The Civil War Reminiscences of Major Silas T. Grisamore, C.S.A. [Hardcover]

Silas (Author), Arthur W. Bergeron (Author, Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1993

Civil War Reminiscences of Major Silas T. Grisamore, C.S.A., The by Bergeron, Arthur W., Jr., Ed.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In 1846, Silas T. Grisamore (1825-1897) left Indiana for Louisiana, where he established himself as a successful retail merchant. When the Civil War erupted, he joined a Confederate volunteer company and, because of his business experience, quickly rose from the ranks of the infantry to a series of posts as a field quartermaster. His reminiscences, published in installments in the Weekly Thibodaux (La.) Sentinel between 1867 and 1871, benefit from Bergeron's ( Guide to Louisiana Confederate Military Units ) thorough organization. Contributing significantly to a growing body of literature on the Civil War's western theater, Grisamore's writing highlights the Confederacy's mounting administrative problems. Railway networks were thin, and scarce accommodations kept troops constantly on the move. This account of the difficulties involved in transporting food and fodder from supply depots to nosebags and haversacks provides a rare view of daily life on the Civil War battlefields. History Book Club selection.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Louisiana State Univ Pr; 1st ptg. edition (May 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807118176
• ISBN-13: 978-0807118177
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,976,286 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is an extremely important Civil War source book., December 5, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Civil War Reminiscences of Major Silas T. Grisamore, C.S.A. (Hardcover)

Grisamore's memoir is an important source of information on the Western and Trans-Mississippi theaters of the Civil War. Because he was a quartermaster, his story is a unique one because few quartermaster officers left memoirs. The book is full of humor as well as little known episodes of the war. Grisamore was a native of Indiana but felt strongly enough about the Confederate war effort to join the army and risk his life.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quartermaster's get their due, February 3, 2010

By 

D. Cooper "coop291" (Boise) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Civil War Reminiscences of Major Silas T. Grisamore, C.S.A. (Hardcover)

I own two copies, a first edition manuscript and the edition sold here. It remains my favorite regimental history of a Louisiana unit and is certainly the best, most readable QM account ever. Bergeron once again does a superb job editing. Perhaps most valuable is the various accounts of the extreme difficulty, delivered with a wry wit, of keeping a moving army supplied with everything from bullets to beans to clothing. The fortunes of war wax and wane, but the QM's job remains critical. The 18th Louisiana Inf and its brigade fought in some well known (Red River) and not so well known campaigns, so the insight Grisamore provides does much to fill in some holes in the sideshows. Of particular interest to historians and living historians of the Civil War are the detailed descriptions of the uniforms and equipment worn by these men, from captured federal supplies to uniforms made with oustanding imported British cloth...or poorly fitting clothing made from homespun purchased from local suppliers. Through it all Grisamore retains his sense of humor and keen powers of observation. An outstanding read, that you will pick up again and again.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A look to the west. . ., January 20, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Civil War Reminiscences of Major Silas T. Grisamore, C.S.A. (Hardcover)

This book is a must read. A refreshing glimpse into the adventures of a Western Theater Quartermaster. Obviously intense and very thorough research was done editing these memoirs. Dr. Bergeron is indeed a premier Civil War historian.