Sometimes, toy ships were used to sail bartered goods back and forth across a river. There also are reports of dogs carrying supplies in cans tied around their necks. Wiley reports troops opposed to each other over long periods of time, as my great-grandfather's Iron Brigade was to Stonewall Jackson's troops, friendships even developed across the lines when the soldiers weren't fighting. The Life of Billy Yank, and a companion volume, The Life of Johnny Reb, give the best account I've found of what the war was like for common soldiers of the North and South. Most Civil War histories deal with military strategy, politics, economics and other big-picture items.
Biographies invariably are of politicians and high-ranking officers.
If you have an ancestor who fought in the Civil War, I heartily recommend you read Wiley's books to get a feel for what he or she experienced. The books are especially valuable if you have some oral or written family history to give you clues about which experiences in the book might be relevant to your ancestor's life. Copyright 1996 Tri-City Herald. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.