A basic Civil War library?

[James Brenner]

Re: Beginner's bibliography

Here are two that are from a little different perspective, but may be a little beyond the intoductory level:

Clarence R. Geier and Susan E. Winter, ed., Look to the Earth, Historical Archaeology and the American Civil War (Knoxville: Univ. of Tenn. Press, 1994)

Clarence R. Geier and Stephen R. Potter, ed., Archaeological Perspectives of the American Civil War , (Gainesville: Univ. of Florida Press, 2000)

Look to the Earth is available from Amazon and I purchased Historical Archaeology at Harpers Ferry NHP.

[ley74]

Re: Beginner's bibliography

"Post of Honor" - Letters of Shepherd Pryor 12th Georgia Infantry

This book is a very faithful transcription of Shep's letters on file at the University of Georgia. Frequently quoted by Wiley and Robertson.

[hireddutchcutthroat]

Re: Beginner's bibliography

Diary of a Confederate Soldier; John S. Jackman

Johnny Green of the Orphan Brigade, The Journal of a Confederate Soldier; Johnny Green

These books are an amazing read, not only for their pure historical content, but the fact that both men knew one another and many accounts mirror one another. It is also an excellet example of a war time diary vs a post war "rose colored glasses" memoir.

[Chuck A Luck]

Re: Beginner's bibliography

Fellers,

I've found the following to have a lot of good information:

The "Civil War Diary" by Rice C. Bull, entitled "Soldiering". Perhaps it was on someone's list. If so, I missed it & my apologies.

Here's a nice passage I just ran across (p.162):
"We had so little to pack that when haste required we could be ready to move in fifteen minutes. We kept all our supplies inot in use in our knapsacks and haversacks. If called on to move suddenly we only had to roll up our blanket, take down our tent, strap our blanket and tent cloth to our knapsack, buckle on our ammunition belt, sling on our canteen, haversack, and take our musket and we were ready to fall in. We then had on our backs our house, our furniture, our bed, our clothing, our cooking utensils, our food for three days or more, forty rounds of ammunition, our gun and the many little things from home one has in his knapsack that he feels he cannot throw away until dire necessity forces him to do so..."

[hireddutchcutthroat]

Re: Beginner's bibliography

Diary of a Confederate Soldier; John S. Jackman

Johnny Green of the Orphan Brigade, The Journal of a Confederate Soldier; Johnny Green

[theknapsack]

Re: Beginner's bibliography

This one is good, if you can find it.
Strong, Robert Hale. A Yankee Private's Civil War Edited by Ahsley Halsey. Henry Regnery Company, 1961

Strong was in the 105th IL. Infantry, Company B.

[KentuckyReb]

Re: Beginner's bibliography

Myself I'm a big fan of Shelby Foote's three volume set The Civil War: A Narrative. I know it's a big pill to swallow--each volume is thicker than a lot of cities' phone books--but he covers coast to coast, border to border, the homefront, overseas perspectives, the diplomacy and the politics, and of course the military operations both land and sea, on a day-to-day basis from start to finish. It's also a 'warts & all' look at all the characters in the great story, from presidents to generals to privates to the home folks, with just enough prose to Mr. Foote's style to make it iminently engaging without being overly romanticized. No regional bias to be found in it, just straight history. Little will be found there regarding particular regiments--only on an anecdotal basis--but it's an excellent telling of the story of the War.

[bAcK88]

Re: Beginner's bibliography

Here's one that I enjoyed.

Power, J. Tracy. Lee's Miserables: Life in the Army of Northern Virginia from the Wilderness to Appomattox. Univ of North Carolina Press, 1998

[BillO'Dea]

Re: Beginner's bibliography

Three about the life that i have enjoyed and gave a feeling for what the Eastern war was like.
Bill O'Dea
Syracuse ,NY
The Diary of a Dead Man 1862-1864-
The diary and letters of Ira Pettit
Complied by J.P.Ray
Eastern Acorn Press 1981

Inside the Army of the Potomac
The Civil War Experiance of Capt. Francis Adams Donaldson
Edited by J. Gregory Acken
Stackpole books 1998

Turned Inside Out
Recollections of a private soldier in the Army of the Potomac
Frank Wilkeson
University of Nebraska press

[Will Eichler]

Re: Beginner's bibliography

The Civil War Diary of a Common Soldier: William Wiley of the 77th Illinois Infantry - Edited by Terrence J. Winschel

Will Eichler

[hireddutchcutthroat]

Re: Beginner's bibliography

Bullet and Shell _George F Williams

A Volunteer's Adventures_John William De Forest

One of Jacksons Foot Cavalry_John H. Worsham

The Story of a Cannoneer Under Stonewall Jackson_Edward A. Moore

Two Great Rebel Armies_Richard M. McMurry

[JimKindred]

Re: Beginner's bibliography

Robert M. Reilly, American Socket Bayonets and Scabbards, Andrew Mowbray Incorporated, 1990.

[SGulley]

Re: Beginner's bibliography

Four Years With the Iron Brigade
The Civil War Journal of William Ray, Company F, Seventh Wisconsin Volunteers

Edited by Lance Herdegen and Sherry Murphy

[Enfilade]

Re: Beginner's bibliography

How about these?;

Hardee's Manual of Arms
Gilham's " " "
Casey's " " "
Scott's " " "
Baxter's " " "

Or whoever's unit you are supposed to be portraying at any given time period of the war and the manual they were using. Read the manuals and drill.

Mark Berrier
North State Rifles
combinations@northstate.net

[hireddutchcutthroat]

Re: Beginner's bibliography

Here are a few more must reads

Soldiering; Rice Bull

Gone for a Soldier; Alfred Ballard

The Story of a Common Soldier; Leander Stillwell

Hard Marching Everyday; Wilbur Fisk

Civil War Diary of a Forty Niner; Horatio Chapman