A well written diary from the Trans-Mississippi theater of operations. This is one of the few Civil War diaries from that area. It is written by a recent German immigrant to Nebraska and covers the period of his three year enlistment, 1862 - 1865. The story covers relatively little actual fighting. When Mr. Scherneckau was wounded (in the leg) it is because he was accidentally shot by one of his fellow soldiers. Instead it covers life in the Army consisting mostly of futile marches, guard duty, converting from an infantry unit to cavalry, putting up with Army life, almost as though the country was at peace.



Mr. Scherneckau originally wrote the diary in German, his native tongue. It is clear that he was a well educated man, but little is known of his background and education.



The diary has been translated and brought up to date with modern English style and wording as well as ancillary materials such as newspaper accounts of the time. This makes it a lot easier to read than the approach taken by other editor/translators.