A Yankee Private's Civil War

[CJDaley]

Want a rockin' diary detailing the March to the Sea with tons of passages regarding contraband, uniforms, food and battles?

Check out Bob Strong's diary from his time with the 105th Illinois.

A Yankee Private's Civil War by Robert Hale Strong (Hardcover - Jan 1, 1961)

This is a great book and a must read for anyone going the Bummer gig.

[Eric Fair]

Re: A Yankee Private's Civil War

I'll echo Chris's sentiment that this is a great read and readily available at used books website such as abebooks.com.

Another great read is George F. Cram's letters, published as Soldiering with Sherman and edited by Jennifer Cain Bohrnstedt. He doesn't go into a lot of detail regarding the march itself but it is a nice slice of life in Sherman's army. And one interesting sidenote is that the editor states that Robert Hale Strong deserted the army twice and fled to Canada to avoid prosecution, something he obviously fails to mention in his work.

[cod1tn]

Re: A Yankee Private's Civil War

Robert Hale Strong deserted? If he went to Canada did he make up the last half of his book? He seemed to know an awful lot about the end of the war for someone who deserted. I might believe he left twice and came back but I don't know about the going to Canada part. I don't claim to be an expert on him but that seems a little off the wall. I could be wrong.

[madasabagofcats]

Re: A Yankee Private's Civil War

Hmmm...it's a great book and Bob Strong is certainly a bit of a 'Jack the Lad' but it doesn't mention any 'official' deserting on the 105th Illinois Roster:

Company B, 105th Illinois Vols

[ohioyankee]

Re: A Yankee Private's Civil War

Hello everyone, speaking of diaries. Would anyone know if Theodore F. Upson's diary is published or could it be found online? I was wanting to read this before bummers too, along with other works. Thanks