DOC Turned Inside Out: Recollections of a Private Soldier in the Army of the Potomac by Frank Wilkeson in History

Review

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. BLUNT; sharp; yet introspective! (~400 words)By history buff in se PAWELL WORTH THE READ !!• 1 map. No images. No footnotes. No index. 246 pages.• Introduction (5 pgs) by James M. McPherson.• A Union soldier’s autobiographical memoir written two decades after the Civil War.A zealous; patriotic; under-aged teenager sneaks off to Albany; NY to enlist in the Union Army in late 1863. He reports [and is sworn in 28 Mar 1864]. Frank finds himself in an unimagined army in transition whose replacements and increased manpower is composed of bounty-jumpers; paid substi-tutes; foreign-born flotsam jetsam; and uninformed rural Americans.The first two chapters deal with this culture shock and the harsh discipline necessary to transport the unruly; motley crew to the front with the Wilderness as their first battle. Wilkeson leaves his [11th NY Light Artillery] battery and gathers infantry accouterments heading towards the sound of gunfire to fight alongside the infantrymen. The Wilderness was too dense rugged for artillery to maneuver. Back with his battery; Frank is further seasoned during the morale sapping and heavy combat casualties of the Overland Campaign. (These six chapters provide a ground eye’s view of combat and survival unlike the generals’ views described in their highly disproportionate Civil War memoirs and “histories”.) Wilkeson’s spirit is fully broken by the costly June 1864 assaults on the Dimmock Line and strong earthworks at Petersburg (Chapter 9).Disillusioned; his anger and disgust torrentially pour out in his most impassioned; climactic chapter addressing the adversely; changed quality of soldiers in the Army of the Potomac; the feckless; poor quality of Union military leadership; and contrasts McClelland and Grant’s leading of the Army of the Potomac (Chapter 10). Toning it down a notch; Frank observes and reflects on dying and death in the ranks (Chapter 11).Three anti-climatic chapters conclude this memoir with several observations and reflections --- each worthy of their own discussion. The public and military response to Jubal Early’s raid down the Shenandoah Valley northward towards the U.S. capital Washington DC. Rapid deployment to the Federal prison in Elmira; NY; to quell ominous; mutinous threats by Confederate prisoners. (This chapter includes Frank’s comparison of perceived prison conditions on both sides.) During the closing chapter describing the odyssey to reach his new artillery assignment as a regular Army 2nd lieutenant; Wilkeson observes and considers the ruinous condition of the mountainous southwestern Confederacy countryside; civilian refugees fleeing guerrilla warfare; emancipated Negroes groping for an unclear; safe; new place in society; and bushwhackers. Along this journey; Frank pauses to state why he is writing this memoir; e.g. p208.Descriptions of military operations are kept simple and focus on Wilkeson’s battery. However; sufficient terrain and military unit information is provided that one could determine just where Frank physically was during these battles if you choose to do so.Frank Wilkeson (b 8 Mar 1848 - d 21 Apr 1913) son of Samuel Wilkeson (a Civil War correspondent for the NY Times) Catherine Cady (sister of abolitionist suffragette Elizabeth Cady Stanton). An older brother Bayard (age 19) died while commanding an artillery battery on Barlow’s Knoll at the battle of Gettysburg (which their father was covering). His childhood neighbor was 13th U.S. President Millard Fillmore (term 1850-1853). [source: wikipedia]9 of 11 people found the following review helpful. Wilkerson's book survives McPherson's lackluster introBy A CustomerMake no mistake about it; this is one of the best first-person narratives ever written about the Civil War from the viewpoint of a common soldier. Editor James M. McPherson glowingly sings the praises of Frank Wilkerson's manuscript; but he provides no additional details about the life of Wilkerson; something Civil War readers have come to expect when a veteran's manuscript is reprinted. The book is an incredible read; but the reader can't help but ask the question: who was Frank Wilkerson? Where is he buried? What additional details are known about the artillery battery he served in? What was the reaction of readers and veterans when Wilkerson's book was first published? McPherson answers none of these questions in his brief introduction. He only points out that Wilkerson made some mistakes and a few exaggerations in the book; and that historians often quote heavily from it; but that's all.The title of the book was originally: "Recollections of a Private Soldier in the Army of the Potomac;" but the publishers; or McPherson himself; have lamely retitled it "Turned Inside Out" - an obscure reference to the pockets of the battlefield dead after they had been looted. I can understand their reasoning for giving the book a shorter and catchier title; but one wonders why they simply didn't shorten Wilkerson's original title to just "A Private Soldier." That would still describe the book in a nutshell. Unfortunaley; the new and enigmatic title will doom this edition to obscurity on the bookstore rack.Wilkerson's narrative is wonderful and I highly recommend it for all types of readers. But the definative edition of his narrative is yet to be published. I give Wilkerson's narrative 5 stars. I give McPherson's lazy and disappointing scholarship 1 star.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy clifford dahlstromEXCELLENT