The Civil War in Their Words - An Introduction

 

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and we stand by one another like Brothers.

William Randolph, a Union soldier with the 6th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry Regiment, wrote that line in a letter to his cousin in 1862.

Randolph wrote those words in a letter to his cousin, describing himself and his tentmates after a brawl with some nearby troops. He added, with no small measure of pride: “we ar not very easy takeing down."

The Civil War in Their Words is a blog of the American Civil War as described in the letters and diaries of those – like Randolph – who lived it daily. The voices of these men and women who lived the war - what they feared, what they missed, what they endured - are preserved in these letters and diaries. 

This blog isn’t about Gettysburg. It’s about what passed through a soldier’s mind in the wheatfield. Not about rations—but about opening a can of sardines under shellfire. Not about the march—but about the relief of dry socks.

Our posts cover a variety of interesting (and unusual) topics like Ambrose Bierce's 'Dead Line' Phenomenon or The Moonlight Fight at Gettysburg. These stories are from the point of view of those guys that marched and fought and died in that war - not the "views" that made it into the Official Records of the War of the Rebellion tomes. 

The Civil War is also one of the most popular topics in American History for a variety of reasons - one of which is the fact that a total of 3.2 million Americans served in the armies on both sides of that Irrepressible Conflict. Consequently, there are millions of forgotten stories - a wedding gala amid the tents in a Civil War camp - and forgotten people like Irish Molly. I have another blog devoted to finding these strange, unique and forgotten tales and people called: Take the Colors: Forgotten Stories of the Civil War. Click by and read a few posts for laughs, or tears, or simply, jaw-dropping amazement! 

And last, but certainly not least, is our ☕ Coffee Chronicles page. Yes—coffee! The War Between the States practically ran on caffeine. One of our future presidents even SERVED coffee to his regiment while they were under fire! From battlefield brews to unexpected uses, every post here uncovers unique stories about coffee’s surprising role in the Civil War.

So if the Civil War is your "thing" or just a curiosity, browse our blogs and posts and have fun reading some of these unique letters and stories from the War Between the States!

And by the way – Thanks for clicking by!

(Please note: This site will never post photographs that include battlefield dead. Photos of that nature are historically irrelevant, and most importantly, they are disrespectful of the lives those people led as living human beings. Their last image should not be the grotesque pose of death.)