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Life
of the Common Soldier
From the
Journal of John West Haley
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John
West Haley may not have completed grammar school, but this Biddeford,
Maine native—born in 1840—was a keen observer, and a witty
and articulate writer. Haley's Civil War experience is vividly rendered
in his Civil War journal entries.
From August 1862 until the regiment was mustered out in June 1865, Haley
served as an infantryman for Company I, 17th Maine Volunteers Regiment.
Following the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862, Company I was
admitted to General Philip Kearny's 3rd Brigade, the "Order of
the Red Patch." The regiment fought in a number of battles in Virginia,
including the Battle of Gettysburg. While Haley survived the War without
a scratch, he suffered greatly from liver disease and dysentery.
After the Civil War ended, Haley resumed his position at the Saco Water
Power Shop. However, he did not remain in this job for long, soon trying
his hand as a journalist for a local newspaper, then occupying himself
as a librarian for the next 28 years. During his career as a librarian,
Haley pursued activities as an historian, genealogist, poet, painter,
and philosopher. Haley died in 1921.
Though Haley's commentaries speak of the horrors of war, he relates
his tales in a sardonic and forthright manner. The reader sees through
his eyes that even a subject as dark as war has a lighter side to it.
These excerpts from Haley's journals are delivered in the down-to-earth
diction of the common man, not unlike someone from our own time.
Image of John West Haley care of The Rebel Yell and the Yankee
Hurrah: The Civil War Journal of a Maine Volunteer, edited by
Ruth Silliker, Down East Books, Camden, NJ, 1985.
Common Soldier Index
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