Berry Benson's Civil War Book: Memoirs of a Confederate Scout and Sharpshooter

by Berry Benson, Susan Williams Benson (Editor), Edward J. Cashin (Introduction)

Overview

Confederate scout and sharpshooter Berry Greenwood Benson witnessed the first shot fired on Fort Sumter, retreated with Lee's Army to its surrender at Appomattox Courthouse, and missed little of the action in between. This classic account of his wartime service tells of his reconnaissance exploits, battlefield experiences, capture by Union forces, and famous escape from Elmira Prison. A new biographical introduction by historian Edward J. Cashin adds further depth and detail to Benson's own vivid memories. The introduction also offers a fascinating account of both Benson's early years and his postwar activities, including his strong advocacy for impoverished mill strikers and the wrongly accused Leo Frank.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780820342252
Publisher:	University of Georgia Press
Publication date:	07/01/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	739,093
File size:	14 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Berry Benson (Author)
BERRY BENSON (1843-1923) was a scout and sharpshooter in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. Among his other wartime exploits, he was captured twice by Union forces—and escaped both times.

Susan Williams Benson (Editor)
SUSAN WILLIAMS BENSON was a daughter-in-law of Berry Benson.


EDWARD J. CASHIN (1927-2007) was professor emeritus of history and former director of the Center for the Study of Georgia History at Augusta State University. His books include The King's Ranger: Thomas Brown and the American Revolution on the Southern Frontier (Georgia), which won the 1990 Fraunces Tavern Book Award of the American Revolution Round Table, and Lachlan McGillivray, Indian Trader: The Shaping of the Southern Colonial Frontier (Georgia), which won the 1992 Malcolm and Muriel Barrow Bell Award of the Georgia Historical Society.

Editorial Reviews

... a powerful pick for any library strong in Civil War memoirs and first-hand accounts.

The Bookwatch

Completing his memoirs in 1878, Benson drew on his diaries and letters to family members to vividly tell of his life as a scout for General Lee and as a prisoner in New York's Elmira Prison (from which he escaped through a tunnel). Originally published in 1962 by the U. of Georgia Press; reprinted with a new foreword. No index or bibliography. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

Well-told and very captivating.

Civil War Courier

His highly illuminating story serves as a building block to the larger issues, such as the maturation of innocent youth into seasoned veteran in the span of a few short years.

Florida Historical Quarterly

This book showers well-deserved attention on one of the South's truly noble sons. Benson, who served his homeland from Charleston to Appomattox, won even greater glory late in life when he championed the innocence of Jewish factory boss Leo M. Frank, convicted of murder in 1913 in Atlanta and subsequently lynched. Benson was a terrific character and this volume does him justice.

author of And the Dead Shall Rise - Steve Oney

Benson's straightforward narrative is clear, concise, and, given his amazing exploits, remarkably free of boasting. . . . Benson's experiences as a prisoner of war elevate his memoirs above other first-hand accounts of the Civil War.

Southern Historian

An outstanding memoir . . . Berry Benson's work is both truly personal, with its focus on such experiences as his capture, his life in Federal prisons, and his ultimate escape, and a fine narrative, for he tells story after remarkable story in a lively yet unromantic style. . . . Those who have not yet made his acquaintance will find him an intriguing figure and his book an engaging one.

Civil War History

[Benson] knew how to tell an exciting story. . . . Unusually descriptive; his book contains a host of little details.

Richmond Times-Dispatch

Long recognized as one of the outstanding memoirs by a common soldier in the Army of Northern Virginia.

Civil War News

Well worth reading for any history buff.

Augusta Magazine