What was it like to be a poorly trained, ill-equipped, militiaman trying to defend your own home? What was it like to be stuffed into a makeshift submarine-an iron tube no more than 3 feet in diameter and propelled by a hand crank-and sent more than 30 feet below Charleston Harbor to attack the enemy? What was it like to be a Creek infantryman, riding into a Union post in frontier Oklahoma, carrying the rags of what had been your proud battle flag, knowing you were among the last of the Confederates to surrender? What was it really like to be a soldier during the Civil War? Brave Men in Desperate Times tells the stories of twenty-one ordinary Civil War soldiers-men who, by and large, have never had their stories published until now. These vivid, eyewitness accounts culled from battle reports, muster rolls, museum collections, family stories, and a handful of letters and diaries that have survived are a testament to the sacrifice, honor, and service of these courageous men. |
