author
John Beatty
1828–1914
Best known for a vivid Civil War memoir, this Ohio banker, soldier, and congressman wrote with the directness of someone who had seen events up close. His work gives readers a personal view of military service and public life in 19th-century America.
1 Audiobook
The Citizen-Soldier or, Memoirs of a Volunteer
by John Beatty
About the author
Born near Sandusky, Ohio, in 1828, he built an early career in banking before the Civil War changed the course of his life. He volunteered for the Union Army, rose from private to brigadier general, and later served Ohio in the U.S. House of Representatives.
As a writer, he is best remembered for The Citizen-Soldier; or, Memoirs of a Volunteer, a firsthand account of his wartime experience. The book has remained the work most closely associated with his name and is valued for its plainspoken, personal perspective on the war.
After military service and politics, he remained a notable public figure in Ohio until his death in 1914. His life connected business, government, and memoir, giving his writing an unusual mix of practical judgment and lived history.