Three Years with Wallace's Zouaves

This book will appeal to anyone interested in the western theater of the Civil War, soldier life, or Indiana history. Durham's memoir is a well-written and detailed account of his experiences as both an enlisted soldier and a company officer in the Union Army, with valuable descriptions of combat, camp life, and encounters with fellow soldiers and civilians. Durham wrote with candor and seemed to avoid exaggerating his role in the events he describes. As Durham explained it the piece was intended for his family's enjoyment and not for publication, "to portray the joys and pleasures and sorrows, hardships and sufferings of a soldier in that war."
Although some minor mistakes appear in his memoir, Durham obviously strove to make it as accurate as possible. Despite the fact that a number of soldier memoirs and reminiscences have been published in the past several years, few have dealt with the vitally important campaigns west of the Appalachians. In addition, practically nothing about the famous 11th Indiana regiment has appeared in print for decades. Thomas Wise Durham's extraordinary memoir of "ordinary" soldier life stands as a significant contribution to the genre of Civil War memoirs.

Publisher/Supplier: Mercer University Press

Date Published: 2003-06-01

Binding: Hardcover

ISBN: 0865548226

Language: en

Pages: 224

Length: 6 inches,Width: 0.63 inches,Height: 9 inches