Customer Reviews

Civil War in Apacheland: Sergeant George Hand's Diary, 1861-1864

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I bought the book because it mentions my Great-Great Grandfather, who drove a team of oxen to California, became a "miner 49er" and then joined a volunteer Infantry brigade known later as the California Column.

Like many amateur family tree compilers, I knew family stories, but no details. The book is a diary of the hard life of the men sent to drive the Confederates out of the southwest, and to fight various Indian tribes. I was fascinated, and read the book in a couple of days.

Beware of ancestor worship. I was repulsed by many of the stories. The book reveals Northern prejudices and callous behavior not in tune with current beliefs, and I don't recommend the book for children. However, it was wonderful to read about the real lives, and the sacrifices made by ordinary people who believed in a cause. I'd bet that soldiers in the Middle East right now would empathize with the author.

Finally, the book itself arrived in great condition, and has many photos, maps and illustrations from the Civil War, including some by Frederic Remington.

This is the edited journal of a Yankee soldier in El Paso, Texas and Mesilla, New Mexico during the Civil War. George Hand was literate and this gives the perspective of an enlisted man. This talks of southern sympathizers living in El Paso (Franklin) and across the Rio Grande in Mexico. Good read if you like Primary Source material on the Civil War in the West. Same author as "Whiskey, Six-Guns, and Red Light Ladies." The latter book is Hand's life in Tucson, AZ 1875-1878