This is not a commercial, but I thought that some of you folks who are (like me) always on the lookout for primary source material might like to know about a book that the University of Texas Press is releasing for me in February. The title is “The Southern Journey of a Civil War Marine: The Illustrated Note-Book of Henry O. Gusley.” What this book contains is the diary/journal of a young Pennsylvania Marine who served on board the steamers Westfield and Clifton during 1862-1863. It is illustrated with some really wonderful sketches by the Assistant Surgeon on board Clifton. The action covered by this book extends all the way along the Gulf Coast from Florida to Texas and up the Mississippi River as far as Vicksburg. Good first hand accounts and drawings of battles and skirmishes at New Orleans, Vicksburg, Galveston, Port Lavaca and Sabine Pass. Also contains lots of information on the Mississippi Sound/Ship Island area and the Teche campaigns. To give you a better idea of the places and events covered, here are the chapter titles:
1. The Battle below New Orleans
2. Ship Island, the Pearl River, and Lake Pontchartrain
3. Pensacola
4. New Orleans
5. The Mississippi River
6. Baton Rouge, Plaquemine, and Donaldsonville
7. The Return to Pensacola and Ship Island
8. The Capture of Galveston
9. Matagorda Bay
10. The Battle of Galveston
11. The Capture of U.S.S. Hatteras
12. A New Commander
13. Mississippi Sound
14. The Swamps of Louisiana
15. Butte a la Rose
16. Mobile Bay
17. The Return to the Teche Country
18. The Battle of Sabine Pass
19. Letters from Prison (Camp Groce)
It’s a pretty unique project and the UT Press did a spectacular job putting the book together so if it covers an area you are interested in you might want to take a look at it.