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W. H. (William Henry) Morgan

1836–1920

A Virginia soldier and firsthand chronicler of the Civil War, W. H. Morgan captured the grit, fear, loyalty, and endurance of life in camp, battle, and prison. His 1911 memoir offers a deeply personal view of the conflict through the eyes of an ordinary Confederate veteran.

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Personal Reminiscences of the War of 1861-5 In Camp—en Bivouac—on the March—on Picket—on the Skirmish Line—on the Battlefield—and in Prison

Personal Reminiscences of the War of 1861-5 In Camp—en Bivouac—on the March—on Picket—on the Skirmish Line—on the Battlefield—and in Prison

by W. H. (William Henry) Morgan

About the author

W. H. (William Henry) Morgan (1836–1920) was born and raised near Pigeon Run—now Gladys—in Campbell County, Virginia. Before the Civil War, he helped organize the Clifton Grays, a local volunteer infantry company made up largely of neighbors, relatives, and former schoolmates.

Morgan served in Virginia units of the Confederate army, rising from orderly sergeant to first lieutenant and captain. He took part in campaigns including First Manassas, Williamsburg, Seven Pines, Gaines’ Mill, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, and the fighting in North Carolina and Virginia. Captured at Milford, Virginia, on May 21, 1864, he spent the final year of the war as a prisoner at Fort Delaware and Fort Pulaski.

After the war, Morgan lived in Floyd, Virginia, where he eventually shaped his wartime memories into Personal Reminiscences of the War of 1861–5. Published in 1911, the book began as a family record written for his children and preserves his recollections of military service, comradeship, imprisonment, and life after the conflict.