Review of "A Soldier’s Diary 1861-65," by General Warren McCain

 Review of

A Soldier’s Diary 1861-65, by General Warren McCain, ISBN 9781519042897

Four out of five stars

Not a great deal of combat

 First and foremost, the first name of the author of this diary is General, his highest rank during the American Civil War was Sergeant. While McCain was part of Sherman’s army that marched through the heart of the Confederacy, he was not part of a major battle. What action he saw was limited to skirmishes on the edges.

 Therefore, this account is not filled with tales of the extreme brutality that was the fundamental of the Civil War. Where the casualties in a major battle were measured as high as over a thousand per hour. In fact, it is largely a story of how much of war is rather dull and routine. Especially when you are not part of the spear of an army on the move.

 While this story is not boring by any means, it is also not composed of eyewitness renditions of the height of the carnage.

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