Uncommon Soldiers: Harvey Reid and the 22nd Wisconsin March with Sherman

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As a noncommissioned officer and headquarters clerk, Harvey Reid was in a unique position to observe army politics and military operations during his Civil War service with the 22nd Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Blessed with a sense of history, a keen eye, and solid writing gifts, this former schoolteacher produced a series of unusually revealing wartime letters.In his correspondence, Reid reflected on camp life and the turbulent, often confusing experiences of enlisted men. His writings are especially valuable for their commentary on soldiers' reactions to the burning issues of the day -- among them slavery, the Emancipation Proclamation, and the use of African American troops. Although Reid and his unit spent little time on the battlefield, Reid was captured in March 1863, and he wrote a detailed description of his time as a prisoner of war. Upon his release, Reid was reunited with his regiment, which joined in Sherman's 1864 offensive against Atlanta. After that city's fall, Reid's letters describe the march to the sea and through the Carolinas.Originally published in 1965 under the title The View from Headquarters, this book was much praised and much used by historians exploring the war's Western theater and the lives of ordinary soldiers. This new edition includes an appendix that further enhances its value: a memoir of Sherman's march by William H. McIntosh, another veteran of the 22nd Wisconsin.