audiobook Composing Selves: Southern Women and Autobiography (Southern Literary Studies) by Silas Grisamore; Arthur W. Bergeron in History

Review

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. The book was in excellent condition. I have read it itBy CustomerThe book was in excellent condition. I have read it it. Very informative. Puts you in the place of a soldier during that time. I got the book because I have two ancestors in it. It gave me information that I needed for genealogical research and more.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Outstanding history of the 18th Louisiana InfantryBy Joe Owen"The Civil War Reminiscences of Major Silas T. Grisamore C.S.A. edited with an introduction by Arthur W. Bergeron Jr. (Louisiana State University Press; 1993; 227 pages). "The Civil War Reminiscences of Major Silas T. Grisamore C.S.A." is the diary of this officer/quartermaster of the 18th Louisiana Infantry Regiment that fought mainly in the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the War Between the States and in Louisiana. Silas T. Grisamore; originally born in Indiana in 1825 and moved to Louisiana when he was 21 in 1846 was a merchant before the war. When the war began; Grisamore enlisted with the Lafourche Creoles; soon to become Company G of the 18th Louisiana Infantry Regiment and was commissioned as the quartermaster officer of the regiment due to his experience as a merchant. Much of his service during the war was as the quartermaster (supply and acquisitions) of the regiment and later the infantry division.Major Grisamore's personal diary details the daily life; the battles; the hardships that the regiment went through. Many of the Major's tales are humoerous such as one account where a Colonel of the regiment was actually relieved that his brand new uniform was left behind and "captured" by the Union. He hated new clothes and a "burden was lifted" when the Yankees captured the house he was in after he escaped the night before. Major Grisamore also details the hardships of obtaining supplies for the regiment during the war; as the war dragged on; supplies were harder to get and severe shortages was common to a Confederate Regiment and the 18th Louisiana Infantry Regiment was no exception. Major Grisamore was also in close proximity to many of the battles the regiment fought in. From Shiloh to Pleasant Hill; Mansfield and other battles in and around Louisiana; the major is a keen observer of the terrible reality of battle and gives an excellent and accurate account of the regiment in battle.Major Grisamore provides detailed information about the status of General Alfred Mounton during the battle of Labadieville and the actions of General Henry H. Silby at the battle of Bisland that are not found in any other sources thus far. Major Grisamore was an excellent writer and observer.After the war; Major Grisamore beginning in 1867 under the pseudonym of "Uncle Silas;" wrote his memories to a a local newspaper "The Weekly Thibodaux Sentinel" as a weekly entry of his reminiscences of the war. He would write these articles up into 1871. Arthur W. Burgeron would take the reminiscences of Major Grisamore and presented them in chronological order with excellent footnotes and author's notes that greatly help the reader follow the actions of the 18th Louisiana Infantry Regiment and the actions of Major Grisamore. At the end of the book; Major Grisamore provides the history of the officers of the 18th Louisiana and what they did after the war.This is an excellent book that is a valuable resource to anyone interested in a Confederate regiment from Louisiana and the supplies they procured in order to survive. This excellent book also provides a valuable service in describing the lesser known battles and skirmishes in Louisiana and the Trans-Mississippi Theater that are not well known.I highly recommend this to anyone interested in the Civil War in the Trans-Mississippi Theater; Confederate Louisiana history; and history of the 18th Louisiana Infantry Regiment. Highly recommended!7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. Quartermaster's get their dueBy D. CooperI own two copies; a first edition manuscript and the edition sold here. It remains my favorite regimental history of a Louisiana unit and is certainly the best; most readable QM account ever. Bergeron once again does a superb job editing. Perhaps most valuable is the various accounts of the extreme difficulty; delivered with a wry wit; of keeping a moving army supplied with everything from bullets to beans to clothing. The fortunes of war wax and wane; but the QM's job remains critical. The 18th Louisiana Inf and its brigade fought in some well known (Red River) and not so well known campaigns; so the insight Grisamore provides does much to fill in some holes in the sideshows. Of particular interest to historians and living historians of the Civil War are the detailed descriptions of the uniforms and equipment worn by these men; from captured federal supplies to uniforms made with oustanding imported British cloth...or poorly fitting clothing made from homespun purchased from local suppliers. Through it all Grisamore retains his sense of humor and keen powers of observation. An outstanding read; that you will pick up again and again.