Life in the Confederate Army eBook William Watson
Download As PDF : Life in the Confederate Army eBook William Watson 
‘Mr Watson has some very curious things indeed to tell us.’ – The Spectator
In 1861 a Scotsman living in Louisiana took up the Confederate Flag.
William Watson presents a narrative of his observations and experience in the Southern States, both before and during the American Civil War.
Prior to the War, Watson lived in the hot, fertile state of Louisiana.
With Lincoln in office, and the secession of the southern states, North and South was plunged in a violent Civil War.
Watson recounts the widespread lack of political interest until the country reached this point.
In a volunteer corps, Watson was surrounded by several industrial and commercial classes. His recollections include fascinating insights into the men he served with.
Watson also gives his personal views on the causes of the war, and the conduct of both sides.
Detailing the lives of the soldiers, Watson reveals their living conditions, the level of destruction and death and their daily rations.
William Watson (1826-1906) was a Scottish native who moved to the Caribbean to work as a civil engineer. He later moved to Louisiana for business. While in Louisiana, he enlisted in the Confederate Army. He was one of many British citizens who had joined.
Life in the Confederate Army eBook William Watson
Watson was a Scot, an alien living in Louisiana. He joined the CSA voluntarily and fought bravely, being twice wounded. His book is a contemporary account and gives the lie to the beliefs that secession was uniformly believed to be a good thing in the South (it was at best supported by half the population); and that the war was one in which the South fought to "preserve slavery" and the North to "abolish slavery." These ideas are widely held today, but Watson's first hand experiences with fellow soldiers and Union prisoners contradict them; as do Union memoirs, who emphatically assert the goal was to preserve the Union and nothing else. Watson has low regard for the Confederate government and Army officers (most especially Bragg) and always felt the Confederacy was doomed from Day One. He regarded Ben Butler, the Union officer in charge at New Orleans as the Devil incarnate; and the Emancipation Proclamation as a pointless political exercise. Modern Americans, steeped in the Politically Correct view of the war should read this account if only to discover how one who fought in it viewed the conflict, its reasons for happening, and its outcomes in a different light. Then read Union memoirs and note the points of similarity of view.Product details
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Life in the Confederate Army eBook William Watson Reviews
I stumbled across this after devouring Sam Watkins' COMPANY AYTCH and wanting more of the same. While this is a first person account of a Confederate soldier, don't confuse this with the more entertaining COMPANY AYTCH.
Watson was an Irish mechanical engineer who made his living repairing cotton gins prior to the Civil War. He also tends to come across as a bit of a racist and not so subtly hints that African-Americans were incapable of learning his trade. Funny, I wonder what my mechanic, air conditioning repairman, and plumber would think of that. Anywho, luckily his thoughts of African-Americans is limited to a few pages out of this book and the rest is not so offensive.
Unlike COMPANY AYTCH, the writing style here is more formal. Gone is the friendly tone and one of superiority is used. Watson complains throughout the book about everything he encounters (even the boat back to Ireland). By the end of the book, you're glad he goes home and quits writing.
Not to say it's all bad. The encounter he has with General Butler in New Orleans is humorous. His experience at Wiloson's Creek is interesting. And the demeanor of the populace of New Orleans while occupied by Northern troops is a neat insight as well. But, these few pages of detail don't undo the rest of the book.
If you're a re-enactor, forget this one. It won't help your impression. If you're a Civil War biff, there are better books out there. But, if you're looking for an insight of what a visitor to the South thought during that war, this may fill the bill.
What a writer!, could not put it down.
I needed this to complete my collection. I am delighted with it.
it isn't what i expected. i thought it would be a personal account taken from letters home...
Of the hundreds of books, manuscripts and articles I have read during decades of study on the Civil War this book tops the list of personal narratives. It is eloquently written but highly readable. ANY student of the American Civil War should own and re read Watson' s book often. My only regret is that so many years have passed without my knowledge of this account. I have recommended this book to several friends. Truly a Must Read.
The author is a British subject and many of his views are from an outsider's perspective. He is not totally sympathetic to the Southern cause and does not agree with slavery. He was a member of a Louisiana militia before the war and remains with them through the early stages. He describes the fighting he is in in the early western battles. Later, he is captured and paroled, and observes the Union occupation of New Orleans. His views on much of this are different from most other histories, but his ideas are reasonable
Watson was a Scot, an alien living in Louisiana. He joined the CSA voluntarily and fought bravely, being twice wounded. His book is a contemporary account and gives the lie to the beliefs that secession was uniformly believed to be a good thing in the South (it was at best supported by half the population); and that the war was one in which the South fought to "preserve slavery" and the North to "abolish slavery." These ideas are widely held today, but Watson's first hand experiences with fellow soldiers and Union prisoners contradict them; as do Union memoirs, who emphatically assert the goal was to preserve the Union and nothing else. Watson has low regard for the Confederate government and Army officers (most especially Bragg) and always felt the Confederacy was doomed from Day One. He regarded Ben Butler, the Union officer in charge at New Orleans as the Devil incarnate; and the Emancipation Proclamation as a pointless political exercise. Modern Americans, steeped in the Politically Correct view of the war should read this account if only to discover how one who fought in it viewed the conflict, its reasons for happening, and its outcomes in a different light. Then read Union memoirs and note the points of similarity of view.
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