Berry Benson's Civil War Book: Memoirs of a Confederate Scout and Sharpshooter

Rating:
Summary: While not splendidly written, a unique and must read memoir.
Review: Berry Benson gives great detailed accounts of his experiance in the Civil War. The first hand accounts of him and his use of some of his brother's records to fill in gaps got me caught up in it. I felt like this book consumed me. It is suprising to me that no movies have been made about this man or his brother. But I guess that would upset some ignorent people who do not understand the war. "A Movie about a Confederate Hero?"

Rating:
Summary: While not splendidly written, a unique and must read memoir.
Review: Berry Benson tells it as it was. He does not fill the pages with fluff, but merely gives a straightforward account of his trials and tribulations during the war. At first, I was skeptical about all that he claimed to have gone through, but after some research, his story holds true. Benson was just shy of 18 when he joined the Confederate army. During his service, he was a sharpshooter, fought under Gen. "Stonewall" Jackson, was captured and escaped TWICE: once from Point Lookout and once from Elmira. At times, I wished that he would have gone into more detail, and that is the only downfall of this book. For example: he goes into some description of Point Lookout yet fails to give a good picture of Elmira. However, his story is not one to miss and I suggest it for anyone wanting to read a more personal account of the war that is a little out of the ordinary.

Rating:
Summary: Informative and captivating diary of a Confederate Soldier
Review: Berry Benson's personal diary of his soldiering during the Civil War is unfortunately too overlooked by Civil War readers. benson's diary of his days as a sniper for the Confederacy is filled with amusing tales of camp life, horrifying views of battle and personal strength as he endured life as a POW in Elmira, NY and his ability to return back to his regiment after travelling hundreds of miles through Union territory.

This is one of the few diaries of the Civil War that will grip the readers interest from the first page to the last.

Rating:
Summary: A soldier's story
Review: From the point of view of the enlisted man, this is a really good book. It held my interest well. Let's face it, the enlisted man's perspective of the War Between the States, or any war for that matter, is going to be very narrow. The rank and file do not have the luxury of having access to the grand strategy of general officers. All they can relate is what went on in front of them. Otherwise it wouldn't be their story. This book is about what one common soldier saw, experienced, and felt. And it let me see a refreshing point of view.

Rating:
Summary: worth every penny
Review: i would recommend this book to anybody with the slightest interest in the war between the states. from Sumter to Elmira (one of the greatest, true pow escape accounts you'll ever hear) to Appomattox, Berry Benson and his brother Blackwood were there, fervently defending the Southern cause. Considering he only intended these memoires to be passed down among his family, Benson's firsthand account of the war is priceless and intensely entertaining. no kidding, read this book...

Rating:
Summary: Interesting escapes from Union hands!
Review: Not many books seem to cover a scout's exploits during the Civil War in the form of a personal memoir. Berry Benson's account seems to be a diary mixed with recollection and struggle. Benson's writing is vague at times and a bit hard to follow. He seems to jump from event or time frame without much flow or detail. His involvement at Sharpsburg, Chancelorsville and Petersburg is disappointing when it comes to detail and the action. Had an author placed this book together to build the time frame up and then switch to Benson's accounts would have made this book easier to follow or had Benson been more descriptive in his story it would have completed this book.

What made this book interesting was his escapes from two Union prisons and his personal struggle to survive and get back to Virginia. His descriptions of his escapes and his run for freedom was very interesting and made this book come to life.

The title itself which mentions sharpshooter fails to live up to it's name as very little is written about his involvement as one and again the detail is missing. Had the title mentioned escaping twice from Union hands, it would have been properly titled. Though the lack of details and vague approach stumbles the reader an opposite read is featured in regards to his survival and escaping Union control. Without his prison stories which fortunately takes up a large portion of this book, it would have been confusing and frustrating. Because of those stories I felt this book deserves a 4 star rating.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting escapes from Union hands!
Review: Not many books seem to cover a scout's exploits during the Civil War in the form of a personal memoir. Berry Benson's account seems to be a diary mixed with recollection and struggle. Benson's writing is vague at times and a bit hard to follow. He seems to jump from event or time frame without much flow or detail. His involvement at Sharpsburg, Chancelorsville and Petersburg is disappointing when it comes to detail and the action. Had an author placed this book together to build the time frame up and then switch to Benson's accounts would have made this book easier to follow or had Benson been more descriptive in his story it would have completed this book.

What made this book interesting was his escapes from two Union prisons and his personal struggle to survive and get back to Virginia. His descriptions of his escapes and his run for freedom was very interesting and made this book come to life.

The title itself which mentions sharpshooter fails to live up to it's name as very little is written about his involvement as one and again the detail is missing. Had the title mentioned escaping twice from Union hands, it would have been properly titled. Though the lack of details and vague approach stumbles the reader an opposite read is featured in regards to his survival and escaping Union control. Without his prison stories which fortunately takes up a large portion of this book, it would have been confusing and frustrating. Because of those stories I felt this book deserves a 4 star rating.

Rating:
Summary: A Bland "Same ol' Same ol' " account...
Review: This is the least impressive of a good half-dozen soldier memoir types I've read...Structurally,it is a relatively small book (barely 200pgs) with large print - I'd argue one could read it in a 90 minute sitting...

I found Mr Benson's account of a most rambling nature - not much chronological flow, with few incidents of "landmark" battles to let the reader have a true pulse of the action or events. If you've read a few of these soldier accounts, you will quickly notice the ho-hum pattern of text that detail "terrible musketry" and "cooking three days rations" and " ___ was shot right next to me". Granted, the prison escapades have some merit.

I'd suggest Carlton McCarthy's DETAILED MINUTIAE OF A SOLDIER'S LIFE and John Billings' HARDTACK AND COFFEE. Both offer a more significant look at Confederate and Union tedium, respectively.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent memoir
Review: This is without a doubt the best memoir I've ever read. Berry Benson signs up with the 1st South Carolina before the war starts and is there to take place in the battle for Fort Sumter, fights in every major campaign in Virginia and Maryland and fights for his beloved 'red banner' up until the Confederate retreat from Richmond and the surrender at Appomatox. Benson refuses to Surrender and with brother they head on to North Carlolina in hopes of meetting up with other Confederate forces. For the novice of Civil War history, or the expert, Benson gives the reader a true feeling for what it was like in the ranks of the Confederate army, his escape from Point Lookout Prison and Elmira Prison will keep the reader at the edge of their seat. His description of the food, uniforms and marching will bring you back to the 1860's. The Benson story is extrodinary and even those who knew Benson during the war say that although the stories seem unbelievable, they are all well documented. If you have a friend who loves the Civil War (north or south) this is the book for them! By the way, his 'unsurrendered musket' and photo are on display at the Confederate Relic Room in South Carolina.