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The Story of a Common Soldier of Army Life in the Civil War, 1861-1865

The Story of a Common Soldier of Army Life in the Civil War, 1861-1865

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Genre(s): , ,

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Number of Chapters: 26

Length: 11 hours and 02 minutes

Language: English

Leander Stillwell was an 18-year-old Illinois farm boy, living with his family in a log cabin, when the U.S. Civil War broke out. Stillwell felt a duty "to help save the Nation;" but, as with many other young men, his Patriotism was tinged with bravura: "the idea of staying at home and turning over senseless clods on the farm with the cannon thundering so close at hand . . . was simply intolerable." Stillwell volunteered for the 61st Illinois Infantry in January 1861. His youthful enthusiasm for the soldier's life was soon tempered at Shiloh, where he first "saw a gun fired in anger," and "saw a man die a violent death."

Stillwell's recounting of events is always vivid, personal, and engrossing. "I distinctly remember my first shot at Shiloh . . . The fronts of both lines were . . . shrouded in smoke. I had my gun at a ready, and was trying to peer under the smoke in order to get a sight of our enemies. Suddenly I heard someone in a highly excited tone calling to me from just in my rear, --'Stillwell! Shoot! Shoot! Why don't you shoot?' I looked around and saw that this command was being given by . . . our second lieutenant, who was wild with excitement, jumping up and down like a hen on a hot griddle. 'Why, lieutenant,' I said, 'I can't see anything to shoot at.' 'Shoot, shoot, anyhow!' 'All right,' I responded. . . And bringing my gun to my shoulder, I aimed low in the direction of the enemy, and blazed away through the smoke. But at the time the idea to me was ridiculous that one should blindly shoot into a cloud of smoke without having a bead on the object to be shot at."

The Story of a Common Soldier is a compelling coming of age tale that will appeal not only to Civil War buffs but to anyone who enjoys autobiographies. Written at the urging of his youngest son, when Stillwell was a mature man--a lawyer, judge, and member of the Kansas legislature, it combines graphic detail (provided by his war diary and letters written at the time to his family) with the insights of a thoughtful man looking back on those horrific times.(Summary by Sue Anderson)

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00 - Dedication and Preface (Sue Anderson)
01 - Beginning of the War, 1862 (Sue Anderson)
02 - Benton Barracks, St. Louis, 1862 (Sue Anderson)
03 - Battle of Shiloh, 1862 (Sue Anderson)
04 - Some Incidents of the Battle of Shiloh (Sue Anderson)
05 - Seige of Corinth, 1862 (Sue Anderson)
06 - Bethel, Jackson, 1862 (Sue Anderson)
07 - Bolivar, 1862 (Sue Anderson)
08 - Vicinity of Iuka, Mississippi, 1862 (Sue Anderson)
09 - Affair of Salem Cemetery, 1863 (Sue Anderson)
10 - Seige of Vicksburg, 1863 (Sue Anderson)
11 - Life in a Hospital, 1863 (Sue Anderson)
12 - Devall's Bluff, Little Rock, 1863 (Sue Anderson)
13 - Granted a Furlough, 1863 (Sue Anderson)
14 - Re-enlist for Three Years More (Sue Anderson)
15 - Augusta and Springfield, 1864 (Sue Anderson)
16 - Devall's Bluff; Clarendon Expedition, 1864 (Sue Anderson)
17 - Grand Reviews and Inspections, 1864 (Sue Anderson)
18 - Regiment Goes Home on Furlough (Sue Anderson)
19 - Murfreesboro, 1864 (Sue Anderson)
20 - Affair at Overal's Creek, 1864 (Sue Anderson)
21 - Battle of Wilkinson's Pike, 1864 (Sue Anderson)
22 - Railroad Fight near Murfresboro, 1864 (Sue Anderson)
23 - Murfresboro, Winter 1864-1865 (Sue Anderson)
24 - Soldier's Pay: Rations (Sue Anderson)
25 - Mustered Out, September 8, 1865 (Sue Anderson)
The audiobook The Story of a Common Soldier of Army Life in the Civil War, 1861-1865 falls under the genres of , , . It is written by .