Four Years Under Marse Robert, Annotated and Illustrated

Robert Stiles, Kentucky born soldier in the Army of Northern Virginia, considered himself a “Union Man” when the war first broke out. In this classic work he gives the reader a look into the less alluring everyday life of the common soldier. In addition to apt descriptions of major battles, he also gives us a glimpse into ordinary pleasures of camp life like stray dogs that became pets and rough-housing with a snowball fight. The grim details of war are not glossed over as Stiles describes one occasion where his company was obliged to fight amid rapidly decaying corpses of a previous days’ battle. An entire chapter is devoted to religion in Lee’s army, and the entire book is human, warm, and inspirational. Illustrations have been added to the original text.