Reviews for Drummer Boy Willie Mcgee, Civil War Hero and Fraud

The average rating for Drummer Boy Willie Mcgee, Civil War Hero and Fraud based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2016-05-25 00:00:00 Renate Scott I read this for a book talk and didn't like it for neither a historical account of the Civil War nor for a book talk kind of book. I like Chesnut's spirit and sense of self, and her views not only on slavery, but also on the people she encounters. Don't read this if you're looking for a historical first person experience of the Civil War because you'll read more about Chesnut's social life during this time than the war. I will admit my knowledge of Civil War history is not in-depth, so I wasn't impressed with the names of Chesnut's many social acquaintances. The editors, Woodward and Muhlenfeld, provide excellent footnotes identifying the many people Chesnut mentions. Because it's a journal, the Chesnut's train of thought is hard to keep up with, which is true to an autobiographical format, but for me, it had a whiplash effect. I'm not sure why she's hailed as a Civil War writer, other than she coincidentally lived through that time and kept a journal. The title is misleading as well-there is very little 'private' about Chesnut.

Review # 2 was written on 2012-03-13 00:00:00 James E Best Is it just me or do we mostly hear about lower class during war? This book gave us a glimpse of what life was like for rich politicians (or at their wives). This is a diary. It can be rather boring at times because a lot of it reads like this "I had dinner with ____ and __ and ___ and ___. We discussed the secession of this state and then talked about something else." But isn't this what people write in their diaries? I guess I expected to read more about the actual war, but it seemed the war didn't affect her as much as it did others. This is probably because she was wealthy and her husband held some position in the government, so rather than discuss the battles she mostly discusses the politics of war. But it was still interesting to read about the war from this point of view. I think anyone intersted in the Civil War would find this interesting.