The Soldier's Pen

More about the book

The book offers a poignant reconstruction of the Civil War through the personal accounts of sixteen infantrymen, highlighting their diverse backgrounds, including a German-speaking artist and a free black soldier from Syracuse. Utilizing over 60,000 documents from the Gilder Lehrman Collection, it weaves together diaries, letters, and illustrations to provide an intimate perspective on their experiences. The combination of humor, artistry, and personal narratives reveals the multifaceted nature of the conflict, capturing both the struggles and the humanity of these soldiers.