| This Soldier Life - The Diaries of Romine H. Ostrander, 1863 and 1865, in Colorado Territory
(2007)
|
| Front Cover |
Book Details |
|
| Genre |
Non-Fiction |
| Subject |
Colorado - History - Civil War, 1861-1865 - Personal narratives.; Colorado - History.; Ostrander, Romine H., 1837- - Diaries.; United States. Army. Colorado Cavalry Regiment, 1st (1862-1865); West (U.S.) - History - Civil War, 1861-1865 - Personal narratives. |
| Publication Date |
2/28/2007 |
| Format |
Softcover (8.9
x
6.0
mm)
|
| Publisher |
Colorado Historical Society |
| Language |
English |
|
|
| Description |
| Diaries of a private in the First Colorado Cavalry, a young man full of angst, wistfulness and sometimes caustic wit who writes of the Civil War, Lee's surrender, the Sand Creek Massacre, and his own encounters with Arapahos, Cheyennes, Comanches, Apaches, and Cherokees. |
| Personal Details |
| Store |
AbeBooks |
| Purchase Price |
$4.76 |
| Acquire Date |
5/27/2016 |
| Condition |
Very Good/-- |
| Rating |
0 |
| Links |
Library of Congress
|
|
| Product Details |
| LoC Classification |
E498.6 .O77 2006 |
| Dewey |
920 |
| ISBN |
9780942576511 |
| Cover Price |
$19.95 |
| No. of Pages |
130 |
| First Edition |
No |
| Rare |
No |
|
| Notes/Review |
I give this 3 stars, but could make the case for nearly any rating at all.
Ostrander was a private in the First Colorado Cavalry. These diaries were found in Fresno in 1922. Evidently the book for 1864 was lost. A typical day's entry is only a few sentences long. Ostrander wasn't much of a writer; the book reproduces his bad spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
As to "plot", not much happens. His unit searches for Confederate guerillas but never find them. They travel to and fro across the state; he does guard duty, cooks, spends time as a nurse in Denver, is stationed at Fort Lyon (which is near Bent's Fort, not near Lyons, CO).
So the guy couldn't write, didn't do much, didn't have much to say, but I found it interesting nonetheless. He talks about "returning to the states" (Colorado not being in the USA yet), talks about the arrival of trains (wagon trains, 200+ horses, no railroads in the area for some time yet). describes the night life in 1863 Denver, and criticizes the Sand Creek Massacre. |
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