Detailed Minutiae of Soldier life in the Army of Northern Virginia, 1861-1865

by Carlton McCarthy, William Ludwell Sheppard (Illustrator)

This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

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

119 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1882

Reviews

[Bernard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't even know this book existed until the contents of the second time capsule buried next to Robert E. Lee's tomb was listed. I looked it up and was interested.

A simple overview of the Civil War from a man who served on the confederate side as a private. While limited in scope, it has some interesting tidbits.

His description of the soldier's outlook and actions from the beginning of the conflict until a while after the surrender is well worth reading. While he is partisan towards his own side, the viewpoint is well worth exploring.

Those who are particularly politically oriented will notice that some of the same attitudes about the federal government are just as valid today as they were then. Those who see the price paid by those wishing to violently dispute the validity of federal government limits will understand the importance of voting.

This book is not a "big ideas" book, it is a simple description of day-to-day life as a confederate soldier. You will learn a few things and get a peek into the mind of a confederate solider.

The book is available legally FREE from multiple sources. You can not beat the price.

[Avis Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

Available at Open Library:
https://openlibrary.org/works/OL39341...

[Lily · Rating 1 out of 5]

For a book that purports itself as a "history", it is full of biases, leaves out key information, and has an agenda of bolstering the reputation of the Confederates. McCarthy paints all the Confederate soldiers as noble, goodhearted men who fought for the good of their country at a moment's notice, while painting the Union soldiers as unprincipled scavengers. Confederate soldiers died nobly with bibles in hand while Union soldiers faked their deaths. The entire last chapter is an extensive essay defending the Confederate battle flag. He discusses at length the faults of Union soldiers while rarely mentioning any flaws on the Confederate side save a few bad or lazy apples. The only Union soldiers he praises are the ones who were there when the Confederates surrendered.
McCarthy also never mentions slavery, painting most black people as loyal servants or "mammies", supporting the Confederates, something I shouldn't have to say is awful for a "history".
While the principle of writing about the footsoldiers could have been interesting given that most histories focus on broad strokes of war rather than the minute details, this bias renders the entire book up to doubt. The most interesting parts of the book are when McCarthy takes a break from his annoyingly noble pictures of soldiers to focus on the actual minutiae- what the soldiers ate, how they camped. The section about the improvised artillery and the march to surrender was interesting, as it gave a view into how the soldiers had to come up with weaponry on the go. This is all frustrating because at the beginning of the book, McCarthy has some interesting points about how most histories are of generals rather than privates.
This book with an agenda is very useless as anything other than a memoir or a view into Confederate beliefs and attitudes postwar.

[Maynard Handley · Rating 1 out of 5]

This could have been interesting, much like the diary accounts of the lives of Napoleonic soldiers.

I wouldn't know because I grew tired of the first third or so and its ceaseless whining about the war.
A few sentences about the context of the war, sure. but OMG, this unending litany of how the confederate soldier was the greatest history has ever seen, how the Union was so unfair, how they had so many advantages (well then WTF did you go to war? makes you look like idiots, doesn't it?) etc etc. Like being forced to listen to your sister's most boring friend at some family gathering; monomaniacal obsession with no nuance.

[Gene Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Confederate's account of camp life, etc

Loved the first hand account from 1882 as opposed to that of an author 100 + years later. Interesting book for sure.

[Thom Swennes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not at all what I imagined it to be, Detailed Minutiae of Soldier Life of Northern Virginia 1861-1865 by Carlton McCarthy, contains a good account of the last days of the Confederate Army under Robert E. Lee. The author sped through a majority of the war, describing the hardships endured by both common soldiers and their officers. The hunt for food, warmth and clean underwear were the main concerns of the soldiers when they weren’t marching or fighting. I can understand Napoleon’s statement that a army traveled on its stomach as these soldiers, by their own account, were always either hungry of looking for food. The book describes the horrors of war without the use of battle scenes and gaping, infested wounds. It also told about the shame and helplessness the southern soldier felt after Lee’s surrender and their willingness to carry on a lost fight until the last man. In itself it isn’t particularly insightful but coupled with other eye witness accounts it adds to the overall picture of the war. It is well worth the time to read.

[JoAnn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew it was bad, but not this bad. I'm so grateful this account was written so I can better appreciate what my ancestors endured. It may not be popular to say it, but I am proud of my Confederate ancestors. I do not agree with slavery, but am proud they were willing to give their lives for what they believed.

What breaks my heart most is wondering if Uncle James Wesley Robinson death date was misreported as July 5, 1865 and was 1864 instead. The Siege on Peteraburg was actively fought during 1864 through the end of the war, April 1865. Did Uncle die in 1864 or linger from wounds recieved during the last battle for three months before succumbing to death? The latter is hard to bear considering....Did his family make it to him before he died, or was he alone?
I know it sound silly, but my heart is drawn out to these ancestors who lived, fought and died 150 years ago.

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

By far the best history to read is that written by those who were there while it was happening. One cannot truly understand the Civil War (or any war for that matter) unless and until you read the diaries of those who fought it. This book is a superbly written [Why don't people today know how to write as eloquently as those "formally uneducated" citizens of 150 years ago? Are our schools really that bad?] biographical history of one man's tour of duty with Lee in Virginia. You generally don't find this kind of granular detail of a soldier's day to day life in any other type history book. A "must read" for anyone who studies the Civil War.

[Brian Best · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some nice insight

"The Confederate soldier was peculiar in that he was ever ready to fight, but never ready to submit to the routine duty and discipline of the camp or the march. The soldiers were determined to be soldiers after their own notions, and do their duty, for the love of it, as they thought best." Carlton McCarthy