The Diary of a Dead Man, 1862-1864: The Unedited Diary and Letters of Ira Pettit, a Union Private, Who Fought on the Battlefields of Chancellorsville, ... Prison by Ira S. Pettit

by Ira S. Pettit

The unedited diary and letters of Ira Pettit, a Union Private, who fought on the battlefields of Chancellorsville, Gettysburg and the Wilderness, and who died in the squalor of Andersonville Prison.

Genres: History, Civil War, Biography, Nonfiction, American History, American Civil War

430 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Maggie Dempsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually don't find non-fiction to be interesting, but this is an unedited diary of a man who served and died during the Civil War. I find American war history to be HUGELY intriguing... Already having to look up a lot of the terms used here, they're not all footnoted.

This was a hugely depressing book - although I really did not expect it to be. The short, terse notation and diary style was hard to get into at first, but after reading a year and a half of his journal, I felt as though I almost knew Ira Pettit.

It was crushing to read silly, menial things like how he felt guilty about spending $5 on a hat... only to die of an infected headwound a few months later.

It puts a lot of things into perspective really. How easy we have it in the modern era. How easily young men rush off to war. How quickly we forget that people died for our freedom.

[Daniel Burnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting look into the life of a Civil War soldier. Lots of focus on movements, but the letters home provided insights into the concerns you never think about: logistics of communicating, how soldiers worried when they sent cash home with their letters. Not the most thrilling book but good for what it is.

[Delbert Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book - contains diary entries and letters to Ira Pettit’s family back home in Wilson, New York. Very little about the Civil War, but daily comments and concerns about himself and his family. A great book for local history buffs.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the diary of Ira Pettit who was a Union private. He fought on the American Civil War battlefields of Chancellorsville, Manassas, Gettysburg and the Wilderness and died in Andersonville Prison.
In his diary, he reveals himself as a responsible and compassionate young man who missed his family in New York. He learned the ways of war, the meaning of fear and pride in winning. He also experienced all the hardships of a foot soldier and suffered illness and discomforts of weather.
His diary is an inside look into the life of a Civil War soldier.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually read the real diary before it was published. Bob Sprague and I were babysitting for a woman in Lily Dale, NY (Chautauqua County) in the early 1960's. She had just recently moved into a house within Lily Dale, a Spiritualist center. We found the diary in the cellar. It was quite thrilling to read the words of an actual Civil War soldier in his own handwriting. Many years later, in about 1990, I saw the book for sale at Gettysburg, PA, and bought it, reread it.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm glad I read this book. I think it took me so long to finish because I already knew that he died in Andersonville Prison(it says so on the cover), so I didn't want to get to the end. Reading someone's diary and letters makes you feel very close to them.Ira was a sweet boy.

[A.L. Waddington · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book for research on the era and discovered more than I ever wanted to know about the trials and suffering of those brave men who fought in the Civil War. It was heartfelt and wonderous.

[Megan]

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