Customer Reviews

Diary of a Yankee Engineer: The Civil War Diary of John Henry Westervelt (North's Civil War)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
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Gives out of the ordinary view of things from perspective of engineer. No heroic battle scenes, but the 'real' stuff of daily suffering that is universal to soldering, no matter what war or time. Drawings add to the first person narrative. If you have a Civil War buff on your gift list, add this to your shopping list - it's an undiscovered treasure!

I purchased this wonderful book for my father, a Civil War buff. The book is well researched and interesting. The details are amazing. My father read and re-read this fine book. I highly recommend it.

Westervelt gives a perspective to the civil war that is rarely seen - not an officer or 'fighting troop' member, he reports the on-going facts ajnd rumors as he sees (and hears) them. As an engineering unit, his Company was not one of those frequently heard from, making this volume especially valuable to scholars and Civil War buffs alike.

Gives human dimension to the efforts of the Engineers. Artwork enhances text.

This book is written not as a history of the war but as how the average Civil War Engineer lived, what he saw how he felt and vivid descriptions of the areas in which they served.

Also my Great-great grand father Aaron Hotchkiss is mentioned several times in the book. This book is a keeper!

For all buffs that have been searching for info onengineering units, this is the only one - run out and get it