Four Years with the Iron Brigade: The Civil War Journals of William R Ray, Co. F, Seventh Wisconsin Infantry

by Lance J. Herdegen

The recently discovered journal of William Ray of the Seventh Wisconsin is the most important primary source ever of soldier life in one of the war's most famous fighting organizations. No other collection of letters or diaries comes close to it.Two days before his regiment left Wisconsin in 1861, the twenty-three-year-old blacksmith began, as he described it, "to keep account" of his life in what became the "Iron Brigade of the West." Ray's journal encompasses all aspects of the enlisted man's life-the battles, the hardships, the comradeship. And Ray saw most of the war from the front rank. He was wounded at Second Bull Run, again at Gettysburg, and yet a third time in the hell of the Wilderness. He penned something in his journal almost every day-occasionally just a few lines, at other times thousands of words. Ray's candid assessments of officers and strategy, his vivid descriptions of marches and the fighting, and his evocative tales of foraging and daily army life fill a large gap in the historical record and give an unforgettable soldier's-eye view of the Civil War.

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

446 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2001

Reviews

[Anson Cassel Mills · Rating 3 out of 5]

William Ray, a decent, optimistic, industrious, and somewhat priggish Wisconsin farmer, survived three battle wounds during the Civil War, lasting long enough to be promoted to what may have been his level of incompetence as an orderly sergeant. Ray regularly sent his notebook diaries back to the homefolks, and perhaps for that reason, the diaries tend to be emotionally flat. Although the 7th Wisconsin suffered some of the heaviest casualties of any unit in the Union Army, Ray does not reflect on his perilous situation, and he refers to the dead and wounded largely as statistics rather than as friends and comrades. Occasional passages do rise above Ray’s typically mundane entries, for instance, his description of being lost in the rain during the skirmishing of August 18-21, 1864.

This diary will largely be of interest to Civil War buffs curious about the soldiers’ daily life. Although the editor's contributions are adequate, the explanatory notes might have better explained to 21st century readers the realities that Civil War armies took for granted. Comparisons of Ray’s journal with similar diaries would also have been helpful.

[Holly Lindquist · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Union Civil War diary is of particular interest because it depicts day-to-day life in one of the most hard-bitten, rough-and-ready organizations in the conflict, the Iron Brigade. These soldiers saw some of the worst fighting in the war and lost a staggeringly high percentage of men to battle-related wounds. (The author takes a few knocks himself, but manages to get back into the fray never-the-less.)
Ray's writing style is typical for the time, somewhat repetitive with lots of misspellings. He's clearly a nice kid, though, continually going out of his way to help his fellow soldiers and generally avoiding the drinking and gambling so many others indulge in.
I'm grateful William Ray's great-great granddaughter was able to preserve and transcribe his journals. It's a splendid addition to the ever-growing library of Civil War literature.

[Drpsychorat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very fine diary of a soldiers, William Ray, life during the Civil War in one of the most decorated brigades of the conflict. It is much better detailed and written than its southern companion 4 Years in the Stonewall Brigade. From daily life, sickness , boredom & battles it tells the personal struggles of the common soldier. A must read for Civil War buffs.

[R.Friend · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating first-person Civil War account, written diary-style. Particularly interesting to me, having lived in the area Ray describes traveling through at various times.