The common soldier of the Civil War

Wiley, Bell Irvin

Scribner

Originally published forty years ago, Bell Irvin Wiley's The Road to Appomattox marked one of the first efforts by a Civil War scholar to identify the internal causes of the South's defeat. Today this elegant little book remains one of the most penetrating, thought-provoking works on the subject. In the book's three chapters, Wiley treats three broad reasons for the failure of the Confederacy: weak political leadership, low morale among the populace, and four "internal influences" in the South. Those four shortcomings stemmed from traits apparently endemic to southerners in general, Wiley explains, and they included disharmony among and between political and military leaders; the government's failure to provide adequate public information systems; rigidity in outlook and course of action; and poor judgment, especially of the North's strength, the South's own strength, and Europe's dependence on cotton. Recent years have witnessed a number of significant studies dealing with Confederate defeat, particularly with the failings of Davis as war leader and with the complex issue of the South's dedication to the cause. Wiley was one of the first historians to raise these issues and discuss then trenchantly. Those familiar with The Road to Appomattox will cheer the reissue of this resonant work; first-time readers will see why.

Road to Appomattox

History

Americas

Macmillan Pub. Co.

Rear cover notes: "A classic account of what happened to Southern Negroes in their transition from slavery to freedom during the Civil War. The book examines the changing attitudes and experiences of Negroes in the Confederacy as well as those under the control of the Union armies."

Southern Negroes, 1861-1865 (Louisiana paperbacks ; L68)

Louisiana State University Press

Offers a composite portrait of the Southern soldier during the Civil War

The Life of Johnny Reb: The Common Soldier of the Confederacy

Louisiana State Univ Pr

Wartime diaries and letters provide the sources for a composite portrait of the Union soldier

Life of Billy Yank: The Common Soldier of the Union

Biographies & Memoirs

Historical

When Bell Wiley's composite portrait of the ordinary soldier of the Confederacy was first published in 1943, it was enthusiastically received by both the professional historian and the lay reader. After thirty-five years it is still regarded as one of the best available accounts of the average man who swelled the armies that have fought our nation's wars.

The life of Johnny Reb: The common soldier of the Confederacy

The Life of Billy Yank is a frank, intimate, and warm study of the Union soldier by one of the most prolific and revered of all Civil War historians. Here, through excerpts from wartime letters and diaries and from other carefully documented research, Bell Irvin Wiley presents an absorbing account of the small and sometimes moving events that made up the daily life of the common Union soldier, a moral but fallible human who could laugh at lewd jokes, be stripped of his courage under fire, or save an entire company from certain death.

The Life of Billy Yank: The Common Soldier of the Union

Leaders & Notable People

Originally published forty years ago, Bell Irvin Wiley’s The Road to Appomattox marked one of the first efforts by a Civil War scholar to identify the internal causes of the South’s defeat. Today this elegant little book remains one of the most penetrating, thought-provoking works on the subject. 
In the book’s three chapters, Wiley treats three broad reasons for the failure of the Confederacy: weak political leadership, low morale among the populace, and four “internal influences” in the South. Those four shortcomings stemmed from traits apparently endemic to southerners in general, Wiley explains, and they included disharmony among and between political and military leaders; the government’s failure to provide adequate public information systems; rigidity in outlook and course of action; and poor judgment, especially of the North’s strength, the South’s own strength, and Europe’s dependence on cotton. 
Recent years have witnessed a number of significant studies dealing with Confederate defeat, particularly with the failings of Davis as war leader and with the complex issue of the South’s dedication to the cause. Wiley was one of the first historians to raise these issues and discuss them trenchantly. Those familiar with The Road to Appomattox will cheer the reissue of this resonant work; first-time readers will see why.

Road To Appomattox

LSU Press

In this companion to The Life of Johnny Reb, Bell Irvin Wiley explores the daily lives of the men in blue who fought to save the Union. With the help of many soldiers' letters and diaries, Wiley explains who these men were and why they fought, how they reacted to combat and the strain of prolonged conflict, and what they thought about the land and the people of Dixie. This fascinating social history reveals that while the Yanks and the Rebs fought for very different causes, the men on both sides were very much the same. "This wonderfully interesting book is the finest memorial the Union soldier is ever likely to have.... [Wiley] has written about the Northern troops with an admirable objectivity, with sympathy and understanding and profound respect for their fighting abilities. He has also written about them with fabulous learning and considerable pace and humor.

The Life of Johnny Reb: The Common Soldier of the Confederacy (Conflicting Worlds: New Dimensions of the American Civil War)

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Wiley, Bell Irvin. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Wiley, Bell Irvin

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Wiley, Bell Irvin. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The common soldier of the Civil War

Road to Appomattox

Southern Negroes, 1861-1865 (Louisiana paperbacks ; L68)

The Life of Johnny Reb: The Common Soldier of the Confederacy

Life of Billy Yank: The Common Soldier of the Union

The life of Johnny Reb: The common soldier of the Confederacy

The Life of Billy Yank: The Common Soldier of the Union

The Life of Johnny Reb: The Common Soldier of the Confederacy

Road To Appomattox

The Life of Johnny Reb: The Common Soldier of the Confederacy (Conflicting Worlds: New Dimensions of the American Civil War)