author
John R. Kinnear
Best known for his firsthand history of an Illinois Civil War regiment, he wrote with the directness of someone who had lived the story himself. His work offers readers a vivid, ground-level view of military service in the 1860s.
1 Audiobook
About the author
John R. Kinnear is associated with History of the Eighty-Sixth Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry, during its term of service, a regimental history first published in 1866. The book has remained of interest to readers of Civil War history because it preserves the experiences of soldiers in a detailed, personal way.
Reliable sources about his life are limited, but available records identify him as John Ritchey Kinnear, born on July 26, 1842, and later known in Washington state politics. He served in the Washington State Senate from 1889 to 1895 and died in Seattle on March 31, 1912.
That mix of soldier, chronicler, and public servant helps explain the lasting appeal of his writing. For listeners who enjoy eyewitness history, Kinnear's work stands out for its immediacy and its sense of lived experience rather than distant retelling.