Why read On Enemy Soil?

Book cover of On Enemy Soil: Journal of James Edmond Pease, a Civil War Union Soldier

Book description

The Civil War JOURNAL OF JAMES EDMOND PEASE is now in paperback with an exciting repackaging!

Ignorant to the bitter realities of military life, 16-year-old James enlists in the Union Army at the dawn of the Civil War. When his lieutenant assigns him to be the company historian of the…

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Historical fiction

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Why read it?

1 author picked On Enemy Soil as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

M. Carolyn Steele

Author

I’ve read this book several times and absolutely loved the protagonist, a 16-year-old orphan who joins the army because he is hungry. The story unfolds through the company journal entries that James is charged with writing.

I was amused by his down-home spin, youthful complaints, observations, and humor, which gave the reader a glimpse into the swing between a soldier’s boredom and excitement. Of course, given that it is written in the vein of a young teen, I didn’t have to look up a single word, making it a fairly quick read.

From M. Carolyn's list on civil war ordinary people blood guts.