Hard Tack and Coffee: Or the Unwritten Story of Army Life As Published in 1887

Rating:
Summary: Excellent context of a soldiers life in the Civil War
Review: Hard Tack and Coffee is a unique, entertaining. and informative book. Where most Civil War books write about a particular battle, campaign, or biograph a particular general or personality, Hard Tack And Coffee differs in that it covers none of these things but discusses the daily life of a Union Civil War soldier -- food, dress, duties, clothes, badges, bridges, mules, wagon trains, signal flags, etc... I found this very entertaining and a quick read.

If you are only going to read 1 book about the Civil War, I wouldn't choose this book. But if you plan to read a bunch, then you should include this book for sure.

Rating:
Summary: A highly readable view of Life in the Union Army.
Review: Josh Billings served with the 10th Mass Battery of Light Artillery during the Civil War. After having written the Official "History of the 10th Mass Battery" he responded to numerous requests to write a book about daily life in the Union Army. "Hardtack and Coffee" is an unpretentious, humorous look at life in the Union Army, Particularly the Light Artillery During the Civil War. Mr. Billings paints a vivid picture of living life under canvas, in the field. He addresses such topics as Army food, The day by Bugle calls, Beats (people who "avoided work"), punishments and more. This book is not a comedy, but is written with a light and readable style that makes it interesting to the average reader, as well as to those interested in the Civil War. this book is a must read for all readers of Civil War literature.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent and fascinatingly informative work
Review: This is a very genuine and accurate account of a subject that has always fascinated me. It is written by the person who would know the material best--a genuine Civil War soldier--in excruciating detail and a suprisingly lively, colorful style for a book of nonfiction, not the stuffy, pompous style of encyclopedias. It contains well-articulated, balanced, open-mided opinions that are probably as unbiased as is possible for someone so close to the source.

Be aware, though, that this book contains only the personal experiences of the author, and is thus a source of information only about the Union, not the Confederacy. Still, it is an extremely informative book that reads almost like a novel, and I highly recommend it to any intellectual who is curious about conditions for the common soldiers in the American Civil War.