The Struggle For The Mississippi : A Diary Of My Experiences In The American Civil War

At the beginning of the American Civil War, Johann Stuber, a 23-year-old man from Dayton, Ohio, joined the Union Army. He enlisted in the 58th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment.. He was one of thousands of German-speaking Americans who joined in the attempt to reunite his adopted country, a nation torn apart by rebellion. After facing the fury of battle at Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Grand Gulf, Chickasaw Bayou, Port Gibson, and Vicksburg, he spent the rest of the war in garrison and occupation duty at the fallen fortress of Vicksburg on the Mississippi River. Stuber's service was that of a typical Civil War combat infantryman, with three exceptions. First, during the early period of the Vicksburg campaign, in December, 1862, and January, 1863, he was assigned duty as a hospital steward, or nurse, on board the Army transport, City of Memphis, which carried its cargo of wounded and dying men between Vicksburg, Mississippi, and Cairo, Illinois. Then, for a six month period during the climax of Major General Ulysses S. Grant's campaign against the fortress city of Vicksburg, the regiment was broken up and the individual companies were assigned to gunboat duty. Serving as sailors and gunners on board the warships, and occasionally as water-borne infantry, they participated in most of the gunboat actions during the siege of Vicksburg: escorting transports, suppressing Confederate guerrilla activity along the river, and dueling with Confederate shore batteries during the siege itself. Stuber's A Company was assigned to the Eads-built gunboat, Mound City, and served very unhappily under Navy authority and discipline. Lastly, during garrison duty in the occupied city of Vicksburg, from October of 1864 until May of 1865, Stuber was assigned to Headquarters of the Military District of Vicksburg where he worked at his old trade as a printer. Stuber's "Tagebuch" or "diary" reflects his early enthusiasm, the apprehensions of a young soldier, the exhilaration, shock, and horror of mortal combat, and his revulsion in its aftermath. He tells of the boredom and drudgery inherent in any soldier's life. The diary also reflects his pride in having carried out his duty faithfully and his happiness in having survived the ordeal.Stuber's diary is, of course, unique. No other human being ever shared these same exact experiences. His background as a printer had exposed him to a wide variety of professional writing. His natural intelligence and good humor had given him insight and tolerance, although in several instances a certain German fussiness and a Victorian era racism raise their ugly heads. All this, and his subtle wit, make his story most unusual and highly readable.

• | Author: Johann Stuber, Sam Rettman
• | Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
• | Publication Date: Aug 29, 2017
• | Number of Pages: 228 pages
• | Language: English
• | Binding: Paperback
• | ISBN-10: 1974672824
• | ISBN-13: 9781974672820