A Virginia Yankee in the Civil War: the diaries of David Hunter Strother, "Porte Crayon" . ISBN: 978-0-8078-4757-2. #UNNC1897 paper$18.95

314 pp., 6 x 9, 12 illus., index

 

Published: September 1998

by David Hunter Strother

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The Civil War diaries of David Hunter Strother, known better to his contemporaries as "Porte Crayon," chronicle his three years of service in the Union army with the same cogency and eye for detail that made him one of the most popular writers and illustrators in America in his time. A Virginian strongly opposed to secession, Strother joined the Federal army as a civilian topographer in July of 1861 and was soon commissioned, rising eventually to the rank of brigadier general. He served under a succession of commanders, including Generals Patterson, Banks, Pope, and McClellan, winning their respect as well as their confidence. First published by UNC Press in 1961, A Virginia Yankee in the Civil War is a fascinating firsthand record of the conflict and of the divided loyalties it produced that is further enlivened by Strother's remarkable humor and insight.

About the Author

Cecil D. Eby, Jr., is a retired professor of English at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. His books include Hungary at War: Civilians and Soldiers in World War II and The Road to Armageddon: British Popular Literature, 1880-1915.

Reviews

"A terrific book. . . . Skillfully edited and annotated, Strother's diary offers a rare glimpse into many critical actions."
--The Civil War in Books

"An incomparable addition to any Civil War collection. . . . Strother left a personal record of the conflict both powerful and revealing--a 'must' book, really, if you would know the true nature of this fratricidal struggle."
--New York Times Book Review

"This book is a real find, to be recommended to Civil War 'buffs' of all levels."
--Times Literary Supplement

"A Virginia Yankee in the Civil War is definitely one of the best personal narratives of the war and should find a place on every Civil War bookshelf."
--Civil War History

"Strother possessed many attributes that qualify him as one of the best reporters of the Civil War. . . . Assuredly this work will take a place beside such superior memoirs as Kyd Douglas's I Rode with Stonewall and George Gordon's Brook Farm to Cedar Mountain."--James I. Robertson Jr., Virginia Magazine

"The charm of [Strother's] diaries lies in his artist's eye for detail and contrast and in his talent as an author in spotting and developing the incidents that are entertaining on their own but also illustrative of points of more general interest. . . . One of the half-dozen best diaries of the Civil War."
--Wisconsin Magazine of History