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| A Damned Iowa Greyhound: The Civil War Letters of William Henry Harrison Clayton | 
 enlarge | Creator: Iii, Donald C. Elder
Publisher: University Of Iowa Press
Category: Book
List Price: $18.00
Buy New: $17.43
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (1 reviews)
Sales Rank: 2024452
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 248
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 8.6 x 5.2 x 0.5
ISBN: 158729608X
Dewey Decimal Number: 977
EAN: 9781587296086
ASIN: 158729608X
Publication Date: November 15, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
William Henry Harrison Clayton was one of nearly 75,000 soldiers from Iowa to join the Union ranks during the Civil War. Possessing a high school education and superior penmanship, Clayton served as a company clerk in the 19th Infantry, witnessing battles in the Trans-Mississippi theater. His diary and his correspondence with his family in Van Buren County form a unique narrative of the day-to-day soldier life as well as an eyewitness account of critical battles and a prisoner-of-war camp. Clayton participated in the siege of Vicksburg and took part in operations against Mobile, but his writings are unique for the descriptions he gives of lesser-known but pivotal battles of the Civil War in the West. Fighting in the Battle of Prairie Grove, the 19th Infantry sustained the highest casualties of any federal regiment on the field. Clayton survived that battle with only minor injuries, but he was later captured at the Battle of Stirling's Plantation and served a period of ten months in captivity at Camp Ford, Texas. Clayton's writing reveals the complicated sympathies and prejudices prevalent among Union soldiers and civilians of that period in the country's history. He observes with great sadness the brutal effects of war on the South, sympathizing with the plight of refugees and lamenting the destruction of property. He excoriates draft evaders and Copperheads back home, conveying the intrasectional acrimony wrought by civil war. Finally, his racist views toward blacks demonstrate a common but ironic attitude among Union soldiers whose efforts helped lead to the abolition of slavery in the United States.
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| Customer Reviews:
A spellbinding look at the war from the trenches September 18, 1998
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
A wonderful compililation of letters from an infantryman in an Iowa regiment. Sgt Clayton was involved in actions in Missouri, Louisiana, and Alabama, including a stint as a confederate prisoner. Narrative anb pictures by Dr. Elder really rounded this book out. Clayton was an excellent writer and gives incredible insight into army life and the fighting of the civil war. Best of all you get a flavor for the general perceptions of the common soldier, the ones charged with the dirty work.I thoroughly enjoyed this highly readable book, in fact resented any interruptions while trying to read it. Thank you, Dr. Elder!!
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