A Grand Terrible Dramma": From Gettysburg to Petersburg : The Civil War Letters of Charles Wellington Reed (The North's Civil War, No. 14)

Rating:
Summary: An outstanding, invaluable, core title addition
Review: "A Grand Terrible Dramma": From Gettysburg To Petersburg, The Civil War Letters Of Charles Wellington Reed consists of more than 180 letters and hundreds of drawings covering Charles Reed's period of military service as a member of the Massachusetts volunteers in the American Civil War from 1862 to 1865. This fascinating compendium, ably edited by Eric Campbell, presents the contemporary student of the Civil War with a wealth of information on the role of the Union army in the eastern theater, the events in the life of a typical Civil War soldier, as well as the progress and of the war itself. Reed's letters chronicle the common and the extraordinary with a simple, thoughtful elegance. His drawings capture a wide variety of events to which he was a participant. "A Grand Terrible Dramma" is an outstanding, invaluable, core title addition to any personal, professional, academic, or community library Civil War studies collection.

Rating:
Summary: An outstanding, invaluable, core title addition
Review: "A Grand Terrible Dramma": From Gettysburg To Petersburg, The Civil War Letters Of Charles Wellington Reed consists of more than 180 letters and hundreds of drawings covering Charles Reed's period of military service as a member of the Massachusetts volunteers in the American Civil War from 1862 to 1865. This fascinating compendium, ably edited by Eric Campbell, presents the contemporary student of the Civil War with a wealth of information on the role of the Union army in the eastern theater, the events in the life of a typical Civil War soldier, as well as the progress and of the war itself. Reed's letters chronicle the common and the extraordinary with a simple, thoughtful elegance. His drawings capture a wide variety of events to which he was a participant. "A Grand Terrible Dramma" is an outstanding, invaluable, core title addition to any personal, professional, academic, or community library Civil War studies collection.

Rating:
Summary: A "Letters" Book Plus A Lot More
Review: The author did a lot of research on the references in Charles Reed's letters. And instead of putting the notes at the end of the book where few read them, the notes are in the margins. It really added to the understanding of what Reed was writing home about. The author also incorporates the drawings from Reed which further adds to the book. Also incorporated are Reed's diary entries. The overall package made this an outstanding and enjoyable read. This book should be the model for all future books of this type.

Rating:
Summary: A truly outstanding volume!
Review: This is one of the very best such collections of letters I have ever encountered, and the author's own illustrations are a
priceless addition. An excellent work and a bargain at the price.
For those who want more, Charles W. Reed also illustrated "Hardtack & Coffee," by John Billings, another Union army veteran, about the life of the average soldier in the Northern army. Another sure-fire winner.