Four Years with the Iron Brigade: The Civil War Journal of William Ray, Company F, Seventh Wisconsin Volunteers

by Lance J. Herdegen and Sherry Murphy

The recently discovered journal of William Ray of the Seventh Wisconsin is the most important primary source ever of soldier life in one of the war's most famous fighting organizations. No other collection of letters or diaries comes close to it.Two days before his regiment left Wisconsin in 1861, the twenty-three-year-old blacksmith began, as he described it, "to keep account" of his life in what became the "Iron Brigade of the West." Ray's journal...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0306811197
• ISBN13: 9780306811197
• Release Date: January 2002
• Publisher: Da Capo Press
• Length: 464 Pages
• Weight: 1.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.7" x 6.2" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Daily infantry life documented!

The story of William Ray's is not entirely unique to Civil War history although his personal account brought forth by four years of great diary keeping brings the soldier daily grind to the forefront. Ray's story is seldom full of action and captures the daily life of a young man of Wisconsin heritage fighting for the Union in the Army of the Potomac. What flavors this monotonous story is that it truly brings the hard lifestyle of 19th Century soldiering to 21st Century readers. This is an excellent book for historians looking to understand soldier thinking. Ray writes about camp life, rumors, gossip, money, family, drill, picket duty, sickness, friends and the "hurry up and wait" philosophy of being an infantry soldier for the Union during the Civil War. Ray's coverage of his fighting is brisk although many times his writing may have been tamed by the fact that he may have been writing with family in mind. He may have not wanted his family to know the hard battle details in the event of his death where his diary could be discovered and sent home with his belongings. Injured on several occasions such as the Battle of Gettysburg and The Wilderness, Ray enhances his story to give this book added information. He writes about his wounds, healing, being sick and helping his fellow soldiers. We are lucky to have such a large diary written which covers four years of the war. From his enlisting, re-enlisting and final discharge Ray offers us a priceless look at a common infantry soldier. His diary notes of the Siege of Petersburg and the mine explosion was very interesting. The ugly daily life of trench warfare certainly painted the struggle at hand. Ray also gives us a definitive look at how the South was truly struggling as of 1864 and when 1865 rolls around he writes about Confederate deserters coming across the lines on a daily basis. This information is seldom covered from a soldier's perspective and it is vital for those looking to understand the mentality of an everyday soldier who by 1864 was a proud Veteran of the boys of '61. This book is also an excellent and valuable reference tool for those trying to learn about the Iron Brigade and more importantly the 7th Wisconsin. A true historian could use a greatly documented book such as this in their library. 5 STARS!!!!!

A testimonial to the power of the human spirit

Collaboratively edited by Lance Herdegen (Director of the Institute of Civil War Studies, Carroll College, Waukesha, Wisconsin) and Sherry Murphy (great-great granddaughter of William Royal Ray) Four Years With The Iron Brigade: The Civil War Journal Of William Ray, Company F, Seventh Wisconsin Volunteers is a powerful, personal testimonial of America's deadliest war as seen from a fighting unit thrust in the core of strife and horror. Drawn from a series of nineteen personal journals kept by Ray and begun just two days before he was to leave for the battlefield frontlines in 1861, this remarkable account offers an eye-witness depiction ranging from the daily boredom of camp life to the ravages of disease, shortages of food and clothing, and the gruelling bloodshed of battle. Four Years With The Iron Brigade is both a testimonial to the power of the human spirit to endure and as close a look at what war is truly like as is possible to find without putting oneself in physical danger. Four Years With The Iron Brigade is a very highly recommended addition to the growing number of primary source histories for Civil War Studies reading lists and academic reference collections.

The Seventh steps to the front !

This book based upon the wartime diaries of a common soldier in the Seventh Wisconsin Volunteers is a required read for anyone interested in the everyday life of the Civil War infantryman - especially good for re-enactors and living historians. Mr. Ray's daily entries highlight little known details of life in the Army of the Potomac throughout the entire war; he was one of the few soldiers who served at the front for all four years in spite of being wounded three times. The book reads as much as a human interest story as an historical document containing many fascinating bits of Americana.

Wonderful book

There are hundreds of books written on the Civil War, mostly about the Generals and their strategies, or about the individual battles. This book is diffrent in the fact that it is written by a common soldier, who was there. There is none of the professional second guessing, just the views of a soldier doing what he signed up to do. This book gives great insight into the life of a Civil War era soldier, such as the conditions in the camp, the front line, and hospitals of that time. A must read for any Civil War history buff. No Civil War library would be complete without it.