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Rating: 
Summary: Clear Look Back
Review: John King's diary provides window into the world of a very provincial country at the time of the Civil War. He does an excellent job of highlighting the attitudes of fellow soldiers, poor Southerners, plantation owners, and new recruits. Claire Swedberg, the editor, has footnoted the book very well, giving context to many of the events mentioned in the book. For every person mentioned, Swedberg has provided some background on their service -- or whether they even survived the war.Passages such as King debating with a plantation owner over whether the Bible condones or condemns slavery -- where each side quotes verse -- make this a fascinating window into the past. King's attitude in the diaries is one that reflects the questioning of authority common to American soldiers. He himself is a private during most of the war, though he's promoted to corporal at one point. King evens disdains that rank! It's not as conversational as Wilbur Fisk's diaries ("Hard Marching Every Day") but very readable. The diary ends abruptly in September, 1864, 10 months before the end of the war and King's return to his family.
Rating:
Summary: Clear Look Back
Review: John King's diary provides window into the world of a very provincial country at the time of the Civil War. He does an excellent job of highlighting the attitudes of fellow soldiers, poor Southerners, plantation owners, and new recruits. Claire Swedberg, the editor, has footnoted the book very well, giving context to many of the events mentioned in the book. For every person mentioned, Swedberg has provided some background on their service -- or whether they even survived the war. Passages such as King debating with a plantation owner over whether the Bible condones or condemns slavery -- where each side quotes verse -- make this a fascinating window into the past. King's attitude in the diaries is one that reflects the questioning of authority common to American soldiers. He himself is a private during most of the war, though he's promoted to corporal at one point. King evens disdains that rank! It's not as conversational as Wilbur Fisk's diaries ("Hard Marching Every Day") but very readable. The diary ends abruptly in September, 1864, 10 months before the end of the war and King's return to his family.
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