The War Outside My Window

The War Outside My Window: The Civil War Diary of LeRoy Wiley Gresham, 1860-1865
Janet Elizabeth Croon, editor. 
Hardcover; 480 pages
Savas Beatie (2018) 

The War Outside My Window is the edited diary of a young Georgia boy, invalid from spinal tuberculosis, who recorded the daily events of the Civil War and life around him. One of few war-time journals written by a non-combatant, the diary is a fascinating read on the resolute, albeit privileged, life of a young man dying from a progressive disease. Civil War enthusiasts will appreciate the book for its daily play by play of the war despite the inaccuracy of early newspaper accounts reported in the diary. For medical historians, the book provides invaluable insight into 19^th century medical practice and the ineffective therapies used against spinal tuberculosis; but perhaps more importantly, it catalogues the devastating natural history of an old disease in its untreated form. The book is well worth the read for anyone interested in the Civil War or medical history and all will be moved by the daily suffering of a courageous young man.