Diary of a Confederate Soldier: John S. Jackman of the Orphan Brigade

by John S. Jackman, William C. Davis (Editor)

A Confederate soldier shares his observations of the Civil War from the Battle of Shiloh to Sherman's March to the Sea

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

174 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1990

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Civil War diaries are like treasure, they're hard to find and you have to sort through a lot of less valuable material to get to them. This book is definitely one of those treasures, though. Jackman's account is far from the usual one, being rare for his being a member of the famous Orphan Brigade, but also for his being an enlisted man. Not only that, but Jackman was more educated and literate the the average enlisted soldier of the time (he came from a relatively privileged background).

Jackman covers most of the actions of the Orphans, although he missed a few due to sickness or injury, with wit and clarity. While he's sometimes a bit more laconic that I would have liked, I found his account of his part in the war engaging and entertaining to read.

[Donna Peake · Rating 3 out of 5]

The weather , food, and his illness were written about almost daily.

He seemed to attend church quite often.

To pass time they would shoot at alligators. I just never pictured anything to do with alligators during the Civil War.

[SheLove2Read]

I'm a huge fan of history, especially the Civil War, but I just can't seem to get into this book, which is why I'm not rating it.