5 comments about Was Jefferson Davis Right?.

1. "Some of the statements seem particularly misguided, for example, the assertion the the Bill or Rights applies only to Federal actions, not state actions!" (I know what you are thinking, this is not my typo, it belongs to Mr. Connelly.) Mr. Connelly, I am writing to inform you "the the Bill or Rights" did originally apply to Federal actions only. It was not until the previous century and the latter part of the one before it did this change. The blame for this can be placed on an activist U.S. Supreme Court of the time.

   Now that this is out of the way, I can say that this is an excellent book for anyone who is Pro-South. I myself found it very pleasing to read and I feel that others will to. It is full of interesting facts that you just can not find in other books. The Kennedy brothers have, as they have done before, written a great book.




2. This book is: 1. A book that opens up bringing Jeff Davis to life telling us of his lifes joys and sorrows. His adventures and his sufferings. His victories and his defeats. 2. It vindicates Davis's character and faith shrugging off the lies told about him as well as John Edsmoe vindicates the Founding Fathers in "Christianity and the Constitution: The Faith of our Founding Fathers" 3. It provides some solid Constitutional points Davis and his countrymen made about states rights and secession. Davis was definatly NOT a traitor. 4. It shows the reader that the issue of slavery was not as cut and dry as television and movies would have us believe. Not everyone who owned slaves was a cruel barbaric beast. And just because the Abolitionists were called abolitionists does not mean they were interested in the well being of black people. In fact they, like the Environmentalists and Anti-Smoking crowd today, were just using the issue as a vehicle to gain control wealth and power. A great book



3. I found this book interesting. I'm an amateur historian with great interest on the Civil War and the leaders from both sides. I originally bought this book looking for more information on the Biographay and beliefs of Jefferson Davis. It does provide some insight into who he was but REMEMBER WHEN READING the authors' state that it is a defense of Jefferson Davis and what he stood for. Therefore this book definately has a slant toward defending and sugar coating who Jefferson Davis was.

   The book is a defense of State Rights (and decentralized government) as opposed to a strong centralized government. Wether you support one idea or the other this book is definately worth reading to get a different point of view.

   For historical reading on Jefferson Davis read his own writings and speeches from his life and service to the United States and then the Confederate States.




4. This book provides a defense of the southern cause. Slavery was a sympton of the civil war, but not it's direct cause. Although the book's intention is to defend Jefferson Davis and the CSA, it does provide some very thought provoking information concerning Abraham Lincoln, the origins of today's Republican party and an authorative central government. It is a worthwhile read for anyone looking to find the second edge to the sword. There is much more to America's bloodiest war, and most of it are skeleton's buried deep in the closet of Abraham Lincoln and the heroism associated with his deeds.



5. History has not been kind to Jefferson Davis. This is especially true now with the current wave of politically correct motivated attacks on him. The Kennedy brothers seek to rectify this by placing him under a mock trial charged with treason against the United States government. Incidentally, Davis repeatly asked for this trial which the U.S. government refused based on recommendation of their legal counsel.
   Most Davis critics know very little about him. An excellent biography introduces him to the reader. The Kennedy's present the questioning and motives of his federal accusers and offer a stalwart defense in his behalf. Decide for yourself if he was guilty or innocent of treason.
   Also, included in addendum are informative documents relative to the period and subject.
   When Jefferson Davis died in 1889 the South mourned. Thousands upon thousands of people of all races and walks of life attended his funeral and processions. The South still loved and respected their president.

5 comments about Stonewall: A Biography of General Thomas J. Jackson.

1. This is an interesting and well-written biography, although not one that I found to be satisfactory on every level. Like John Kennedy and other public figures who died violently at the height of their careers, Stonewall Jackson entered into history in a kind of apotheosis which probably tended to exaggerate his achievements. Aware of the adulatory material that has been written, Byron Farwall is not exactly on a debunking crusade with this book, but he strives so hard for objectivity that readers have to wonder if he errs on the other side and exaggerates the shortcomings of his subject. It's no distortion, of course, to portray Jackson as a quirky personality - the historical record leaves little doubt about that. Like Ulysses Grant, George Pickett, and other military leaders who achieved prominence during the Civil War, Jackson went through West Point with a relatively undistinguished record. A rough country boy with minimal early education, Jackson had to work doubly hard for everything he did accomplish, and he had a reputation for being something of an odd duck and a bumpkin. Two enduring aspects of his nature already apparent at this stage, however, were ambition and a ruthless self-discipline, and he had managed to climb from near the bottom of his class to the top third by the time he graduated. Again like other future Civil War leaders, his first exposure to combat was in the Mexican War, where he was assigned as an artillery officer. He demonstrated a talent for command there, but what marked him more than anything was a utter fearlessness under fire and a hunger to distinguish himself, an objective he accomplished despite what was for Jackson the disappointingly short duration of the war. Assigned later to garrison duty in Florida, his frustrated ambition, no doubt aggravated by boredom, propelled him into petty but vicious conflict with his commanding officer, an ugly little affair in which Jackson revealed his propensity for sustained vendettas against people seemingly out of portion with any real offense. Disillusioned with the peacetime military, Jackson took a job as an instructor at the young Virginia Military Institute. He seemed happy enough in this job, which he held for ten years, even though by most accounts he lacked much talent for it, his stiff manner and inarticulate speech making him unpopular with students. He heard his real calling, of course, with the coming of the Civil War, and he lost no time in seizing the opportunity. It is in the depiction of Jackson's wartime military career that this biography fails for me. It's can't be wholly without reason that Jackson became the legend he did, and Robert E. Lee - nothing if not a judge of military talent - observed that the Southern Cause suffered more from the loss of Jackson at Chancellorsville than it gained from the victory. Yet even though Farwell acknowledges Jackson's "brilliance", even occasionally his "genius", these qualities really don't come alive in the narrative. In describing Jackson's victories, Farwell invariably focuses on the incompetence of his opponents, or on the valor of his soldiers, or on his "luck" in somehow being in the right place at the right time. Except in a couple of episodes, we don't really get a feel for the man in action. In contrast, Jackson's failures, such as during the "Seven Days" campaign in the summer of `62, are placed squarely on his shoulders, recounted for us in the context of his poor planning, rashness, compulsive secrecy, inability to accept advice, and his often dysfunctional relations with peers and subordinates. Farwell does a more balanced job, in my judgment, in depicting Jackson's personality and his private life. We certainly see the vindictiveness, self-righteousness, and eccentricity that often characterized his behavior. But Farwell reveals another side to the man as well. Numerous accounts survive that indicate a great deal of personal warmth and humor when he was relaxing with friends or family. Prior to the war, he spent time in New York and Europe, clearly enjoying cosmopolitan pleasures seemingly at odds with the stereotypical image of him as a dour Presbyterian fanatic. His relationship with his wife, while patronizing by modern standards, was intensely loving and faithful, and fully reciprocal. Apparently based in fact was the odd and touching story portrayed in the recent movie "Gods and Generals". During one lull in the fighting, Jackson spent time at a private home near Fredericksburg, where a little girl attached herself too him, coaxing out of him a playful and kindly side rarely apparent during the war years. To the astonishment of his staff, Jackson wept openly when news came to him later that the child had died of scarlet fever. After being wounded in a nighttime "friendly fire" incident in the very midst of his triumph at Chancellorsville, Jackson had an arm amputated and died from pneumonia contracted during his convalescence. The religious faith which led him to see the hand of God in every victory or defeat, allowed him to approach this painful demise with the same disregard he showed towards the prospect of sudden death in battle. This complex and contradictory portrait of Jackson seems consistent with his nature, and I found this dimension of Mr. Farwell's book to be highly enlightening. While I haven't read other biographies of Stonewall , I imagine that further reading is necessary to get a fully rounded picture of the man's role in the American Civil War.



2. I gave the book three stars for the information but the author's opinions make this book less valuable then it otherwise might have been. For instance he claims the fact that Jackson never lamented his decisions meant he never thought he made a mistake. Jackson wasn't the type of person to go around talking about feelings so no one knows if he did or not. Also the author claims he must have an child out of wedlock and cites sources (just the word sources and not actual people) while at the same time discounting others who claimed the rumors were a lie. The author is just a bit too judgmental and quick to believe things without any proof to back them up. The information may be okay but I found it hard to read with so many of the author's opinions being paraded around as facts.



3. This book is a "must read" for everyone looking for a balanced view of Jackson. Farwell's history of Jackson's military exploits and personal shortcomings (as in Florida prior to secession) are well supported by reference to original documents and by the author's personal research.



4. Biography's of great historical figures are frequently given to exaggeration. Farwell set out to give an account of the "real" Stonewall Jackson, rather than an overly ballyhooed legend. In some respects he did that, painting Jackson as an oddball, eccentric, prude, who bordered on insanity. While the book succeeded in painting Jackson as being more human, I felt the overall tone of the book was far too critical and cynical. It seemed every good thing Jackson did was credited to other soldiers or blind luck...while every bad thing Jackson did was blamed upon his ignorance, stubborness, or lack of sleep. In all honesty, I came away from the book wondering if the author had and "ax to grind" against Stonewall Jackson. Overall the book was well written, and would provide a reality check to those who envison Jackson as being super-human. But just as there are numerous puff pieces on Jackson that make him better than he was...I feel this book to be somewhat of a debunking, which makes Jackson look much worse than he was. In reality, he was somewhere in between. He was a good and godly man who had an uncanny ability to lead men in battle. But he was hard to get along with and a little too bull-headed at times. For a much more accurate view, I would suggest "Stonewall Jackson: The Man, The Soldier, The Legend" By James I. Robertson



5. Byron Farwell's biography of Stonewall Jackson is a comprehensive account of the life and military career of the famous Confederate general. Once I started reading the biography, I couldn't put it down, mainly because of the author's easy-to-read style (given that battles need to be described in reasonable detail). Useful maps accompany the text and enhance the reader's understanding, although the photographic section is somewhat brief.
   
   In contrast to some reviews here, I thought the author was fair and objective with Jackson: he cites first-hand accounts of Jackson's marches, battles and personality, though I'm not sure of the selectiveness or otherwise of these. If anything, he refrains from discussing and interpreting Jackson's strengths and weaknesses at length, leaving the reader to form his or her opinion. Given Jackson's personality, it would have been interesting to have included a comprehensive modern analysis of Jackson's psychological profile.
   
   I have yet to read other Jackson biographies, so I can't compare them with Farwell's biography, but I certainly don't regret buying this book. It made me appreciate the extreme hardships that Civil War soldiers experienced, and brought home the difficulties of serving under Jackson both as a soldier and as an officer, but at the same time it highlights Jackson's military genius and his 'warmer' side.

5 comments about Bold Dragoon: The Life of J.E.B. Stuart.

1. I had forgotten I still had this book on my shelf! I used it early in my college years (1991)to write a Cival War Cavalry paper for an English class. I got a B on the paper, but I had so much fun writing it. This book and others were a big help. Thomas uses actual letters, diaries and news stories to tell the story of J.E.B. Stuart. Terrific book and I highly recomend it to anyone who is into Civil War or general American history!



2. In my humble opinion, Emory Thomas has written what I believe to be the definitive account of one of the 3 most effective calvary generals (Sheridan and Forrest being the other 2) during the Civil War. The writing style flows smoothly throughout the text as the writer goes from one subject to another in JEB Stuart's life.
   
   Among the areas covered include:
   
   1. Stuart's early life and West Point days.
   2. His early US Army service before the Civil War.
   3. His family life.
   4. His Civil War relationships with various generals (Lee, Longstreet, Jackson, etc.) and subordinates (Jones, Rosser, Munford, etc.).
   5. Civil War campaigns and ultimate death from a wound suffered at Yellow Tavern, VA in May 1864.
   6. His evangelical faith.
   7. Stuart's personal strengths and weaknesses.
   
   I appreciated Thomas' ability to respect his subject while also describing his personal weaknesses (extreme vanity and concern with what others thought of him, excessive self-promotion, too much of a flirt with the ladies.). Doing so helped to show Stuart as a mere human being instead of the facade he attempted to portray.
   
   The only complaint I had was not having enough maps showing Stuart's involvement in the many campaigns of the Army of Northern Virginia. The maps in the book were of good quality but there could have been a few more.
   
   All in all, I recommend the book as the best account of JEB Stuart. Read and enjoy!



3. Stuart first met Lee as a cadet at West Point, when Lee was Superintendent, in the early 50's, not at Harpers Ferry.



4. I found this book to be very interesting and to pack a great deal of insight into a relatively short (300-page) biography. It's an entertaining read, and best of all, Thomas doesn't fall into any sort of hero worship. I found his reading of Stuart's troubles getting to Gettysburg to be completely fair and well-reasoned. Indeed, his overall thesis on his subject is somewhat critical, a rarity for a book on someone as lauded as Stuart is. Thomas is a very good writer and does a good job bringing a fascinating man's life into focus.
   
   One nerdy nit-picky point that I, as someone who lives in the Valley, must make: Turner Ashby was killed in Harrisonburg, Virginia, not in Pennsylvania as Thomas asserts. (Yes, I know how lame I sound correcting one minor point in a 300-page book, but I lived in Harrisonburg too long not to represent a little here.)



5. Jeb Stuart would sing these lines at the top of his lungs as he rode with his troops into battle. It must have been some popular tavern song of that time.
   
   A very enjoyable read about this country's finest cavalry officer, James Ewell Brown Stuart, educated at West Point. He was the eyes and ears of General Robert E. Lee, Lee's best scout. He could "command both small and large numbers of horsemen, and he was able to integrate his cavalry with artillery and infantry, as well as to conduct independent operations." This book, like Robertson's biography about Stonewall Jackson is more about the man than actual battle tactics and history. He could trigger stampeeds, just by his presence. Many of his battles were won before they ever started. He and Stonewall were some of this country's finest soldiers of the nineteenth century whose ancestors came from Londonderry, Northern Ireland.
   
   The South's poor horses, that last year of his life, and they had one more year to fight after Stuart's death. They were eating bark off of trees, on scant provisions of feed and hay and regularly slaughtered on the battle field, increasing the number of dismounted soldiers. And of course, the southern soldiers were in desperate straits too.
   
   Thomas faithfully tells the life story of this gallant southern warrior's character. He himself helped to create his legendary character. He was a fighter and one of his last words on the battlefield at Yellow Tavern after he was shot was "I'd rather die than be whipped."
   
   His most famous feat was his twice repeated ride around McClellan's huge Federal host, numbering tens of thousands.
   
   The Civil War was a mass slaughter. Not everyone in this country has revered Abraham Lincoln. My great grandmother whose father was a 16 year old cavalry hand for Nathan Bedford Forrest in Mississippi once remarked at the base of the Lincoln statue at the Lincoln Memorial, "THE OLD COOT!" Would things have turned out differently in that war, if they had had the kind of technology and information we have now available at that time? Could war have been avoided, if the issue of slavery were dealt with differently and laid on the table from the very beginning?? (Sounds like a book for Newt Gingrich).
   
   Particularly intriguing for me was the story of Stuart's apprehension of John Brown, the mass murderer who inflamed the whole slavery issue right before the start of the war. And strange, that this country would exalt a criminal to hero status in song and words. Anyway, it's something to ponder.
   
   Jeb Stuart was a good ole southern boy who didn't touch a drop of liquor following his mother's orders until the last hours of his life. On his deathbed, those gathered in his room sang his favorite hymn, "Rock of Ages".
   
   I did love how retired UGA Athens professor Thomas told his story. This book is probably one of the best biographies of Stuart's life.

No comments about Cavalryman of the Lost Cause: A Biography of J. E. B. Stuart.

5 comments about An Uncommon Soldier: The Civil War Letters of Sarah Rosetta Wakeman, alias Pvt. Lyons Wakeman, 153rd Regiment, New York State Volunteers, 1862-1864.

1. If you want to know what it would of been like to have been poor and chose to go into the Army, this is the book. The amazing part is that this book reminds us how gender has nothing to do with duty and honor. I have read a lot of Civil War books and this one I will always remember. I can still picture her guarding the unfinished capitol building. You cheer her all the way through the book. The honor she is paid is all that she would have asked. We owe so much to those like her, men and women. The author should be commended for sharing Sarah Wakeman'experience with us.



2. Lauren Cook Burgess has given us an important look into the heart of one (of what is turning out to be many)woman's story who fought dressed as a man in the American Civil War. Crossing the gender line was not just a daytime exercise for these women and Wakeman's revelations about what it was like for her to live as a man amongst men who were serving their country.

   Driven more by economics than patriotism, Wakeman's letters reveal a woman who desired to be economically self-sufficient and who embraced one of the few options available to women in the 1860s by cross-dressing. It is a fascinating read for what it tells us about gender, war, comraderie, and the economic stresses that women from poor backgrounds faced in the 19th century.

   It is a miracle to have this information, scant as it may be, so that we can celebrate women's achievements in this bloody war that claimed so many young lives and literally changed the course of U.S. History.




3. I enjoyed this book. However, with only 110 pages, this book is very small. I thought it was going to be a little more detailed. Despite the size of the book it was interesting.



4. "An Uncommon Soldier: The Civil War Letters of Sarah Rosetta Wakeman, alias Pvt. Lyons Wakeman, 153d Regiment, New York State Volunteers, 1862-1864" is edited by Lauren Cook Burgess and contains a foreword by James M. McPherson. The book collects the letters of a young woman who disguised herself as a man in order to enlist in the Union army during the United States Civil War.
   
   In her letters Sarah discusses the draft, army training, pay, troops' living conditions, and her relationship with her family. Along the way she reveals interesting facts about army life. But her letters do more than just convey facts. We also learn of her religious faith, her pride as a soldier, and her hopes for the future. Her letters reveal a courageous, determined, and feisty personality.
   
   The book is full of illuminating features. There are many period photos that help bring Sarah and her world to life. There are even photos of her handwritten letters and of army records that document her military career. Also included in the book are maps of relevant military sites, a history of her army unit, her family genealogy, a comprehensive bibliography, and an index.
   
   The book's introduction, which notes that hundreds of women masqueraded as men in order to fight in the Civil War, helps put these letters in perspective. Also fascinating is McPherson's foreword, which relates the ironic story of editor Burgess' experience as a "Civil War reenactor." I was deeply moved by this book. It's a poignant and inspiring human document. In the end I came away with a great feeling of admiration for this remarkable soldier. As a veteran of another century's war, I salute Private Wakeman and thank Burgess for her outstanding work. Recommended companion text: the novel "Girl in Blue," by Ann Rinaldi.



5. The book is great and Lauren Cook Burgess does a superb job of compiling and explaining this book. However, she does appear to be entirely unfamiliar with gender identity issues and makes no distinctions between Wakeman and his truly female counterparts. I would never see Wakeman as a woman and it certainly sounds like he didn't view himself as one either. Although many women did disguise themselves as men to join the war out of a sense of patriotism or to follow a husband or boyfriend or as a spy, Wakeman was already living as a male before joining the war. He referred to the "other boys" receiving packages which indicates that he saw himself as one as well. (Albert Cashier is another Civil War soldier whom I believe identified as male. He went on to live as male for the rest of his life.) Wakeman wrote of owning a farm one day far from home which indicates that his neighbors were not very accepting of his gender differences. This sounds to me like it was a lifelong issue, which is true of being transgendered. Wakeman writes in the voice of a male. If you didn't know about his gender differences, you would assume he was male - which I believe that he was, in spite of his having been born in a female body.

5 comments about Three Years With Quantrill: A True Story Told by His Scout John McCorkle (Western Frontier Library, Vol 60).

1. Although I don't like giving a 5 star rating to any book this book deserves 6! This is the real stuff, pre WWII, pre WWI, PRE-TV! It was written at a time before historic brainwashing by movies and television existed. Before people were self conscious about telling the truth. We can see the actual format of the "Civil" War sentiments. He reveals the concepts of dying, of The North, Slavery, and other aspects of the era that we are usually forced to accept from modern day writings, reflecting only current, politically correct viewpoints. The down to earth flow of this book is very enjoyable and is great reading for anyone with interest in this subject matter.



2. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Any interested individual or serious student of this era must read this book. I am fortunate enough to live in the present day setting where the author's story took place. This is the real thing. I only wish there had been more works of this quality produced and saved. We would have a much better insight to those times.



3. I Highly recommend McCorkles first-hand account. It is not often that we can resolve much of the differing views of history with first-hand accounts by those that were there during most of the events. I would have given this book a five had it not been for the very "out-of-place" commentary at the front of the book by someone named Hattaway (of West Point New York). I taped the aprox 25 pages together with an adivosry to skip this section as it only appeared to be added to censor McCorkles account and done in very poor taste. Why would someone want to take the time to distort someone's personal account of history. The Introduction by Barton is done very well however. Why would the publisher think that a commentary should be added when the work already had an introduction? I think the Commentary might have been added after the book was submitted just to try to promulgate a pre-conceived notion of history. Skip the commentary and its a great short work.



4. Quantrill is often maligned as a psychopathic killer and a despotic guerilla. John McCorkle not only refutes this common claim by the writers of the winner's history, but shows that Quantrill was a compassionate and honorable man. He shows a side to the War of Northern Aggression that is rarely told.
   
   The introductions decry the author's side of the story, but they provide no evidence that is substantiated. The factual errors that McCorkle relates can easily be relegated to the fact that he was in his 80's when he told his story to O.S. Barton and the ravages of time on the memory are well noted throughout history.
   
   This book is a rare glimpse into what made the Missouri Bushwhacker, or Partisan Ranger as they were properly known, what they were. What they did, how they fought, for what and whom they fought: it's all in here and with a lively color that brings to life the way life was in those most trying of times.



5. This easy-to-read book provides a unique perspective on guerilla battle tactics and how the outlaw rebels of Missouri saw the Civil War conflict. As a former Kansan, it gave me an insight into the slaughter at Lawrence that I was unaware of. Other than John Brown, this subject was rarely discussed in the Kansas history classes I took! And, the viewpoint certainly would have been taboo. The story filled a void in my educational background. Should be required reading for high school students in the Plains States. No wonder the sports rivalry between KU and MU is so bitter! Ironically, published by the University of Oklahoma Press (1992), 232 pp.

1 comments about Grant's Lieutenants: From Cairo to Vicksburg (Modern War Studies).

1. Woodworth is a proven, able civil war historian, but this is one of his weakest books. Instead of concentrating on Grant's relationship with his subordinates, he focuses on mini biographhies of people in Grant's orbit, such as Wallace, Baldy Smith, Sherman and Sheridan. The biographies themselves are no better than what you would find in an encyclopedia and contain absolutely no new or novel information. There is very little material on the personal dynamics between the commander and his minions.

   Grant's famous feuds with Rosecrans, Pap Thomas and Smith are poorly presented and glossed over without inciteful comment. A golden opportunity is missed here, because these disagreements highlight the most interesting aspect of Grant's relationships throughout the war. In short, a slim and completely unpenetrating look at a subject that is well suited for a lengthy and interesting examination.

5 comments about A Diary From Dixie.

1. This primary source document is one of the best windows we have into southern society during the American Civil War. Mary Chestnut was a southern aristocrat, married to the man who was the first to resign his seat in the US Senate before the war. She knew many prominent Confederate leaders well--Jefferson Davis, John Bell Hood, and Wade Hampton among them--and was acquainted with nearly all of the major players in the war (she even spent several occasions in the company of Robert E. Lee and Joseph Johnston). Because she knew so many people, she was in a position to cast a very revealing light on the war from the southern point of view.
   
   Besides knowing so many influential leaders, Mary Chestnut also lived in both Confederate capitals--Montgomery, Alabama and Richmond, Virginia--while they were the government seats. Her husband's plantation was in South Carolina, and in fact her home in Columbia, South Carolina lay right in the path of Sherman's destructive march through the South. As such, Chestnut is poised to offer very interesting commentary on the fire that burned much of that city. Mary and her husband gave their all to the Confederacy, and lost much of what they had because of the Civil War.
   
   Several things in this journal are unique and worthy of mention. First, Chestnut and her friends are living the high life for much of the war, having parties, dinners, and luncheons and more-or-less living it up, even when the Yankees are approaching Richmond. They live comfortable lives, and, though Mary has a very insightful perspective into the suffering of her soldiers, she often spends as much time complaining about some minor inconvenience (such as being without her maid for a week) as she does deploring the sorry state of the starved and ill-clothed soldiers. Mary does what she can, and helps in many ways, but she is not willing to give up her parties, even when her husband repeatedly begs her too.
   
   This diary also provides a unique view of slavery. A staunch abolitionist, Chestnut hated slavery less for the cruel treatment of the slaves than for the insolent behavior of many of them. Her husband's slaves were well taken care of, and did less work than they consumed in goods. Mary recounts many horrific tales of what happened when the slaves were set free--a story of a white family going along a road and picking up a wagonload of Negro infants which had been abandoned by parents enjoying their freedom, for example. She never questions that slavery is wrong, but she does argue that Harriet Beecher Stowe's account of slavery was the exception, not the rule. This is an interesting perspective, whatever the truth of it.
   
   All in all, this is a great diary, and a splendid resource. Thank goodness this book has been reissued. The edition edited by Ben Ames Williams contained unsatisfactory notes, including some in which Williams shamelessly engaged in self-promotion of his novel. This book is indispensable for anyone looking for primary accounts of the human aspect of the war between the states.



2. This book deserves 5 stars for educational value alone. While it does have its slow points, I can say that I have learned more about antebellum culture and Southern war perspective from this book than any other I have read up to this point. The book gives us a glimpse into the mindsets of a demographic of the Southern population we can rarely find anywhere else, and it's incredible to believe that this work was almost thrown into the fire for fear of capture when McClellan's forces dwelt a mere six miles from Richmond's door in early 1862.



3. Mary Chesnut's diary of life in the South during the American Civil War is possibly the best of all American diaries. You could spend weeks making your way through the labyrinth of events -- trivial and important -- and personalities found in the diary.
   
   This edition of the diary is superseded by a better one: "Mary Chesnut's Civil War" edited by C. Vann Woodward which won a Pulitzer Prize for History in 1982. Woodward's edition offers a more complete text and is heavily footnoted with explanatory material. The text in Woodward includes many interesting passages excluded from "A Diary from Dixie" because of limitations of space and because some of them reflected unfavorably on the South and Southerners.
   
   One virtue of this edition is a fine foreword about the diary by literary critic Edmund Wilson, but Wilson's foreword can also be read in his book "Patriotic Gore." I recommend you read Woodward's "Mary Chesnut's Civil War" instead of this book.
   
   Smallchief



4. C-Span did a series called "American Writers" in 2001 and although I consider myself well read it was the first time I had ever heard of Mary Chesnut.
   
   This story of the Civil War, told from the perspective of the civilians at home, was a real eye opener. Mary Chesnut, the wife of a Confederate general, was well off, but even Mary and the ladies in her circle couldn't get shoes to replace their worn ones and could only afford the outrageous prices for food because they had money. One can only imagine the suffering of those less fortunate. Life for civilians was severe and the news from the front, often heartbreaking, added to their woes. This is a unique first person account of the Civil War.
   
   I remember reading that the author of "Gone With the Wind", Margaret Mitchell, did about five years of research before she actually started writing her book. I feel it is highly likely that she read Mary Chesnut's book as part of that research.



5. Mary Chestnut's diary received great exposure as a result of Ken Burns' documentary on PBS. It is well worth reading because 90% of the history we read of the American Civil War focuses on the military campaigns and the politics. Ms. Chestnut tells us more about the social impact of the war than we get from most authors. On top of that, she was a highly intelligent woman who was writing things in confidence that she would be unlikely to say outloud. She had a unique window into the workings of southern society and Confederate politics and she was completely honest in her evaluations. What we get here are very carefully worded opinions that no self-respecting southerner would have dared to admit in 1863. On the topic of slavery, Ms. Chestnut declares, "Ours is a monstrous system." Amid newspaper reports blasting Union General Grant for his brutal tactics and lack of finesse, Ms. Chestnut observes, "He has the disagreeable habit of not retreating before our irresistable veterans." All in all, hers is one of the most honest and well-written accounts of civilian life in the south during the Civil War.

5 comments about Hardtack & Coffee or The Unwritten Story of Army Life.

1. This is the best book on the life of the Civil War soldier. The other reviews attest to this, so here is something different.
   Charles W. Reed, the illustrator, was ALSO a Civil War veteran.
   He served in the Ninth Massachusetts Battery and won the Medal of Honor at Gettysburg for saving his commanding officer, Captain
   John Bigelow, who had been seriously wounded in the fight at the
   Trostle Farm on 2 July 1863.
   My favorite chapter was the one on the army mule.
   Buy, read & enjoy this book!



2. I'm one of those men with the "Civil War Itch" who can't get enough reading, can't get enough time on the battlefields. This book is hands-down one of my favorites in my extensive collection, re-read several times and dog-eared. It's something I always put in my bag for air-travel reading, because you can pick it up and put it down when you need to...the author and the illustrator both were participants in the Conflict, so you know it's accurate. The content is educational but not stuffy, since it was written to explain to soldiers' families what exactly Union Army life was like...and the humor still carries through to this day. After you've read the historical studies or walked a battlefield, THIS is the book you want to read to put yourself in the shoes of the everyday soldier--and it's easy to do with the author's skills. For me, the best chuckles are the chapters "Jonahs and Beats", and "The Army Mule". A must-read for those wanting more than just a general's biography or an order of battle.



3. This engaging book fills the void that other Civil War histories leave, and that is an understanding of the everyday experiences of the foot soldier. "Hardtack and Coffee or the Unwritten Story of Army Life" by John D. Billings is an exhaustive and fascinating look back at the flesh, bones, and blood of those lines and arrows on the maps of Civil War battle strategies.

   The book is filled with anecdotes, observations, and songs arising from the era. (I very much appreciated the introduction which details the election of 1860 and started the whole terrible tragedy that ensued over the next half decade.) The generous amount of illustration truly helps evoke the period. "Hardtack and Coffee" is a perfect companion to Bell Irvin Wiley's "Life of Billy Yank: The Common Soldier of the Union" and "The Life of Johnny Reb: The Common Soldier of the Confederacy". And it is a perfect part of anyone's Civil War/American History library.

   Rocco Dormarunno, author of THE FIVE POINTS




4. I am a Civil War reenactor, and this book has been an excellent source of ideas for first person scenarios and ideas for living history. It is an insightful, unique record of the soldier's life for living historians or students of history. I would highly recommend this engaging book.



5. Hardtack and Coffee provides an excellent picture of Army life in the mid-nineteenth century. The sketches illustrate the text superbly. This is a useful handbook for students and teachers as well as an intriguing introduction to the Civil War.

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