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After R. B. Irwin resigned his commission in September 1864 he continued his involvement with the army through his editorship of the United States Service Magazine. While intended primarily as a professional journal, and containing much of interest for the reenactor on that basis alone, the editor also included fiction. Specifically, he included his own fiction -- a serialized novel about the adventures of a military bureaucrat, both under fire and behind a desk.
"Seeking the Bubble" appeared in nine chapters distributed over volumes III, IV, & V of the USSM during 1865 and 1866. Unfortunately, like the "Fly Leaves" series, it was never completed so far as I know. Nonetheless it gives a direct, first hand picture of the war while it was still very fresh in the mind of the author.
Like "Fly Leaves" the novel is full of little revelations about army life, only this time from headquarters instead of the ranks. Ever wonder how to tell which house belongs to the general in a town under occupation? How about the Quartermaster? What about the AAG? What do the initials "D. B." stand for? What does a busy office in the field sound like in 1864? Above all, "Why was you born a mule?"
The answers to these questions, and many more, lie in the attached. You can also find the original USSM volumes through Google Books or on Silas's links...
Enjoy!
"Seeking the Bubble" appeared in nine chapters distributed over volumes III, IV, & V of the USSM during 1865 and 1866. Unfortunately, like the "Fly Leaves" series, it was never completed so far as I know. Nonetheless it gives a direct, first hand picture of the war while it was still very fresh in the mind of the author.
Like "Fly Leaves" the novel is full of little revelations about army life, only this time from headquarters instead of the ranks. Ever wonder how to tell which house belongs to the general in a town under occupation? How about the Quartermaster? What about the AAG? What do the initials "D. B." stand for? What does a busy office in the field sound like in 1864? Above all, "Why was you born a mule?"
The answers to these questions, and many more, lie in the attached. You can also find the original USSM volumes through Google Books or on Silas's links...
Enjoy!