This excellent book was originally published in 1887, I have had my copy, which is a reprint from 1993, for some years. I believe the book has been in continuous print in one form or other ever since its original publication. It is widely considered among the top half dozen of all personal narratives of service in the Union forces during the Civil War.
The unique thing about this book is that it covers not the authors battle and combat experiences but ordinary everyday life as a soldier in the Union army. Things like food, camping, marching, tents, mules and bridging operations are among the huge range of topics covered. Perhaps the book can be no better described than the following passage from the introduction written in 1993; "It is a fascinating presentation of the routine and the unremarkable, the hundreds of perfectly ordinary little things that every veteran experienced but few bothered to record in their memoirs."
The author joined up in 1862 and served in a Massachusetts artillery battery. He also wrote an exhaustive battle history of his unit that is ranked among the best unit histories of the Civil War. I assume his battle experiences are recorded in that book as there is not a mention in this book although he clearly did experience combat on many occasions.
If you want to know what it was actually like to be a Union soldier between 1862 and 1865 or you are interested in the day to day doings of the army, this is the book to read. Apart from the matters mentioned above all sorts of other subjects are discussed in varying degrees of detail including offenses and punishments, foraging, badges and bugle calls, hospitals, clothing, signaling and wagon trains. This book really is a well written encyclopedia of information on the Union army and is very highly recommended.
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