Customer Reviews

Life in the Confederate Army, Being the Observations and Experiences of an Alien in the South During the American Civil War

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I stumbled across this after devouring Sam Watkins' COMPANY AYTCH and wanting more of the same. While this is a first person account of a Confederate soldier, don't confuse this with the more entertaining COMPANY AYTCH.

Watson was an Irish mechanical engineer who made his living repairing cotton gins prior to the Civil War. He also tends to come across as a bit of a racist and not so subtly hints that African-Americans were incapable of learning his trade. Funny, I wonder what my mechanic, air conditioning repairman, and plumber would think of that. Anywho, luckily his thoughts of African-Americans is limited to a few pages out of this book and the rest is not so offensive.

Unlike COMPANY AYTCH, the writing style here is more formal. Gone is the friendly tone and one of superiority is used. Watson complains throughout the book about everything he encounters (even the boat back to Ireland). By the end of the book, you're glad he goes home and quits writing.

Not to say it's all bad. The encounter he has with General Butler in New Orleans is humorous. His experience at Wiloson's Creek is interesting. And the demeanor of the populace of New Orleans while occupied by Northern troops is a neat insight as well. But, these few pages of detail don't undo the rest of the book.

If you're a re-enactor, forget this one. It won't help your impression. If you're a Civil War biff, there are better books out there. But, if you're looking for an insight of what a visitor to the South thought during that war, this may fill the bill.