ePub A Rebel War Clerk's Diary at the Confederate States Capital by J.B. Jones in History

Review

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Rebel War Clerk - Diary while at the State CapitalBy Thomas A. SchenkI found this to at times be slow but then again it is a diary kept by a clerk at the Confederate States Capital. I found it to be quite interesting with entries for nearly every day during the course of the Civil War.It is amazing that no doubt much of what he wrote could have also been written by a northern clerk in many respects; especially the "spin" that was put on the results of battles. As one reads this you could get the impression that the Confederate Army rarely lost many men or battles which was certainly true in the early stages of the war.During the later part of the diary the writer often described the effects of supplies not reaching civilians in the city of Richmond and the impact of "speculators" who withheld same and/or would sell at exorbitant prices to both the government and civilians.All in all I found it to be quite enjoyable despite the sometimes tedious details...although some of those clearly demonstrated the effects of the war on the prices of basic goods.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Outstanding DiaryBy booksrmywindowsA truly fascinating diary kept by a clerk in the war office whose job was to open and review all the mail he received. A reporter by training; his personal opinions are clear as well as his many biases; but by the end of the book you feel as if you're parting ways with a well liked - if some what trying - friend. Perhaps what makes him so endearing is the frequency with which he sees through the events and hyperbole and catches something of the deeper implications that lie beneath all that is going.His first person accounts of the events that were going on around him capture the drama that Richmond was in the center of from the elation following First Manassas to the collapse of the Army of Northern Virginia. Along the way we stand beside him as the Confederacy tears itself apart with bitter political infighting and witness the inherent weakness of a country whose most central idea is that each state is an independent country within a country. Along the way we suffer with him the bitter winter of 1862-1863; we walk beside him during the Bread Riots; we listen to the boom of cannons as the City is encircled; and wait at the dock for the Flag of Truce Boat to make its way upriver from Fort Monroe carrying northern newspapers; letters and passengers.Many notable Civil War historians have turned to this as a primary resource and it's worth taking the time to read.18 of 18 people found the following review helpful. An engrossing eyewitness account of the Civil War...By Admiral AdamaJohn B. Jones (1810-1866) was a proslavery Border State native who moved South when the Civil War began. A native of Baltimore; he spent most of his youth and young adulthood on the frontier in Kentucky and Missouri. He eventually made his way back to Baltimore and began a career as a newspaper editor. In the 1850's he lived in New Jersey; where he edited and published the "Southern Monitor"; a proslavery newspaper which examined the growing crisis between the North and South from a "Southern Viewpoint." When Abraham Lincoln (whom Jones detested) was elected President in 1860 and several Southern states seceded soon thereafter; Jones decided to move South and give whatever support he could to the new Confederate government. He took his wife and children with him; and he soon found a job as a high-level clerk in the Confederate War Department in Richmond; Virginia; the Confederacy's capital. In essence; Jones became a top assistant to the Confederate Secretary of War; which put him in an excellent position to view the conflict from both the "High Command" perspective and the view of an ordinary government worker and city dweller. In April 1861 Jones decided to start a daily diary describing the historic events taking place around him. He faithfully kept the diary until April 1865; when Richmond fell to Northern troops and the Confederacy was destroyed. Jones died from a sudden illness in February 1866; but his diary survived and has become a classic of its kind. It is often used as a "primary source" document by Civil War historians who want a first-hand; eyewitness account of what it was like to live and work in the Confederacy's capital city during the war. Jones is a good writer; and his diary includes almost every aspect of life in Richmond during the war; from the grand to the mundane. Great battles (and the rumors that often accompany them) are mentioned; the elation of early Southern victories to the despair of knowing that "the cause" was lost by the spring of 1865; the petty infighting and personal jealousies that tore the Confederate government apart - all of these are described in detail by Jones. He offers insightful accounts of Confederate President Jefferson Davis; the hated General Winder; who ineptly handled military rule in Richmond for most of the war; the long-winded and ineffective Confederate Congress; Stonewall Jackson's dramatic funeral in May 1863; and the flight of the Confederate government from Richmond and the burning and looting of the city before Northern troops could arrive and restore order. However; Jones also includes "smaller" and more personal details about the growing struggle to simply survive in Richmond as the North's naval blockade cut off necessary supplies of food; medicine; clothing; etc. Runaway inflation; food rationing; overcrowding; starving mobs of women marching through the city demanding food; and a thriving black market are all described by Jones (often in biting and sarcastic detail). To be sure; some things written in this book are offensive (or should be) to modern eyes. Jones is a contradiction - in his diary he emerges as a devoted father and husband who worries about his family's safety and fortunes. Yet he is also an unabashed racist who loathes Jews (and often blames them for everything from food shortages to financial issues; with no evidence to support him); and he supports slavery as the "best method" of dealing with blacks. He claims that slaves are generally well-treated and even boasts that the slaves would prefer their condition to being freed and "left on their own; with no support" by Northern abolitionists. Yet at the end of the diary; as Richmond lies in ruins and the war is lost; Jones seems less bitter than simply exhausted and glad that his family has survived. "A Rebel War Clerk's Diary" is still one of the best first-hand accounts of what it was like to live and work in the Confederacy's national capital by a government "insider"; and it should be read by every Civil War buff. Recommended!