United States History - Western, Plains & Rocky Mountain Region, United States History - 19th Century - Civil War, United States History - Southern Region, War Narratives, U.S. Armed Forces - Biography, Historical Biography - United States, United States
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Overview
A Southern Boy in Blue is Woodcock's own account of his experiences during the war. After joining the 9th Kentucky Infantry, Woodcock barely missed the battle of Shiloh - a bout of measles kept him from the front lines - but he went on to see action at Stones River, Chickamauga, and Missionary Ridge. He also participated in the Atlanta campaign and the siege of Corinth and was among the reserves at the battle of Perryville. In three years he rose from the rank of private to that of first lieutenant. Since Woodcock wrote his memoir in 1865 (instead of much later as many veterans did), his descriptions of battles, camp life, and period politics have a special vividness. Woodcock's account is also significant in showing how his views and opinions of the war charged over time. Initially opposed to the use of black troops and to Lincoln's reelection, he eventually converted to both positions and describes the process by which he transformed his thinking. Woodcock's memoir has been meticulously annotated by Kenneth Noe, who also provides an introduction that places Woodcock's experiences in historical context and describes his postwar career as a prominent Tennessee legislator, attorney, business administrator, and Baptist layman. The book is not only a compelling personal account but an important addition to the literature on Southern Unionism.Editorials
Roland Green
The University of Tennessee's Voices of the Civil War series adds a notable item to the shelves of Civil War memoirs. Woodcock was an educated Union sympathizer from Kentucky who joined a pro-Union militia unit that in due course became the Ninth Kentucky Infantry in the Union army. He won a commission, was wounded in Georgia, and survived not only several major battles, including Perryville and Chickamauga, but camp diseases and army doctors as well. His narrative reveals much about the early, erratic days of the volunteer regiments, about the politics of the border states, and about the comic aspects of the war, such as camp riots caused by bad whiskey or stray animals. Thanks to Woodcock's writing skills and Kenneth W. Noe's judicious editing, this is both informative and entertaining reading.Booknews
Written just after the war in 1865, Woodcock's is fresher than most Civil War memoirs, which were generally written years or decades later. The Tennessean describes the action at Stones River, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, and Corinth; his three- year rise from private to first lieutenant; and his shift of opinion about black troops and the re-election of Lincoln. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)Book Details
Published
June 17, 1996
Publisher
Knoxville : University of Tennessee Press, c1996.
Pages
376
Format
Hardcover
ISBN
9780870499210