Customer Reviews

Three Years with the 92nd Illinois

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John King's diary provides window into the world of a very provincial country at the time of the Civil War. He does an excellent job of highlighting the attitudes of fellow soldiers, poor Southerners, plantation owners, and new recruits. Claire Swedberg, the editor, has footnoted the book very well, giving context to many of the events mentioned in the book. For every person mentioned, Swedberg has provided some background on their service -- or whether they even survived the war.

Passages such as King debating with a plantation owner over whether the Bible condones or condemns slavery -- where each side quotes verse -- make this a fascinating window into the past. King's attitude in the diaries is one that reflects the questioning of authority common to American soldiers. He himself is a private during most of the war, though he's promoted to corporal at one point. King evens disdains that rank!

It's not as conversational as Wilbur Fisk's diaries ("Hard Marching Every Day") but very readable. The diary ends abruptly in September, 1864, 10 months before the end of the war and King's return to his family.

While doing family history research, I stumbled on this journal of a distant relative, edited by his great granddaughter. I'm not even a Civil War buff, but couldn't put it down. It starts with the recruiting and training of farm boys in Illinois and their long train ride to the battlefield, seeing the world for the first time. It gives a great picture of the era, the ridiculous military hierarchy, and the highs and lows of battle. I can share it with my teenaged grandchildren--boys and girls--because it frankly shows what war is like (even today) without being unbearable. There's lots of humor and wisdom along with the action.