John Davis Billings (1842–1933)

An account of day-to-day life in the Army of the Potomac. There’s nothing about combat here – it’s enlistment, tent life, marching, rations, hazing new recruits, drill, foraging – not a shot is fired. That, of course, is what army life has been about since Sargon of Akkad – long periods of boring routine punctuated by rare occasions of terror. The author was an officer in a Massachusetts artillery regiment but covers the infantry and cavalry as well.

Written in 1887, Hardtack and show more Coffee is not politically correct; blacks are “colored” or worse and are usually seen as “contrabands” or in other noncombat roles (although there is a mention of the Ninth US Colored Infantry as train guards). The reader is expected to be aware of the basics of Civil War history and know what (for example) “the Peninsula Campaign” and “the Mud March” are without further explanation. My copy was scanned and turned to OCR text but without further proofreading; thus there are numerous OCR errors – “rebel lion” for “rebellion”, “corn mission” for “commission” and “Army mill” for “Army mule” are some of the more egregious examples. There are a few unintelligible sentences as a result. The original had a color plate section, which is not included in the edition; it’s mentioned in the text but seems to have been mostly US Army corps patches rather than battle or camp scenes. No notes or index. Interesting enough, possibly useful for reenactors. For more on US Army life in the 19th Century, see Forty Miles a Day on Beans and Hay. show less

Entertaining look at Civil War soldiering from the enlisted perspective. Entertaining and well written. It was assembled years after the war and lacks the urgency of a contemporary journal. The author was in the artillery and provides excellent insights into that life. Enjoyable read.

An excellent overview of just about every aspect of the war from the enlisted man's point of view, from recruitment, to life in winter camp, to picket duty, to drawing pay and clothing, to foraging, to burying men and horses and digging latrines. John Billings gives a very thorough account, elucidated with fascinating anecdotes of his own history as an Massachusetts artilleryman in the war.

This work presents an in-depth review of several areas of the life of the common Civil War soldier, particular attention to light artillery to which the author was assigned, and details many items not generally found in other writings. The writing is easy to read and reflects the post-war career of the author in education. This work may be particularly useful in ascertaining certain details of the minutiae of army life; however, the author is clear to point out that his frame of reference is show more solely with the Army of the Potomac and thus experiences may differ from those serving in other units. show less