The 14th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry was formed in August 1862 and less than a month later its men were engaged in the fierce fighting at Bloody Lane during the battle of Antietam. This book presents an articulate; firsthand view of camp life and combat in the 14th; as told by Sgt. Benjamin Hirst of Company D; a unit composed largely of men from the mill town of Rockville. Hirst's wartime narratives consist of letters and journal entries written during his actual service. As such; they have a special freshness and immediacy lacking in most postwar memoirs and creative reconstructions of the war. Filled with details about the common soldier's experiences of army life; Hirst's writings also offer his views on the singular importance of personal courage in combat and of a marriage weathering the difficult separation brought on by war. Interspersed with Hirst's narrative is extensive commentary by Robert L. Bee that seeks to capture Hirst's worldview and the impact of his earlier life experiences upon his wartime portrayals.
#195961 in Books Univ of South Carolina Pr 2008-12-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.07 x 2.08 x 6.36l; .0 #File Name: 1570037728359 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. An interesting look at an atypical typical soldierBy Bruce TrinqueHenry P. Goddard was in some ways not an atypical Union soldier; although his Civil War service was more diverse than was usual with most of his comrades. He served as an officer of cavalry; infantry; and artillery; as well as being on the staff of a general; suffering wounds and illness along the way; and he was simultaneously a war correspondent for his hometown newspaper. The greatest part of his service was with the 14th Connecticut Infantry; a regiment in the Army of the Potomac. "The Good Fight that Didn't End" chronicles Goddard's Civil War service (and even some of his prewar and postwar experiences) through his letters; diaries; published memoirs; and newspaper articles. He saw the battles of Antietam; Fredericksburg; and Chancellorsville at first hand (as well as the little-known but bloody affair of Morton's Ford; Virginia) before poor health prompted his resignation from service in early 1864. Goddard's accounts make for sometimes lively but uneven reading; blending observations about Army life and glimpses of life back home together with gossipy comments about his fellow officers; much of that latter material probably would be of little direct interest to most readers (although as a student of the 14th Connecticut; I found his insights into the diverse personalities of the regiment's officers quite enlightening).
