Anecdotes, Poetry, and Incidents of the War: North and South : 1860-1865

Published shortly after the end of the American Civil War, this book is unusual in that it contains poems, songs and incidents (humorous and not) from both sides of the conflict. It adds a great deal of humanity to the overwhelming historical events of the Civil War. It is full of tales of military rabbit hunts, Irish women smuggling brandy flasks in chickens, and ribald jests and ungentlemanly jokes. It contains a touching account of a former slave's first free Christmas, heart rending narratives of widows and orphans, and countless tales of heroism. The tales of heroism often provide the most grisly detail, such as "My mouth was full of blood, fragments of teeth and gravel, my breast-bone almost broken in and I lay in mud almost two inches deep." This is a book you can dip into anywhere and come away with a new understanding of the human spirit and the strength, humour and courage it took to survive terrible times.