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James Adams Tillman
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A Palmetto Boy: Civil War–Era Diaries and Letters of James Adams Tillman Kindle Edition

by Bobbie Swearingen Smith (Editor) Format: Kindle Edition
5.0 5.0 out of 5 stars 7 ratings
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These diaries and family letters reveals the experiences of Senator Benjamin Tillman’s brother as a Confederate captain during and after the Civil War.

Though the Tillman family of Edgefield, South Carolina, is important to Palmetto State history, James Adams Tillman never became a politician like his famous brothers Ben and George. Instead, at the age of twenty-four, James died from injuries sustained during the Civil War. Now, in this collection of diary entries and family letters, James’s story is finally told. Edited by Bobbie Swearingen Smith, this collection offers a significant historical record of the Civil War era as experienced by a member of this prominent South Carolina family.

At nineteen, Tillman enlisted with the Twenty-fourth South Carolina Volunteer Infantry of Edgefield. He served on the coastal defenses south of Charleston and fought in both battles of Secessionville, as well as at Chickamauga, where he was wounded. Under the command of General Johnston in Tennessee and North Carolina, Tillman retreated from General Sherman’s advance. At the war’s end, Tillman wrote about the onset of Reconstruction and those he saw as descending on South Carolina to profit from the defeated South.

A Palmetto Boy shares both the immediacy of Tillman’s thoughts from the war front and his contemplative expressions of those experiences for his family on the home front. Tillman’s personal narrative adds another layer to our understanding of the historical significance of the Tillman family and offers a compelling firsthand account of the motivations and actions of a young South Carolinian at war.
Previous page
  1. ISBN-13
    978-1570039058
  2. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  3. Publisher
    University of South Carolina Press
  4. Publication date
    December 7, 2012
  5. Language
    English
  6. File size
    2490 KB
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"This sweeping story of the Civil War years, as told by the scion of one of South Carolina's most famous families, is as compelling an account of the trials of war as has ever been written. The reader is immersed in the grim reality of a soldier's everyday life and the ultimate horrors of mortal combat. Through reading this book one can come to a much more complete and accurate understanding of the motivations underlying the deep devotion of Confederate soldiers to their cause. Here we also come to see how a soldier grappled with defeat and came back home to rebuild his life upon the ashes of war. This is a must-read for any student of the Civil War."―Bettis C. Rainsford, Edgefield County Historical Society

"Insightful and succinct, James Tillman chronicles his service, his ideas, and his ideals through war and early peace from the end of 1859 through May 1866. Meticulously annotated by Bobbie Swearingen Smith, this rich and vivid collection of diaries and letters deserves a worthy place among Civil War narratives."―Orville Vernon Burton, author The Age of Lincoln and In My Father's House Are Many Mansions: Family and Community in Edgefield County, South Carolina

From the Inside Flap

An insightful view of major Civil War battles from a representation of one of South Carolina's most influential families

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00AN8LDT6
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of South Carolina Press (December 7, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 7, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2490 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 338 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    5.0 5.0 out of 5 stars 7 ratings

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James Adams Tillman

James Adams Tillman

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Customer reviews

5 out of 5 stars
5 out of 5
7 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Lil Moore
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!
Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2020
Verified Purchase
A Palmetto Boy: Civil war era diaries ... Book in new condition and received promptly. Very interesting and just the kind of book I love. THANK YOU!
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Rosalie Baya
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent accounting of the Civil War
Reviewed in the United States on September 10, 2012
Verified Purchase
This book is very interesting about daily life during the Civil War. A great perspective from a young soldier's point of view. It is very obvious that letters from home were of great importance to him. Civil War buffs definitely should have this book or anyone who had family members involved in this war.
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Jo Ann Lordahl
5.0 out of 5 stars Treasures and Sacrifices
Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2012
What a treasure my friend Bobbie Smith leaves for her beloved sons, daughter and grandchildren. And us. A Palmetto Boy, while relating family history, shows how one idealistic Southern boy encounters the Civil War and its aftermath before dying at the tender age of 24 from injuries sustained during the war.

Through James Adams Tillman's lovingly edited diaries we follow his journey: schoolboy, soldier, veteran, son, brother, farmer. Most poignant are this soldier's longing for news and letters from home. Also, his long letters to his mother and constant short notes on the weather.

Up close and personal we are immersed in the effects of war on a life. As Bobbie quotes Andrew Exum, This Man's Army: A Soldier's Story from the Front Lines of the War on Terrorism, "No matter a war's outcome the solder never wins." As a long-time anti-war activist and mother of three sons, Bobbie always honored this truth. This wonderfully illustrated picture of our Southern past is fittingly published by the University of South Carolina Press.

Thank you Bobbie Swearington Smith. Your personal sacrifices and amazing hard work in producing this historical treasure are appreciated. I am proud and privileged to have been your friend.
Jo Ann Lordahl, author of Princess Ruth: Love & Tragedy in Hawai'i
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