman.

It's very hard to argue with the choice of Lyman. He was a brilliant observer and commentator.
 
"The History of a Brigade of South Carolinians" by J. F. J. Caldwell. It's one of the first books I ever read when I became interested in Civil War history, and I like to re-read it every year.


I don't know that one - I will have to check it out!
 
"The History of a Brigade of South Carolinians" by J. F. J. Caldwell. It's one of the first books I ever read when I became interested in Civil War history, and I like to re-read it every year.


Memoirs of the War of Secession, From the Original Manuscripts of Johnson Hagood, Brigadier General, CSA is a good one too.
 
"The History of a Brigade of South Carolinians" by J. F. J. Caldwell. It's one of the first books I ever read when I became interested in Civil War history, and I like to re-read it every year.

This one particularly caught my eye. It was published in 1866 just one year after the war, and the Introduction (5 pages) is worthy of a Master's dissertation. No date to the Intro, so I am not positive, but do believe it was written before the publishment date. He mentions Governor Orr, who presided in that seat from 1865 to 1868.
Lubliner.
 
A western Federal who went through the whole war putting down a illegal rebelion...
Campaigning with Uncle Billy: The Civil War Memoirs of Sgt. Lyman S. Widney 34th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Edited by Robert I. Girardi

Kevin Dally
Lyman Summerfield Widney, 34th Illinois Volunteer Infantry.jpg
 
There are so many and they are all amazing in their own way, I have read around 20 to date and have yet to find a bad one, they all make a valuable picture into the past, I re read them all every few years. Chesnut stands out as a very gifted and perceptive writer, as do Kate Stone and Sarah Morgan but they saw a much smaller picture, Chesnut was among Davis, Lee, Hood in a personal way, Grant memoirs, Lee's dispatches, its all good. And the small picture is just as valuable and is fascinating to read their small part in some major battle which they didn't get a larger understanding of what part they had played until sometimes decades later
 
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