Customer Reviews

Four Years with the Iron Brigade: The Civil War Journals of William R Ray, Co. F, Seventh Wisconsin Infantry

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The Civil War Journal of William Ray, Company F, Seventh Wisconsin Volunteers. William Ray was a enlisted man of the Famed Iron Brigade. His story told in his own words from a journal he kept, is an amazing story as told by some one who is there. I will let him tell about a few minutes on the 1st of July 1863 at a place called Gettysburg. His unit having been heavily engaged for most of the day were ordered to fall back though the town.

"I was hit about 1/4 mile out of town by a Ball on the top of the head, come near knocking me down. But I straighted up, went on, another Ball hits sole of my shoe cutting it nearly in two, it ownly making my foot sting a little."

Walking though Gettysburg he stopped at a 2nd Division "hospital" to seek help for his wounds. This "hospital" was soon surrendered to the Confederates (as they took the town), so he walked back to his unit. His story is amazing and detailed. It is a excellent testimony of how life was really like in the Union Army for a regular soldier.

Private William Ray of Company F, 7th Wisconsin Volunteers, wrote (it seems) nearly everyday for four years of war in his journals. It is a book of journal entries that, from start to finish record a momentous journey. To read this book is to travel with Ray across the countryside and know the ever-present boredom of soldier life, punctuated with hard marches and occasional life threatening danger. One gets a real sense of the soldier's isolated position in the war and constant search and need for information, and the ever present lack of it. The book is packed with amazing detail, and it is always from the perspective of the Private soldier. Often Ray has no idea of the larger scope of events he is moving through. Ray has a wonderfully objective attitude, and relates his thoughts and feelings well. What was it like to be wounded in battle? Journey with Ray from the battlefield, through field hospitals, ultimately to spend about a year in a Philadelphia hospital for soldiers. Returning to the regiment, Ray is soon wounded again. Some of the best of Ray's journal comes in 1864 when he is constantly in the action around Petersburg. This book gives the full experience of the common soldier's life in the Iron Brigade, in rare length and depth. Reading 446 pages of journal entries is not a task lightly undertaken, but it is well worth the journey. I recommend reading this one after being well versed in the big picture of the Brigade's history.

this book is a gem

unbelievable detail -- it may transport you into a Iron Brigade soldiers uniform more than any other book.

however, not much battle detail - you are built up to the date you know is their first battle - and Ray is shot almost immediately i-- and then writes details later as he convalesces. It can really hold you in suspension.

Ray himself is an interestingly detached character, but definitely takes pride in being good at his job of soldiering. After all, he is in the Iron Brigade.

This book cant get a little tedious, but if you let it you can get into it, and it becomes quite gripping, even in the mundane parts of camp life. You're always waiting to see what crazy thing happens next.

The story of William Ray's is not entirely unique to Civil War history although his personal account brought forth by four years of great diary keeping brings the soldier daily grind to the forefront. Ray's story is seldom full of action and captures the daily life of a young man of Wisconsin heritage fighting for the Union in the Army of the Potomac. What flavors this monotonous story is that it truly brings the hard lifestyle of 19th Century soldiering to 21st Century readers. This is an excellent book for historians looking to understand soldier thinking. Ray writes about camp life, rumors, gossip, money, family, drill, picket duty, sickness, friends and the "hurry up and wait" philosophy of being an infantry soldier for the Union during the Civil War. Ray's coverage of his fighting is brisk although many times his writing may have been tamed by the fact that he may have been writing with family in mind. He may have not wanted his family to know the hard battle details in the event of his death where his diary could be discovered and sent home with his belongings. Injured on several occasions such as the Battle of Gettysburg and The Wilderness, Ray enhances his story to give this book added information. He writes about his wounds, healing, being sick and helping his fellow soldiers. We are lucky to have such a large diary written which covers four years of the war. From his enlisting, re-enlisting and final discharge Ray offers us a priceless look at a common infantry soldier. His diary notes of the Siege of Petersburg and the mine explosion was very interesting. The ugly daily life of trench warfare certainly painted the struggle at hand. Ray also gives us a definitive look at how the South was truly struggling as of 1864 and when 1865 rolls around he writes about Confederate deserters coming across the lines on a daily basis. This information is seldom covered from a soldier's perspective and it is vital for those looking to understand the mentality of an everyday soldier who by 1864 was a proud Veteran of the boys of '61. This book is also an excellent and valuable reference tool for those trying to learn about the Iron Brigade and more importantly the 7th Wisconsin. A true historian could use a greatly documented book such as this in their library. 5 STARS!!!!!

The story of William Ray's is not entirely unique to Civil War history although his personal account brought forth by four years of great diary keeping brings the soldier daily grind to the forefront. Ray's story is seldom full of action and captures the daily life of a young man of Wisconsin heritage fighting for the Union in the Army of the Potomac. What flavors this monotonous story is that it truly brings the hard lifestyle of 19th Century soldiering to 21st Century readers. This is an excellent book for historians looking to understand soldier thinking. Ray writes about camp life, rumors, gossip, money, family, drill, picket duty, sickness, friends and the "hurry up and wait" philosophy of being an infantry soldier for the Union during the Civil War. Ray's coverage of his fighting is brisk although many times his writing may have been tamed by the fact that he may have been writing with family in mind. He may have not wanted his family to know the hard battle details in the event of his death where his diary could be discovered and sent home with his belongings. Injured on several occasions such as the Battle of Gettysburg and The Wilderness, Ray enhances his story to give this book added information. He writes about his wounds, healing, being sick and helping his fellow soldiers. We are lucky to have such a large diary written which covers four years of the war. From his enlisting, re-enlisting and final discharge Ray offers us a priceless look at a common infantry soldier. His diary notes of the Siege of Petersburg and the mine explosion was very interesting. The ugly daily life of trench warfare certainly painted the struggle at hand. Ray also gives us a definitive look at how the South was truly struggling as of 1864 and when 1865 rolls around he writes about Confederate deserters coming across the lines on a daily basis. This information is seldom covered from a soldier's perspective and it is vital for those looking to understand the mentality of an everyday soldier who by 1864 was a proud Veteran of the boys of '61. This book is also an excellent and valuable reference tool for those trying to learn about the Iron Brigade and more importantly the 7th Wisconsin. A true historian could use a greatly documented book such as this in their library. 5 STARS!!!!!

This book based upon the wartime diaries of a common soldier in the Seventh Wisconsin Volunteers is a required read for anyone interested in the everyday life of the Civil War infantryman - especially good for re-enactors and living historians. Mr. Ray's daily entries highlight little known details of life in the Army of the Potomac throughout the entire war; he was one of the few soldiers who served at the front for all four years in spite of being wounded three times. The book reads as much as a human interest story as an historical document containing many fascinating bits of Americana.

There are hundreds of books written on the Civil War, mostly about the Generals and their strategies, or about the individual battles. This book is diffrent in the fact that it is written by a common soldier, who was there. There is none of the professional second guessing, just the views of a soldier doing what he signed up to do. This book gives great insight into the life of a Civil War era soldier, such as the conditions in the camp, the front line, and hospitals of that time. A must read for any Civil War history buff. No Civil War library would be complete without it.

The story of William Ray's is not entirely unique to Civil War history although his personal account brought forth by four years of great diary keeping brings the soldier daily grind to the forefront. Ray's story is seldom full of action and captures the daily life of a young man of Wisconsin heritage fighting for the Union in the Army of the Potomac. What flavors this monotonous story is that it truly brings the hard lifestyle of 19th Century soldiering to 21st Century readers. This is an excellent book for historians looking to understand soldier thinking. Ray writes about camp life, rumors, gossip, money, family, drill, picket duty, sickness, friends and the "hurry up and wait" philosophy of being an infantry soldier for the Union during the Civil War. Ray's coverage of his fighting is brisk although many times his writing may have been tamed by the fact that he may have been writing with family in mind. He may have not wanted his family to know the hard battle details in the event of his death where his diary could be discovered and sent home with his belongings. Injured on several occasions such as the Battle of Gettysburg and The Wilderness, Ray enhances his story to give this book added information. He writes about his wounds, healing, being sick and helping his fellow soldiers. We are lucky to have such a large diary written which covers four years of the war. From his enlisting, re-enlisting and final discharge Ray offers us a priceless look at a common infantry soldier. His diary notes of the Siege of Petersburg and the mine explosion was very interesting. The ugly daily life of trench warfare certainly painted the struggle at hand. Ray also gives us a definitive look at how the South was truly struggling as of 1864 and when 1865 rolls around he writes about Confederate deserters coming across the lines on a daily basis. This information is seldom covered from a soldier's perspective and it is vital for those looking to understand the mentality of an everyday soldier who by 1864 was a proud Veteran of the boys of '61. This book is also an excellent and valuable reference tool for those trying to learn about the Iron Brigade and more importantly the 7th Wisconsin. A true historian could use a greatly documented book such as this in their library. 5 STARS!!!!!

Collaboratively edited by Lance Herdegen (Director of the Institute of Civil War Studies, Carroll College, Waukesha, Wisconsin) and Sherry Murphy (great-great granddaughter of William Royal Ray) Four Years With The Iron Brigade: The Civil War Journal Of William Ray, Company F, Seventh Wisconsin Volunteers is a powerful, personal testimonial of America's deadliest war as seen from a fighting unit thrust in the core of strife and horror. Drawn from a series of nineteen personal journals kept by Ray and begun just two days before he was to leave for the battlefield frontlines in 1861, this remarkable account offers an eye-witness depiction ranging from the daily boredom of camp life to the ravages of disease, shortages of food and clothing, and the gruelling bloodshed of battle. Four Years With The Iron Brigade is both a testimonial to the power of the human spirit to endure and as close a look at what war is truly like as is possible to find without putting oneself in physical danger. Four Years With The Iron Brigade is a very highly recommended addition to the growing number of primary source histories for Civil War Studies reading lists and academic reference collections.

When I first picked up this book, I thought it might be a bit difficult to read. The author wrote in the style of his day, and was not familiar with grammar and etence structure, as would be expected. But as I progressed I foun William Ray to be fascinating. It was a book I truly did not want to put down, and in the end was rather sorry to see it end. Not the war, mind you, but Mr. Ray's observations and feelings about his place and time in the world. A must read if you are interested in the true thoughts of a typical young Civil War soldier.