What books would you suggest?

As some of you may know, I am a reenactor.  I have had a few new guys join my unit recently, and they wanted a few books to read on “what was life like for a Confederate soldier”.

So, here are the books I suggested, in no particular order-

– “Company Aytch” by Sam Watkins

– “The Life of Johnny Reb” by Bell I. Wiley

– “Rebel Private Front and Rear” by William A. Fletcher

– “Detailed Minutiae of Soldier Life in the Army of Northern Virginia” by Carlton McCarthy

– “For Cause and Comrades” by James McPherson

Three of these are written mostly by the participants involved while Wiley and McPherson wrote their books using many original sources.  Are there any others out there that you would suggest to someone who is interested in reading about the Confederate soldier but is not really a Civil War historian?  Much thanks!

Comments

4 responses to “What books would you suggest?”

  1. badgervan Avatar
    badgervan

    “Confederate Scout-Sniper: The Civil war Memoir of Berry Benson” …
    edited bly Susan Williams Benson

  2. badgervan Avatar
    badgervan

    “The Making of a Confederate
    Walter Lenoir’s Civil War”
    William L. Barney

  3. Jim McGhee Avatar
    Jim McGhee

    Larry Daniels, Soldiering in the Army of Tennessee

    Michael Banazik, ed., Serving With Honor: The Diary of Captain Eathan Allen Pinnell of the 8th Missouri Infantry, CSA

  4. Mike Clem Avatar
    Mike Clem

    I’m not a reenactor (I don’t even play one on TV), so you may take my suggestions with a grain of salt, although I am a lifelong student of history, especially of the ACW.

    For portraying a Georgia unit, I’d think your fresh fish might enjoy reading, “A Scythe of Fire: A Civil War Story of the Eighth Georgia Infantry Regiment” by Warren Wilkinson and Steven E. Woodworth.

    And forgive me for recommending a Yankee, but I would imagine John D. Billings’ entertaining memoir, “Hard Tack & Coffee: Soldier’s Life in the Civil War”, would be an assigned text for a reenactor in both blue and grey.

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