Recollections of a Private: A Study of the Army of the Potomac

by Warren Lee Goss

Facsimile reprint in full leather with gold details. Bookmark, patterned end papers, gilt edges.

Genres: Civil War

354 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2002

Reviews

[Mac · Rating 3 out of 5]

Warren Lee Goss was one of the best at capturing what it was like to be an ordinary Union soldier in the Civil War. This book developed out of a series of articles about the spring 1862 campaign that he wrote for "Century" magazine in the 1880s, also titled "Recollections of a Private" (the latter word being significant because most of the writers for the Civil War series in "Century" were generals or other high-ranking officers). The best parts of the book, including these early chapters, are where Goss recounts his personal experience of, for example, what it was like to march through mud, or enter one's first battle, or interact with civilians—friendly or otherwise. In this book, however, he aims to give a complete account of the war for the Army of the Potomac. The writing often becomes turgid when Goss enters into the realm of historian, describing the movements of each corps or division. Other writers have handled these details better. Because I had read George Stevens' "Three Years in the Sixth Corps" just before "Recollections of a Private," it was also clear to me that Goss pulled various passages almost verbatim from that earlier memoir. I imagine he did the same from other sources, similarly without accreditation. Despite these qualifications, I recommend "Recollections of a Private" to the Civil War buff, for it is full of great colorful details that I had not encountered anywhere else.

[Phil Clymer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be a gem. It is an unusual account in that it describes as much of camp life as the battle scenes. Goss throws in humor occasionally, such as when detailing the joys of the famous Mud March, or the diet of an army mule ("they eat anything, including canal boats and rubber blankets," he claims).