author
John R. Kinnear
A Civil War veteran and early Washington state senator, he left behind a firsthand account of the Eighty-sixth Illinois Volunteer Infantry that brings camp life and battle experience close to the reader. His writing stands out for turning lived experience into clear, direct history.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Born in West Point, Indiana, in 1842, John R. Kinnear is remembered both as a soldier-writer and as a public figure in the young state of Washington. He served in the Washington State Senate from 1889 to 1895, and later died in Seattle in 1912.
For readers, his lasting importance comes from History of the Eighty-sixth Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry, during its term of service, first published in 1866. As a member of that regiment, he wrote from personal knowledge, giving his book the immediacy of an eyewitness record rather than a distant retelling.
That combination of participant and historian gives Kinnear's work its appeal today. His account helps modern listeners and readers see the Civil War not only as a sequence of campaigns, but as a lived experience shaped by routine, hardship, and loyalty among soldiers.