The Life of Johnny Reb

By Bell Irvin Wiley,

Book cover of The Life of Johnny Reb: The Common Soldier of the Confederacy

Book description

In this companion to The Life of Johnny Reb, Bell Irvin Wiley explores the daily lives of the men in blue who fought to save the Union. With the help of many soldiers' letters and diaries, Wiley explains who these men were and why they fought, how they reacted to…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked The Life of Johnny Reb as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Bell I. Wiley’s The Life of Johnny Reb: The Common Soldier of the Confederacy (1943) and The Life of Billy Yank: The Common Soldier of the Union (1952) marked a watershed in scholarship relating to the military history of the Civil War. It is no exaggeration to say that Wiley invented the genre of soldier studies that many decades later witnessed a profusion of works on the topic. The two books, which reflect a close reading of thousands of letters, explore such things as the process of enlistment, motivations to serve and remain in the ranks, what the men ate…

From Gary's list on the Civil War era.

If you love The Life of Johnny Reb...

Ad

Book cover of The Real Boys of the Civil War

The Real Boys of the Civil War by J. Arthur Moore,

The Real Boys of the Civil War is a research about the real boys who served during the war, opening with a historiography research paper about their history along with its 7-page source document. It then evolves into a series of collections of their stories by topic, concluding with a…

Want books like The Life of Johnny Reb?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like The Life of Johnny Reb.

Browse books like The Life of Johnny Reb

Book cover of The Impending Crisis: America Before the Civil War, 1848-1861
Book cover of Mr. Lincoln's Army
Book cover of Desertion During the Civil War

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,885

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in the Confederate States of America, military, and the American Civil War?

Military 51 books