ebooks Record of a Soldier in the Late War: The Confederate Memoir of John Wesley Bone by From Chinquapin Publishers in History

Review

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. An Essential Civil War Resource : The Private Soldiers' ExperienceBy J. HaworthJulianne and David Mehegan have performed a great service to the literature of the War by their detailed and careful editing of the outstanding first-person narrative of John Wesley Bone. Bone’s tale is at turns harrowing; heart-breaking; uplifting; and tragic; but most of all remarkable in its period detail and vivid authenticity.Examine any Muster-In Roll of any company of soldiers on either side of the conflict and you will find roughly 85% of the enrollees held the rank of private. These soldiers carried the war far more than is acknowledged in other first-person accounts of the war; nearly all from the pens of officers. Bone’s "Record of a Soldier in the Late War" is of great value in chronicling the daily lot of the vast majority of the front-line fighters in this war. It is refreshing as such; reflecting a rarely-seen perspective of those who did not place the cannons; but rather faced them.Bone was uncomplaining; steadfast; and brave. He was also sufficiently mindful of the value to posterity of his remarkable experiences to record them. The editors have provided useful and essential glosses for many of the references in Bone’s text; and have; as a result; greatly amplified the impact of the already-strong source material.Bone was an outstanding exemplar of the observation of Confederate General St. John Richardson Liddell; who wrote in his post-war memoir "Liddell’s Record" (Nathaniel Cheairs Hughes; Jr.; editor): “Whenever I now see the brave Confederate private soldier who manfully stuck to his flag and cause to the end I cannot avoid the reflection that he deserved more respect and consideration than the general officers that led him in the ruined cause. His should be the honor and reward. For his was the endurance and his the suffering in true faith; hopeless of distinction to the last. “John Wesley Bone is Exhibit A to General Liddell's thesis. This book is very highly recommended for its scholarship; and for the contribution it makes to adjusting perspectives of the conflict. Bone's is the most sincere; guileless; and affecting narrative you are likely to read from the pen of a private soldier. Six stars if gave them.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. ONE MAN'S MEMORY SPEAKS FOR MANYBy Susan Trausch; BostonJohn Wesley Bone's diary gives the reader the gritty essence of the Civil War. While it is one man's memory of a volunteer fighting for the Confederacy; it is also a portrait of what daily life was like for the common soldier on both sides of the conflict. In plain; straight-forward language; Bone describes the exploding confusion of battle; the fear; quiet courage; bloody marching feet; rampant sickness; bitter cold and fetid heat of that brutal time. The beautifully-designed diary; edited by Bone's great granddaughter; Julianne Mehegan and her husband; David; will resonate with readers on either side of the Mason-Dixon Line; be they Civil War memorabilia collectors or simply people who want a first-hand account of history.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Remarkable CourageBy FrederickJohn Wesley Bone fought at the battles of: Seven Pines; Mechanicsville; Gaines Mill; Malvern Hill; South Mountain; Fredericksburg; Chancellorsville; Kelly's Ford; Wilderness; Spotsylvania Courthouse ; and the siege of Petersburg. He was wounded in the arm and the leg at Malvern Hill; and shot through a lung and wounded by two other balls before he reached shelter at the Battle of the Wilderness.He was among the 4 surviving members of 167 men; of the original company I; of the 30th North Carolina Regiment.John Wesley succumbed to pneumonia April 7; 1936 at his home at Oak Level;North Carolina; at the age of 93.