The Making of a Civilian Soldier in the Civil War

This Union soldier’s diary recounts his journey from enlistment to postwar life, with extensive historical and biographical context provided by the editor. When war broke out between the states, William J. McLean left his home in Fairfield, NY, and joined the 34th New York Infantry. He kept a diary that tells of his many wanderings and adventures, from his time in Washington, D.C. to picket duty along the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. William also describes the first death of a soldier in his regim