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272 pp, 6 photos, 4 maps, 1995
$24.95 hardcover 0-87745-523-6
“Soldier Boy contains many valuable insights into the Civil War of the West, gives a realistic picture of life and death among the so-called common soldiers of that conflict, and does these things in a roughhewn but frank and colorful fashion that makes for enjoyable reading. This is a splendid addition to the literature of the Civil War produced by the men who fought it.”—Albert Castel, author of Decision in the West: The Atlanta Campaign of 1864
Blood and anger, bragging and pain, are all part of this young Iowa soldier's vigorous words about war and soldiering. A twenty-year-old farmer from Council Bluffs, Charles O. Musser was one of the 76,000 Iowans who enlisted to wear the blue uniform. He was a prolific writer, penning at least 130 letters home during his term of service with the 29th Iowa Volunteer Infantry.
Soldier Boy makes a significant contribution to the literature of the common soldier in the Civil War. Moreover, it takes a rare look at the Trans-Mississippi theater, which has traditionally been undervalued by historians.
Always Musser dutifully wrote and mailed his letters home. With a commendable eye for historical detail, he told of battles and marches, guerrilla and siege warfare, camp life and garrison soldiering, morale and patriotism, Copperheads and contraband, and Lincoln's reelection and assassination, creating a remarkable account of activities in this almost forgotten backwater of the war. |
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