The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 96, July 1992 - April, 1993 Page: 617
681 p. : ill. (some col.), maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Book Reviews
should whet the reader's appetite for more. Leuschner's experiences paralleled
those of hundreds of other men on both sides, and his account sometimes be-
trays the frustration which he felt. For example, he justified his company's infor-
mal truce with the enemy while on picket duty by writing that "it would not
amount to anything nohow, to get a man Killed now & then. Neather side would
gain anything by it" (p. 40).
Charles D. Spurlin has edited the extant part of the diary, from the beginning
of the Atlanta campaign until the end of the war, and filled in the missing parts
from his own research. Of additional interest is an appendix that includes all the
pertinent information from the compiled service records of every man in
Leuschner's regiment.
This book would have been much more "user friendly" if the publisher had
chosen to place Spurlin's notes at the bottom of the appropriate pages, rather
than at the end of the book, but The Cwvil War Dzary of Charles A. Leuschner helps
to balance the coverage that historians have accorded to Robert E. Lee's battles.
University of Houston-Downtown JAMES M. MCCAFFREY
The Civil War Memoirs of Captain William J. Seymour: Reminiscences of a Louisiana
Tiger. By Terry L. Jones (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press,
1991. Pp. 162. Acknowledgments, introduction, maps, epilogue, bibliogra-
phy, index. $19.95.)
Texas and other Southwestern states sent troops to fight in Virginia during
the Civil War. Best represented was Louisiana, which contributed two brigades.
Terry L. Jones, author of an important study of those brigades (Lee's Tigers [LSU
Press, 1987]), has further enhanced our understanding of Louisiana forces in
the eastern theater by publishing the memoirs of William J. Seymour.
Captain Seymour served as aide-de-camp and assistant adjutant general of the
First Louisiana Brigade (and later of the combined Louisiana Brigade) in 1863
and 1864. His memoirs, obviously based on wartime diaries, provide almost daily
accounts of his experiences, from Chancellorsville to Cedar Creek, where, lam-
entably, the narrative stops in mid-battle. The reminiscences also cover his ser-
vice as aide-de-camp to Johnson K. Duncan in embattled Fort Jackson,
Louisiana, during the New Orleans campaign in March and April, 1862.
A careful observer and descriptive writer, newspaper editor Seymour captures
military life in those two commands and conveys information on campaigns and
camp life unavailable elsewhere. See, for instance, his remarks on fortifying (p.
97), plundering (p. 117), and putrefying (p. 118). Especially useful is his van-
tage for viewing senior officers. References to Generals Duncan and Harry T.
Hays understandably pervade the recollections. He also offers insights into the
characters of John K. Mitchell (p. 34), Stonewall Jackson (p. 49), A. P. Hill (p.
89), Robert E. Lee and Richard S. Ewell (pp. 96, 114, and 125), Leroy A.
Stafford (p. 109), Stephen Dodson Ramseur (p. 132), and Robert E. Rodes (p.
141).617
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 96, July 1992 - April, 1993, periodical, 1993; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101215/m1/687/: accessed April 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.