# Story of a Common Soldier of Army Life in the Civil War, 1861-1865

An audiobook by Leander Stillwell, read by LibriVox volunteers (11 h 2 min, English).

Leander Stillwell was an 18-year-old Illinois farm boy, living with his family in a log cabin, when the U.S. Civil War broke out. Stillwell felt a duty "to help save the Nation;" but, as with many other young men, his Patriotism was tinged with bravura: "the idea of staying at home and turning over senseless clods on the farm with the cannon thundering so close at hand . . . was simply intolerable." Stillwell volunteered for the 61st Illinois Infantry in January 1861. His youthful enthusiasm for the soldier's life was soon tempered at Shiloh, where he first "saw a gun fired in anger," and "saw a man die a violent death." Stillwell's recounting of events is always vivid, personal, and engrossing. "I distinctly remember my first shot at Shiloh . . . The fronts of both lines were . . . shrouded in smoke. I had my gun at a ready, and was trying to peer under the smoke in order to get a sight of our enemies. Suddenly I heard someone in a highly excited tone calling to me from just in my rear, --'Stillwell! Shoot! Shoot! Why don't you shoot?' I looked around and saw that this command was being given by . . . our second lieutenant, who was wild with excitement, jumping up and down like a…

[Listen](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/books/librivox/3148)
[Read the book](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/books/gutenberg/26561/read)

## Chapters

0. 00 - Dedication and Preface (5:07): https://archive.org/download/story_of_a_common_soldier_sa_librivox/commonsoldiercivilwar_00_stillwell_64kb.mp3
1. 01 - Beginning of the War, 1862 (31:32): https://archive.org/download/story_of_a_common_soldier_sa_librivox/commonsoldiercivilwar_01_stillwell_64kb.mp3
2. 02 - Benton Barracks, St. Louis, 1862 (18:32): https://archive.org/download/story_of_a_common_soldier_sa_librivox/commonsoldiercivilwar_02_stillwell_64kb.mp3
3. 03 - Battle of Shiloh, 1862 (57:14): https://archive.org/download/story_of_a_common_soldier_sa_librivox/commonsoldiercivilwar_03_stillwell_64kb.mp3
4. 04 - Some Incidents of the Battle of Shiloh (37:38): https://archive.org/download/story_of_a_common_soldier_sa_librivox/commonsoldiercivilwar_04_stillwell_64kb.mp3
5. 05 - Seige of Corinth, 1862 (21:39): https://archive.org/download/story_of_a_common_soldier_sa_librivox/commonsoldiercivilwar_05_stillwell_64kb.mp3
6. 06 - Bethel, Jackson, 1862 (28:52): https://archive.org/download/story_of_a_common_soldier_sa_librivox/commonsoldiercivilwar_06_stillwell_64kb.mp3
7. 07 - Bolivar, 1862 (19:16): https://archive.org/download/story_of_a_common_soldier_sa_librivox/commonsoldiercivilwar_07_stillwell_64kb.mp3
8. 08 - Vicinity of Iuka, Mississippi, 1862 (40:32): https://archive.org/download/story_of_a_common_soldier_sa_librivox/commonsoldiercivilwar_08_stillwell_64kb.mp3
9. 09 - Affair of Salem Cemetery, 1863 (47:05): https://archive.org/download/story_of_a_common_soldier_sa_librivox/commonsoldiercivilwar_09_stillwell_64kb.mp3
10. 10 - Seige of Vicksburg, 1863 (40:21): https://archive.org/download/story_of_a_common_soldier_sa_librivox/commonsoldiercivilwar_10_stillwell_64kb.mp3
11. 11 - Life in a Hospital, 1863 (20:25): https://archive.org/download/story_of_a_common_soldier_sa_librivox/commonsoldiercivilwar_11_stillwell_64kb.mp3
12. 12 - Devall's Bluff, Little Rock, 1863 (18:38): https://archive.org/download/story_of_a_common_soldier_sa_librivox/commonsoldiercivilwar_12_stillwell_64kb.mp3
13. 13 - Granted a Furlough, 1863 (41:16): https://archive.org/download/story_of_a_common_soldier_sa_librivox/commonsoldiercivilwar_13_stillwell_64kb.mp3
14. 14 - Re-enlist for Three Years More (20:08): https://archive.org/download/story_of_a_common_soldier_sa_librivox/commonsoldiercivilwar_14_stillwell_64kb.mp3
15. 15 - Augusta and Springfield, 1864 (30:44): https://archive.org/download/story_of_a_common_soldier_sa_librivox/commonsoldiercivilwar_15_stillwell_64kb.mp3
16. 16 - Devall's Bluff; Clarendon Expedition, 1864 (13:36): https://archive.org/download/story_of_a_common_soldier_sa_librivox/commonsoldiercivilwar_16_stillwell_64kb.mp3
17. 17 - Grand Reviews and Inspections, 1864 (17:16): https://archive.org/download/story_of_a_common_soldier_sa_librivox/commonsoldiercivilwar_17_stillwell_64kb.mp3
18. 18 - Regiment Goes Home on Furlough (22:12): https://archive.org/download/story_of_a_common_soldier_sa_librivox/commonsoldiercivilwar_18_stillwell_64kb.mp3
19. 19 - Murfreesboro, 1864 (18:43): https://archive.org/download/story_of_a_common_soldier_sa_librivox/commonsoldiercivilwar_19_stillwell_64kb.mp3
20. 20 - Affair at Overal's Creek, 1864 (12:18): https://archive.org/download/story_of_a_common_soldier_sa_librivox/commonsoldiercivilwar_20_stillwell_64kb.mp3
21. 21 - Battle of Wilkinson's Pike, 1864 (22:06): https://archive.org/download/story_of_a_common_soldier_sa_librivox/commonsoldiercivilwar_21_stillwell_64kb.mp3
22. 22 - Railroad Fight near Murfresboro, 1864 (25:27): https://archive.org/download/story_of_a_common_soldier_sa_librivox/commonsoldiercivilwar_22_stillwell_64kb.mp3
23. 23 - Murfresboro, Winter 1864-1865 (15:45): https://archive.org/download/story_of_a_common_soldier_sa_librivox/commonsoldiercivilwar_23_stillwell_64kb.mp3
24. 24 - Soldier's Pay: Rations (20:30): https://archive.org/download/story_of_a_common_soldier_sa_librivox/commonsoldiercivilwar_24_stillwell_64kb.mp3
25. 25 - Mustered Out, September 8, 1865 (15:08): https://archive.org/download/story_of_a_common_soldier_sa_librivox/commonsoldiercivilwar_25_stillwell_64kb.mp3