John Beatty

The Citizen-soldier; Or, Memoirs of a Volunteer. John Beatty

"22. Arrived in Bellaire at 3P. M. There is trouble in the neighborhood of Grafton..." Thus begins the extraordinary journals of a modest, humble man. John Beatty (1848-1914) left his work and his home to join the Ohio volunteers in 1861. He began as most do, as a lowly private, but rose through the ranks to become a Brigadier General by 1862. Beatty faithfully recorded his daily life and experiences in what has become one of the best resources for exploring the day-to-day life of a Union soldier during the Civil War. This is so much more than just a recounting of military action. Beatty took note of everything... fellow soldiers, camp routine, military duties, prisoners, slaves, and civilians as well as the battles he participated in. Presented as it was originally published in 1879, The Citizen Soldier is the book of John Beatty's keen observations from June 1861 to January 1, 1864. He also includes a brief recounting of the capture and subsequent escape from Libby Prison of his friend, Colonel Harrison Hobart of the Twenty-First Wisconsin Volunteers.