In Memory of Self and Comrades: Thomas Wallace Colley’s Recollections of Civil War Service in the 1st Virginia Cavalry

by Michael K. Shaffer

Thomas W. Colley served in one of the most active and famous units in the Civil War, the 1st Virginia Cavalry, which fought in battles in the Eastern Theater, from First Manassas/Bull Run to the defense of Petersburg. Colley was born November 11, 1837, outside Abingdon, Virginia, and grew up knowing the daily demands of life on a farm. In May 1861, along with the other members of the Washington Mounted Rifles, he left his home in Washington County and reported to camp in Richmond. During the war, Colley received wounds on three different first at Waterloo Bridge in 1862, again at Kelly’s Ford in 1863, and finally at Haw’s Shop in 1864. The engagement at Haw’s Shop resulted in the amputation of his left foot, thereby ending his wartime service. The first modern scholarly edition of Colley’s writings,  In Memory of Self and Comrades  dramatizes Colley’s fate as a wounded soldier mustered out before the war’s conclusion. Colley’s postwar reflections on the war reveal his struggle to earn a living and maintain his integrity while remaining somewhat unreconciled to his condition. He found much of his solace through writing and sought to advance his education after the war. As one of an estimated 20,000 soldiers who underwent amputation during the Civil War, his memoirs reveal the challenges of living with what many might recognize today as post-traumatic stress disorder. Annotations from editor Michael K. Shaffer provide further context to Colley’s colorful and insightful writings on both his own condition and the condition of other veterans also dealing with amputations

Genres: War

310 pages, Paperback

Published September 3, 2020

About the author

Civil War historian, instructor, and author. A member of the Society of Civil War Historians, Historians of the Western Theater, and the Georgia Association of Historians, Shaffer teaches Civil War courses at Kennesaw State University's College of Community and Professional Education and Emory University.

Reviews

[EJ Daniels · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this exhaustive and fascinating volume, Michael Shaffer introduces his readers to Corporal Thomas W. Colley, a Virginia cavalier who served in the 1st Virginia Cavalry until his serious wounding in 1864. Corporal Colley's military service and life provide a fascinating perspective on the life of a crippled Confederate veteran, both in the heat of war and during the difficult struggle to adjust to peace.

The heart of the volume is Colley's memoir, which covers the years of his military service. Colley's prose is simple but vivid, and, in addition to accounts of battles, he paints an intimate portrait of camp life and the friendships he developed with his fellow soldiers. Colley never loses sight of the personal dimension of war, and his scope is always closely focused on the fighting men and not abstract ideas or strategies.

Shaffer goes beyond the memoirs, however, and provides extensive letters and regimental histories which more fully capture Colley's life, especially his efforts to adjust to peacetime while crippled and his own conception of himself as a wounded Confederate veteran.

I would highly recommend In Memory of Self and Comrades to anyone who enjoys autobiographies from enlisted men of the War Between the States.

[Sarah Bierle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fast-paced, detailed, and entertaining memoir. Michael K. Shaffer adds historical notes and explanations where necessary, but "lets" Colley tell his own story. A must-read for anyone interested in Civil War cavalry or common soldier primary sources. Medical details are also plentiful and a good dose of historical humor.