Memoir of a union soldier who when he mustered out was a Sergeant in company d 15th Illinois volunteer infantry. He kept his diary from when he joined in may of 1861 to April of 1865. He spent some time in the infamous Andersonville prison. He died young even for that era at the age of 32. I really enjoyed this one, probably because the writer is from Illinois while not my home state, due to spending so much time there growing up it could be counted as such. This is another memoir that Endeavour press is reprinting, the original print date for this one was 1894. As a lover of history, I appreciate that they are putting these memoirs back in print so we can get a hint of what the soldiers went through during the civil war.

As a memoir of actual events, it's difficult to rate this.

Did I enjoy it? Yes.
Was it "fun?" No. Nor was it an especially easy read.
Do I recommend it? Yes.

The author begins the memoir discussing the patriotic fervor that led him and his neighbors to enlist, and their excitement and enthusiasm was palpable. However, just a few pages later, someone has already deserted, and they've crossed into enemy territory.

Reading this reminds you that this war that (to me, at least) can feel so far away and relegated to history books actually wasn't that long ago. We're only a few generations removed; I recall talking with my grandfather before he passed about a man he knew as a child who was a Civil War veteran.

Reading his memoir isn't much different, stylistically, than reading someone's blog, and that's what's so strange about history. Technology changes faster than we do, and we have to be careful not to repeat the mistakes and evils of previous generations.