Customer Reviews

A Diary Of Battle: The Personal Journals Of Colonel Charles S. Wainwright, 1861-1865

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Gets low marks for editing. The editor has excised parts he thinks are repetitive or boring, but in some cases these clearly dealt with the technical details of handling artillery, and would have been of great use to the reader.

The colonel of the 1st NY Artillery, Wainwright is interesting as an anti-abolitionist and a fan of McClellan up to the very end. His comment that he wouldn't trust Massachusetts or Pennsylvania not to secede if conditions were reversed (p. 207) is interesting, reflecting the strong allegiance to state in the North as well as the South. His views on the cynicism of abolitionists are intriguing as well; he believed that the radicals were deliberately prolonging the war to gain political power. His account of the fighting on Culp's Hill at Gettysburg is quite detailed.

There are many diarries and personal recollections of the Civil War. There are a handful of these that rate as classic writings that can be used as reliable first hand accounts of the war, and this is one of them. Possibly the best diary from the Army of the Potomac. Great detail, well written and very intersting.

The Edward Porter Alexander of the Union Army
Colonel Charles S. Wainwright, artillerist, is the Edward Porter Alexander of the Union army. His recollections from 1861-1865, as presented in A Diary of Battle edited by Allan Nevins, is an amazing in-depth memoir of the Civil War as seen through the eyes of someone who fought in most of the major battles of the Army of the Potomac. He was for all practical purposes Confederate Col E.P. Alexander's Union memoir counterpart. He knew all the major figures and did not hesitate to comment on each one. He held nothing back, writing in explicit and descriptive prose. His analysis of both battles and personalities is both insightful and illuminating.
This is a must read for anyone who wants to get a more in-depth understanding of the real American Civil War from a front line participant.
Highly recommended especially for serious Civil War buffs.