author
Luther W. (Luther Wesley) Hopkins
1843–1920
Best known for a vivid Civil War memoir, this former Confederate cavalryman wrote from the perspective of someone who had lived the events as a teenager. His book gives readers a personal, ground-level view of campaigns, camp life, and memory after war.
1 Audiobook
From Bull Run to Appomattox: A Boy's View
by Luther W. (Luther Wesley) Hopkins
About the author
Born in 1843, Luther W. Hopkins is known for From Bull Run to Appomattox: A Boy's View, a memoir of his service in the 6th Virginia Cavalry under J. E. B. Stuart during the American Civil War. Library and public-domain editions identify him as Luther W. Hopkins, born in 1843, and present the book as his firsthand account of the conflict.
The memoir was written to capture the part of the war that especially appealed to younger readers, telling the story through the eyes of a boy soldier rather than from a distant historian's view. That personal angle is what makes Hopkins memorable today: his writing preserves the texture of daily life, movement, danger, and loyalty as he remembered them years later.
Available evidence also connects him to Loudoun County, Virginia, and indicates that he lived until 1920. While many details of his wider life are not easy to confirm from major reference sources, his reputation rests securely on this one enduring Civil War narrative, which continues to be reprinted and read as a personal witness to the era.