Tom - Bookrastinating's review of The Story of a Common Soldier of Army Life in the Civil War, 1861-1865

Tom - Bookrastinating reviewed The Story of a Common Soldier of Army Life in the Civil War, 1861-1865 by Leander Stillwell

Leander Stillwell: The Story of a Common Soldier of Army Life in the Civil War, 1861-1865 (Paperback, 2005, University Press of the Pacific)

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

5 stars

That last line... “I doffed my uniform of first lieutenant, put on some of my father’s old clothes, armed myself with a corn knife, and proceeded to wage war on the standing corn.”
... brings a tear to my eye. I can smell it and feel it.

Judge Stillwell's tale here rings quite real to me. I also grew up in the corn fields of Southern Illinois albeit ~130 years later. I also served... I also returned home to help my father take in the corn. This story transported me and I'm so grateful to have been along with the boys of the 61st Illinois.