Review of Soldiering: Diary Rice C. Bull: The Civil War Diary of Rice C. Bull

A top-notch addition to any Civil War library, this memoir was written by the author decades after the war, using his original diary as a foundation. Despite the time that passed, Bull doesn't leave anything out (and considering what he went through, I'm sure his memories remained sharp and indelible). He covers the day to day army routine one expects from any decent Civil War diary, the drudgery of camp, marches, drills, and inclement weather. However, where Bull's story becomes extraordinary is when he gets shot through the jaw at the battle of Chancellorsville (Antietam). He ends up in a filthy log cabin with other wounded Union soldiers and they suffer through several days of rain, sweltering weather, lack of food, and increasing sickness. His description of that hellish situation is gruesome but riveting. One of the best Civil War accounts I've read.