Leander+Stillwell

C-Period
 * Jeff Trimble

Leander Stillwell: //The Story of A Common Soldier// || The grave of Leander Stillwell: ||  ||
 * __**Introduction:**__ || Leander Stillwell, born on September 16th, 1834, on a farm in Otter Creek Illinois, was one of the myriad of Union soldiers in the Civil War. Stillwell joined the army, along with many of his neighborhood friends, as a boy. His father feared for his safety and was reluctant to release his son into this calamitous situation. Stillwell was a member of the 61st Illinois Infantry and fought in: The Battle of Shiloh, The Seige of Corinth, The Siege of Vicksburg, and smaller, less known battles. This wiki will endeavour to shine light upon the dark face of the civil war through the experiences of a common soldier rather than from a general safely observing the war from a watch tower. ||||  ||
 * ======During Stillwell's time of service, he fought at many important battles which changed the course of American history.====== || ====== **Battles Stillwell fought in:** ====== |||| Overview/ explanation of the Battles Stillwell fought in: ||
 * **The Battle of Shiloh** || [[image:the_battle_of_shiloh.jpg width="438" height="382"]] || The battle of Shiloh was " the second great engagement of the American Civil War, fought in southwestern Tennessee, resulting in a victory for the North and in large casualties for both sides" (Encylopedia Britannica). Stillwell, in his front-of-the-line style infantry group, saw the true face of war here: "The incessant and terrible crash of musketry, the roar of the cannon, the continual zip, zip, of the bullets as they hiss by him...agonizing screams of the wounded...the death shrieks of comrades falling in dying convulsions..."(38-39). Leander also suffered from a large misconception of what war was: "...that when soldiers departed for war, beautiful ladies stood on balconies and waved snowy-white hankerchiefs at the troops..." (39). However, harsh reality set Stillwell straight: "Occasionally a fat, chunky-looking fellow, of a German cast countenance, with a big pipe in his mouth, would stick his head out of a door or window, look at us a few seconds, and then disappear" (39-40). Stillwell trully reveals the depths of despair within this battle through his terrifying first person experiences. ||  ||
 * **The Seige of Corinth** || [[image:corinth-mississippi-picture.jpg width="489" height="430"]] || The Seige, or battle, of Corinth was " a battle that ended in a decisive victory of Union forces over Confederate forces in northeasternMississippi" (Encyclopedia Britannica). The main aspect of this battle for Stillwell was depression, sickness, and sadness: "...other types of diseases-malaria and the like...this ignorance can be attributed much of the sickness...the camps were muddy and gloomy...A genuine case of downright home-sickness is most depressing..." (70). Stillwell's Infantry squad was riddled with depression and disease throughout this battle thus doubling the difficulty of the situation. ||   ||
 * **The Siege of Vicksburg** || [[image:jb_0519_vicksburg_1_e.jpg width="386" height="347"]] || The siege of Vicksburg was "the campaign by Union forces to take the Confederate stronghold of Vicksburg, Mississippi" (Encyclopedia Britannica) or as described by Grolier was that the "Union forces under Gen. Ulysses S. Grant captured Vicksburg, Miss., the Confederacy's stronghold on the Mississippi River" (Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia). During this battle Stillwell's regiment was "becoming more or less restless and dissatisfied" (133). They were feeling this anxiety because they were "guarding an old railroad, while the bulk of the western army had been actively engaged in the stirring and brilliant campaign against Vicksburg" (133). This chapter of Stillwell's story displays the unfairness executed among the common soldiers rather than the officers and generals we see in movies today; war is not always the heart pumping incredible event that we people are fooled into believing. ||  ||

 **__Conclusion__**: In summary, Stillwell's exciting, and sometimes depressing, saga in the civil war has helped my mind to understand war in this time period. It was absolutely brutal, terrifying, and unfair beyond belief. It is one thing to understand war from the safe perspective of a general or captain; however, the viewpoint from a common grunt on the front line was much more eye-opening and realistic. Studying the strategies and results of battles hold no contest with a first hand account such as this that Mr. Stillwell so kindly provided. Reading his story and grasping his ideas have given me an entirely different perspective over the hardships our ancestors faced so that we might have a safer and better existence.

Works Cited: "001.jpg" Web. 20 Nov. 2009 <[]> 1033462450_2cf7fe249f.jpg" Web. 20 Nov. 2009 <[]> "800px-battle_of_shiloh_thulstrup" Web. 20 Nov. 2009 <[]> ""**Battle of Corinth**." __Encyclopædia  __Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 19 Nov. 2009 <[|**http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/137579/Battle-of-Corinth**]>. "**Battle of Shiloh**." __Encyclopædia  __Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 19 Nov. 2009 <[|**http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/540617/Battle-of-Shiloh**]>. "corinth-missippi-picture.jpg" Web. 20 Nov. 2009 <[]>. "jb_05129_vicksburg_1_e.jpg" Web. 20 Nov. 2009 <[]> Stillwell, Leander. //The Story Of A Common Soldier.// N. p.: Franklin Hudson Publishing Co., 1920. Print. Vandiver, Frank E. "Vicksburg Campaign." //Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia//. 2009. Grolier Online. 20 Nov. 2009 []. "**Vicksburg Campaign**." __Encyclopædia  __Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 20 Nov. 2009 <[|**http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/627486/Vicksburg-Campaign**]>.