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Mail your order to: DCHS Books, P.O. Box 317, Delaware,
OH. 43015-0317
Price: $54.95
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book
Here is a rare opportunity to experience the American
Civil War through the eyes of a man from the ranks. One who served (in
the 32nd OVI) four years (1861-1865), to the end of the war.
Here we see the day to day activities of a man from the troops, his struggles
to survive, his observations and thoughts as he participated in this activity,
that often pitted brother against brother. Charles Smith was committed
to the preservation of the Union and recording, for future generations,
the events as they happened, (not some 20-30 years later in one's memoirs).
Charles was a resident of Berlin Township, Delaware County, Ohio and was
one of over 2400 citizens (including four of his brothers) from Delaware
County, who answered the call for service in this "War to Preserve the
Union".
Many books have been written upon subjects connected with the War for the Union.
There have been an abundance of histories and stories of campaigns and battles from the perspective of regiments, divisions, corps and armies, and many about the military lives of prominent generals. But these do not generally portray the every day lives of the soldiers in the ranks.
This book is not a history, nor is it a story. It was not written by a historian or a military scholar from the perspective time gives to an event or an era. There are no imaginary characters nor are any of its events the product of a fertile mind from another generation.
Rather, this book is an unedited compilation of 21 diaries faithfully kept, usually daily, by a corporal in the 32nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, under what must have been at times the most adverse circumstances.
Every effort has been made to copy the original Diaries exactly as they were written by the man who was there. Spellings (and misspellings), grammar, punctuation, capitalization, etc. are unchanged.
Charles E. Smith (1836 - 1905) was a farmer and country school master from Delaware County, Ohio. He recorded his experiences from the time of his enlistment in September 1861 until his discharge in July of 1865.
His observations are remarkable in their focused attention to detail, yet rarely has the point of view of the man in the ranks been expressed with such literate understanding of the overall picture. They form a day to day account of the war as seen by an ordinary soldier who marched through it.
The Diaries seem to have been written with an eye to history, particularly from 1862 on. They paint a picture of dedication to God and Country which sustained Smith and his comrades through the hardships and privations which have been the lot of the combat infantryman in all wars.
They constitute a moving testament to the valor of the individual rifleman, and to his unwavering optimism and gut-wrenching courage in facing the extreme demands of service ---- ever present fear, exhaustion, hunger, sickness, injury and death.
S.R.M.
"A View From The Ranks, The Civil War Diaries (1861 - 1865)