This Civil War classic of soldiering in the ranks debunks all the romantic notions of war. Like his Northern counterpart, the Confederate soldier fought against bullets, starvation, miserable weather, disease, and mental strain. But the experience was perhaps even worse for Johnny Reb because of the odds against him. Never as well equipped and provisioned as the Yankee, he nevertheless performed heroically. Carlton McCarthy, a private in the Army of Northern Virginia, describes the not-always-regular rations, various improvisations in clothing and weaponry, campfire entertainments, the jaunty spirits and the endless maneuvering of the men in gray. Real but forgotten faces are glimpsed momentarily in famous battles, and the tramp of feet on the way to Appomattox is heard. David Donald wrote in the "New York Herald Tribune" that McCarthy's book was "as fresh, as amusing, and as revealing" as the day it was first published in 1882. In a new introduction Brian S. Wills considers the book's niche in Civil War literature.

Originally published: Richmond : C. McCarthy, 1882.

Introduction / Brian S. Wills -- A voice from the ranks -- The outfit modified -- Romantic ideas dissipated -- On the march -- Cooking and eating -- Comforts, conveniences, and consolations -- Fun and fury on the field -- Improvised infantry -- "Brave survivors" homeward bound -- Soldiers transformed -- Camp fires of the boys in gray -- The battle flag.