author
William A. Canfield
1840–1917
A Civil War veteran who turned his own service into a brief, vivid memoir, this 19th-century writer left a firsthand account of camp life, battle, and recovery after a devastating wound. His story offers a direct, personal window into the Union Army experience.
1 Audiobook
A History of the Army Experience of William A. Canfield
by William A. Canfield
About the author
Born in 1840, William A. Canfield is known for A History of the Army Experience of William A. Canfield, a short memoir based on his service in the 9th New Hampshire Infantry during the American Civil War. The book was published in 1869 and presents his experiences in a plain, personal voice rather than as a distant history.
Contemporary catalog records and later editions describe the work as a firsthand account of his time in the Union Army. The text itself also notes that he lost an arm at Petersburg, a detail that gives the memoir much of its emotional weight and makes it a striking example of a veteran telling his own story soon after the war.
Reliable online library records identify him as William A. Canfield, 1840–1917. Beyond that, the surviving easily confirmed biographical details are limited, but his memoir remains a valuable piece of Civil War personal writing because of its brevity, honesty, and direct connection to lived experience.