One of the best Civil War Memoirs I have ever read, and I have read many. Leander Stillwell was a common solider perhaps, but clearly an uncommon man. After the war he became an attorney then a judge. His life crossed paths with some of the greats of his era, and gives a great view into the life of

Interesting book. Written 50 years after the war, the book goes into a lot of detail about the more mundane aspects of the daily lives of soldiers, such as the food, or lack of, sleeping arrangements, and moving around. There were many instances where they were told to get ready to march and then th

This book ended up being really good. It's a memoir by a former Union soldier written several decades after the Civil War was over. What I liked about it most was how Leander Stillwell goes through his experience in the war from his volunteer enlistment to his mustering out in 1865. He reads old let

Leander Stillwell claims to be a common soldier, but he shows uncommon communication skills. The promotions he received during his time in the service also indicate high intelligence and uncommon ability and faithfulness. He writes well, bringing the plight of the enlisted man to life and painting w

This is a fine account of the life of a Union soldier during the American Civil War. Much available to us in our reading about the ACW focuses on battles and leadership. This autobiographical piece does not skimp on battle or its horrors (though like all writers of the period Stillwell doesn't empha

Stilwell enlisted in an Illinois regiment in 1862. He wrote his account in 1916, and his memory was refreshed by all the letters he had written home and an extensive daily diary he faithfully kept until he was mustered out in 1865. He provides a fascinating account of the "grunts" who bore the brunt

Very interesting read. This is a timeline journal of the mundane life of a union soldier told, for the most part, in the colloquial language of the day. Bravery is woven into the story as a matter of fact consequence of war, without grandiosity. The diary is peppered with terminology reflecting unse

This book is an account of the army life of Leander Stillwell from Leander Stillwell to his son Jerry. It is unique in it does not focus on action and is quite honest, although this may make it seem dull at some points, it is refreshing that there is war a book that is not focused on action and viol

I was excited to read about the Civil War from a northern soldiers perspective. He spent an awful lot of time talking about the food that they constantly dreamt of eating and describing some of his favorite meals while being a soldier, so other than learning that company D was darn near starving (on

This is a vivid description, written in 1916, of one man's experience in the Union army. I found it fascinating because it was more about camp life--disease, food and transportation, than about battles. It was interesting, however, to compare Stillwell's experience at Vicksburg with Grant's memoirs.