Inside the Army of the Potomac: The Civil War Experience of Captain Francis Adams Donaldson

What I love about this book is that it is so much more than stories about battles. It's an incredibly well written account of the everyday life of an average Civil War soldier. You get a great idea of the politics of rank back then, along with great descriptions of everything from marches, to camping, to of course the battles. It's also amazing to me what he experienced....from the Battle of Fredericksburg, to Gettysburg, and Antietam, there is definetly no lack of detailed battle descriptions too. I guess my favorite part is that he continually asks his brother to not publish his writings and for that reason he writes honestly, and you get a true account of what military life was like back then. I highly recommend this book.

Civil War memoirs seem to have taken off since the Ken Burns miniseries aired on PBS. The writings collected in this book provide amazing insight into the day-to-day concerns of an average Army officer, and bring the humanity of a Civil War soldier to the forefront. I've been a Civil War buff my whole life, but I never knew the extent of petty politics and personal grudges that went on until I read this book. Thanks to Greg Acken for helping us walk alongside a soldier as he tramps through one of America's most pivotal conflicts -- and go 'Cats!

In letters to his brother and aunt, Francis Adams Donaldson chronicled his daily experiences during three years in the infantry of the Army of the Potomac. Not intending that his words would find their way into publication, he used his letters home to express his hopes, ventilate his frustrations, and convey to his family some sense of the tedium, grandeur and horror he was experiencing. Presented almost as written, this collection of correspondence brings an honesty and immediacy not found in the often sanitized volumes of other Civil War memoirs. Donaldson was a very young man when he began his service as a volunteer in a Pennsylvania regiment. Enduring the intensity of combat, called upon to lead but not trained as a professional soldier, craving recognition and promotion, his often bitter criticisms of the abilities and personal qualities of his peers and superiors reflect his own inevitable stress and insecurity. There are other collections of such letters from Civil War combatants. What sets this book apart is J. Gregory Acken's remarkable editing and research. Almost every individual and place name mentioned by Donaldson, even if only in passing, is referenced by a footnote. Where available, photographs of the soldiers are provided. You won't be left wondering what happened to these men, whether they survived the wounds which result in their passing from the pages of the memoir, or the course of their careers as they leave the unit; their fate is there in the footnotes. Each chapter is headed by a brief section placing the subsequent letters in historical context. My only criticism of the book comes in these sections, which introduce some jarring redundancies by quoting passages later contained within the letters, themselves. The book comes most alive in the letters describing the battles of Gettysburg and Mills Run. Though it can be a long read at times, you will finish it with the feeling of having shared, in the words of the subtitle, the Civil War experience of Captain Francis Adams Donaldson.

After E.P.Alexander's Fighting for the Confederacy (edited by Gary Gallagher) this is the best Civil War officer's narrative in existence. Want a real treat? Read it. You Confederates will love it too.

This is an outstanding set of letters by a perceptive officer in the 118th Pennsylvania Infantry. It certainly ranks in the top five of Army of the Potomac letter collections published in the last decade. Donaldson was opinionated, but also intent on description, not chat. He provides excellent narratives of most of the major campaigns, but more importantly he offers insights into ordeals and events often overlooked--everyday struggles lost to history. Gregory Acken has done an outstanding job of introducing, annotating, and editing the missives, offering the reader cues to the important themes that course through the correspondence. For the serious researcher of the Army of the Potomac, this book will become an oft-cited source. For the more casual student, these letters are a vivid, first-rate look at the experience of America's Civil War.