Rare surviving journal of a foot soldier in Civil War, what the war was really like for a participant. Particularly important today with our soldie...
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reviews
Sep 28, 2009
Amy
rated it: 
Authentic memoirs by a Texan who enlisted, and refused advancement, as he believed it would hamper his freedom. After participating in many battles, spending time in hospital, he returned home. He was apparently quite broad-minded for his time and part of the country. It's very interesting to read what his granddaughter writes of her memories of him, as well.
It started off well, but I got totally bogged down (and bored) in the details of each battle he was in. I am not into readi More...
It started off well, but I got totally bogged down (and bored) in the details of each battle he was in. I am not into readi More...
Jan 21, 2010
Bryan
rated it: 
Happened upon this book not long after finishing another first-person account of the American Civil War. That book, based on the diary and letters of a Union soldier, makes a great companion to this one. Both should be read by any modern-day fan of learning more about our nation's most turbulent time.
From a literary standpoint, Rebel Private is the better book. Written several decades after the war's conclusion, it benefits from it's design as a tale of Bill Fletcher's experience. More...
From a literary standpoint, Rebel Private is the better book. Written several decades after the war's conclusion, it benefits from it's design as a tale of Bill Fletcher's experience. More...
Dec 20, 2011
Kim
rated it:
This is the first book I've read that truly speaks to the everyday life of a soldier in the Confederate Army. One often reads what life was supposedly like for the common soldier, as most stories were told from the point of view of higher ranking officers. This memoir provides in great detail the true conditions endured by the soldiers.
May 18, 2011
Chuck
rated it:
A classic and well written journal of a Confederate enlisted soldier during the Civil War. Of the same genre as the Sam Watkins book, but very different in style and approach. Mr Fletcher is brutally honest, more observant, more hardened, and a bit more educated than Mr Watkins. A recommended read.
Nov 23, 2009
laura
rated it: 
The writing is really disjointed in parts but I have to say this guy really doesn't hold back the bad stuff he did. Unlike many florid Victorian tales of bravery and love for the enemy, he is unreconstructed and not ashamed to have begged, borrowed, and stolen to make it in the war.
Jan 27, 2012
John
rated it:
I enjoyed this book - written by a common soldier on the Southern side. I enjoyed the view from the bottom up so to speak. Enjoyable.
Jun 03, 2009
Avis
rated it: 
Of interest as a realist memoir, but how many books by a sociopath do you want to read? There are plenty of other good Civil War memoirs out there by people who are decent human beings who do not pull their punches, either.
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