Josiah Gorgas

The Civil War Diary of Josiah Gorgas is a historical book written by Josiah Gorgas, a Confederate general in the American Civil War. The book is a collection of Gorgas' personal diary entries during the war, offering a first-hand account of the events that took place during the conflict. Through his diary, Gorgas provides insight into the daily life of soldiers and civilians during the war, including battles, troop movements, and the struggles of everyday life. He also discusses his personal experiences and thoughts, including his views on the war and the Confederate cause. The book is divided into chapters that cover different periods of the war, from the early days of the conflict to the final days of the Confederacy. Gorgas' writing style is straightforward and candid, providing readers with a clear and unfiltered view of the war from a Confederate perspective. Overall, The Civil War Diary of Josiah Gorgas is a valuable historical document that offers a unique perspective on one of the most significant events in American history. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the Civil War or American history in general. This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

This collection of Gorgas journals covers three important decades of the 19th-century South - the antebellum period, Civil War years and the postbellum period. It provides information on Victorian family life, military events, and the political and economic conditions faced by many Southerners.

Josiah Gorgas was best known as the highly regarded Chief of Confederate Ordnance. Born in 1818, he attended West Point, served in the U. S. Army, and later, after marrying Amelia Gayle, daughter of a former Alabama governor, joined the Confederacy. After the Civil War he served as president of The University of Alabama until ill health forced him to resign. His journals, maintained between 1857 and 1878, reflect the family's economic successes and failures, detail the course of the South through the Civil War, and describe the ordeal of Reconstruction. Few journals cover such a sweep of history. An added dimension is the view of Victorian family life as Gorgas explored his feelings about aspects of parental responsibility and transmission of values to children--a rarely documented account from the male perspective. His son, called Willie in the journals, was William Crawford Gorgas (1854-1920), who was noted for his fight to control yellow fever and who became surgeon general of the United States. In his foreword to the volume, Frank E. Vandiver states: ""Wiggins has done much more than present a well-edited version of Gorgas's diaries and journals; she has interpreted them in full Gorgas family context and in perspective of the times they cover. . . . Wiggins informs with the sort of editorial notes expected of a careful scholar, but she enlightens with wide knowledge of American and southern history. . . . Josiah Gorgas [was] an unusually observant, passionate man, a 'galvanized Rebel' who deserves rank among the true geniuses of American logistics.