Customer Reviews

Berry Benson's Civil War Book: Memoirs of a Confederate Scout and Sharpshooter

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3 star:		(1)
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This is without a doubt the best memoir I've ever read. Berry Benson signs up with the 1st South Carolina before the war starts and is there to take place in the battle for Fort Sumter, fights in every major campaign in Virginia and Maryland and fights for his beloved 'red banner' up until the Confederate retreat from Richmond and the surrender at Appomatox. Benson refuses to Surrender and with brother they head on to North Carlolina in hopes of meetting up with other Confederate forces. For the novice of Civil War history, or the expert, Benson gives the reader a true feeling for what it was like in the ranks of the Confederate army, his escape from Point Lookout Prison and Elmira Prison will keep the reader at the edge of their seat. His description of the food, uniforms and marching will bring you back to the 1860's. The Benson story is extrodinary and even those who knew Benson during the war say that although the stories seem unbelievable, they are all well documented. If you have a friend who loves the Civil War (north or south) this is the book for them! By the way, his 'unsurrendered musket' and photo are on display at the Confederate Relic Room in South Carolina.

From the point of view of the enlisted man, this is a really good book. It held my interest well. Let's face it, the enlisted man's perspective of the War Between the States, or any war for that matter, is going to be very narrow. The rank and file do not have the luxury of having access to the grand strategy of general officers. All they can relate is what went on in front of them. Otherwise it wouldn't be their story. This book is about what one common soldier saw, experienced, and felt. And it let me see a refreshing point of view.

Berry Benson tells it as it was. He does not fill the pages with fluff, but merely gives a straightforward account of his trials and tribulations during the war. At first, I was skeptical about all that he claimed to have gone through, but after some research, his story holds true. Benson was just shy of 18 when he joined the Confederate army. During his service, he was a sharpshooter, fought under Gen. "Stonewall" Jackson, was captured and escaped TWICE: once from Point Lookout and once from Elmira. At times, I wished that he would have gone into more detail, and that is the only downfall of this book. For example: he goes into some description of Point Lookout yet fails to give a good picture of Elmira. However, his story is not one to miss and I suggest it for anyone wanting to read a more personal account of the war that is a little out of the ordinary.

Berry Benson's personal diary of his soldiering during the Civil War is unfortunately too overlooked by Civil War readers. benson's diary of his days as a sniper for the Confederacy is filled with amusing tales of camp life, horrifying views of battle and personal strength as he endured life as a POW in Elmira, NY and his ability to return back to his regiment after travelling hundreds of miles through Union territory.

This is one of the few diaries of the Civil War that will grip the readers interest from the first page to the last.

i would recommend this book to anybody with the slightest interest in the war between the states. from Sumter to Elmira (one of the greatest, true pow escape accounts you'll ever hear) to Appomattox, Berry Benson and his brother Blackwood were there, fervently defending the Southern cause. Considering he only intended these memoires to be passed down among his family, Benson's firsthand account of the war is priceless and intensely entertaining. no kidding, read this book...

The editors of many Civil War memoirs gush about the heroism of the authors. But in too many cases, when you turn off the moonlight and toss out the faded magnolias, you're not left with much. That's not the case here. Berry Benson, who spent much of the war detailed as a sharpshooter, was well-spoken, tough, brave and endlessly inventive. A good deal of his memoir is taken up with his Energizer Bunny-like repeat attempts to escape from Federal prisons. He writes his memoir well, with a degree of structure unusual in Civil War memoirs; and when he doesn't remember exactly what happened, he says so. Though he missed the battle of Gettysburg, he appends wonderfully written, humorous letters from his brother, who didn't -- this seems to have been a talented family, over all. Particular high points of this memoir include the prison escapes, as well as the detailed account of what Benson's unit did at Hatcher's Run; he's also quite vivid on Appomattox -- where, readers will note, Sgt. Benson eschewed surrender.

I enjoyed the book so much. It was refreshing to hear the true words of a Confederate soldier and what it was like during the war. He was an educated man and a southern gentleman, and had compassion for all people. It gave you a glimpse of what they went through in battle and the horrors of what they had to endure on a daily basis. Starvation, amputation of limbs, death, preparing themselves with scripture from the bible before a battle where they knew the outcome wasn't going to be good.
He spent time in a Yankee prison and about his time there and his escape. How he ate apples and chestnuts while making his way back to the south. His love for the south and the cause he believed in. What they were thinking at the time and his brother fighting along side with him. Some humorous stories of him stealing a General's horse and catching a ride on the back of a train, chatting with a Yankee soldier who didn't know who he was. Getting into an enemy camp at night,darkness covering his grey clothes and the General capturing him when he heard his southern accent. How they both laughed over the incident. How he treated the Yankees with respect when they were captured, never taking anything from them, other than some shoes once. He never let his men plunder or burn a town, far different from the way the south was treated. How he respected all people and how after the war, the south was in bad shape, people were starving. He contacted the Agriculture Department to research which mushrooms where edible and gave that information to the blacks, because they were starving and no one was helping them. He loved literature, math, how he corrected dictionaries and his love of nature. He did research on the Leo Frank case and he was key in exposing the Ponzi scheme. How he wanted this book published all his life and died before it happened. Thanks to his children it was his one wish to publish his book and they finally made it come true. It's a great read and you won't be disappointed in this book. Thanks to his children for getting this book out for everyone to read. I grew up in the area he lived and I didn't know a thing about him until the book. There is a statue of him in Augusta depicting the confederate soldier. I'm so glad I purchased the book and got to read his story. He was a great man and as a southerner, made me proud of my southern heritage.

Great first person narrative of what it was like to be in the Confederate infantry. Berry has numerous stories to tell about battles, scouting, the dangers involved, as well as what conditions were like in Union prisons. Very similar in style to Sam Watkins', "Company Atych" and just as enjoyable.

Berry Benson gives great detailed accounts of his experiance in the Civil War. The first hand accounts of him and his use of some of his brother's records to fill in gaps got me caught up in it. I felt like this book consumed me. It is suprising to me that no movies have been made about this man or his brother. But I guess that would upset some ignorent people who do not understand the war. "A Movie about a Confederate Hero?"

BERRY BENSON'S CIVIL WAR BOOK: MEMOIRS OF A CONFEDERATE SCOUT AND SHARPSHOOTER appears in a new paperback edition and tells of one sharpshooter Berry Benson, who saw most of the action between the first shot fired in the Civil War and the surrender of Lee's army. His account of his soldier's life and battlefield experiences brings to live the Civil War's history and politics and makes it a powerful pick for any library strong in Civil War memoirs and first-hand accounts.