Army of Tennessee Diaries and Such

[yerbyray]

Group,

I am looking for some AoT soldier diaries our regiment histories to learn more about that campaign. I must confess that I am ignorant to the engagements to the west and I want to change that.

I am sure that there are plenty of histories and texts on that campaign but I prefer to read about the day-to-day and specific unit events than the board picture.

I guess I want to see if life was much different for the AoT pard than an ANV pard.

Any recommendations would be nice.

[reb4lee]

You probably heard of this one but it is a GREAT one on AOT.
"Co Aytch" by Sam Watkins

[tenfed1861]

"Diary of a Confederate Soldier","Johnny Green of the Orphan Brigade",and "Confederate Soldier:Front to Rear" are pretty good for your basic stuff.Another good book will be "Cadet Grey and Butternut Brown" for uniforms.It does talk about the ANV a lot,but it also talks very heavily about the AOT.

[Ross L. Lamoreaux]

One great classic is "Confederate Service on Land and Sea: The Diary of Robert Watson". This is an unusual book, as it journals the service of Sergeant Robert Watson of Co K, 7th Fla Vols in their journey from muster and through Kentucky, Tennessee, and north Georgia, and then his and other comrades transfer to the Confederate Navy and the CSS Savannah of the Savannah Squadron. He and many of his comrades in Co K were sailors our of Key West who fled when the Union occupied the island and began the naval blockade and went north to Fort Brooke in Tampa.

[yerbyray]

Thank you all and I will add these to my search list.

[Kevin O'Beirne]

In addition to the specific soldier-accounts listed in this thread, I suggest that you obtain one of the better, modern campaign histories involving the Army of Tennessee (or its original name, the Army of the Mississippi), such as Peter Cozzens's trilogy,

"No Better Place to Die: The Battle of Stones River"
"This Terrible Sound: The Battle of Chickamauga"
"The Shipwreck of their Hopes: The Battles for Chattanooga"

Or perhaps Albert Castel's "Decision in the West: The Atlanta Campaign", or Wiley Sword's, "The Confederacy's Last Hurrah: The 1864 Tennessee Campaign" (originally published under the title, "Embrace an Angry Wind: The Confederacy's Last Hurrah") and others. Looking in the list of sources for these wonderful books will yield a huge list of Army of Tennessee primary source materials that you can follow up.

Also, these books are darn good reading in their own right. I'm currently in Cozzens's "The Shipwreck of Their Hopes" which virtually reads like a novel.

[madisontigers]

Yerby,

As far as a difference between NC troops serving in the eastand west, yes, there was a difference. I've got a plethora of information, in regards to AOT soldiering, of various sorts. Some of your better accounts, which can be located in geneaology centers, various state archives, private collections ( Duke University) are unpublished, and as a result, will require a moderate/easy level amount of research.
As a matter of fact, I am using some primary source(soldier) accounts, as part of my thesis. You may look into taking a trip to the N.C. State archives, which is located in Raleigh. In addition, I am planning on utilizing some of this information in a presentation I am giving to the guys the 19th of January, at Casar.

David Long

[madisontigers]

Yerby,

I'll try to bring you some of the stuff that I have on the 19th.Having said that, another good read is "Cush." This book was written by Samuel Spracht, and is a wonderful addition to any living historians book shelf.Furthermore, the diary of Phillip Dangerfield Stephenson, which was available a few years ago, is another good read.After you have read the Cozzens trilogy, I would also like to reccomend that you obtain a copy of : " Decision In The West," written by: Castell, Albert.This book , as of now, and in the opinion of most scholars, the best historical overview of the Atlanta campaign. Personally, I have read this book three times, and plan on reading it again.

David Long

[tenfed1861]

"Echos of Battle:The Atlanta Comapign" by Blue Acorn Press is a good read.It is the Atlanta Campaign in first person narratives.It is simply made up of letters,diaries entries,and I believe a few newspaper articles.It is a good read with wonderful photos.
Cullen