author
Smith D. (Smith Dykins) Atkins
1836–1913
A Civil War officer, newspaper editor, and lawyer, he lived a life that moved from the battlefield back into public life and writing. His story offers a vivid glimpse of 19th-century America, where journalism, politics, and military service often crossed paths.
1 Audiobook
Chickamauga. Useless, Disastrous Battle
by Smith D. (Smith Dykins) Atkins
About the author
Born in New York in 1836 and raised in Illinois, Smith Dykins Atkins built an unusually varied career. He worked as a newspaper editor and studied law before becoming deeply involved in public affairs.
When the American Civil War began, he joined the Union army and rose from the ranks to become a colonel. He went on to command infantry and cavalry brigades and later received brevet appointments as brigadier general and major general of Volunteers.
After the war, Atkins returned to civilian life in Illinois, resuming his editorial work and law practice. Remembered as a soldier as well as a man of letters and public service, he died in 1913.