War Letters: Extraordinary Correspondence from American Wars

by Andrew Carroll

In 1998, Andrew Carroll founded the Legacy Project, with the goal of remembering Americans who have served their nation and preserving their letters for posterity. Since then, over 50,000 letters have poured in from around the country. Nearly two hundred of them comprise this amazing collection—including never-before-published letters that appear in the new afterword.

Here are letters from the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korea, the Cold War, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf war, Somalia, and Bosnia—dramatic eyewitness accounts from the front lines, poignant expressions of love for family and country, insightful reflections on the nature of warfare. Amid the voices of common soldiers, marines, airmen, sailors, nurses, journalists, spies, and chaplains are letters by such legendary figures as Gen. William T. Sherman, Clara Barton, Theodore Roosevelt, Ernie Pyle, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, Julia Child, Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, and Gen. Benjamin O. Davis Sr. Collected in War Letters, they are an astonishing historical record, a powerful tribute to those who fought, and a celebration of the enduring power of letters.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, War, Military Fiction, Military History, World War II, American History

512 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Andrew Carroll created The Legacy Project to honor and remember those who have served this nation in wartime by seeking out and preserving their letters. The non-profit is looking for letters from all the nation’s wars and on any subject matter from eyewitness accounts to family matters. Carroll chose two hundred letters for his book “War Letters” out of fifty thousand he received by 2001.

This book published in 2001 includes letters from the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, Gulf War and up to 2001. I felt as if I was walking through history reading letters from the common soldier to generals. Some of the letters allowed me to see life as a soldier through their eyes. This is a must-read book.

I read this in soft cover format. It is 507 pages published by Washington Square Press. The hardcover is published by Scribner.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I'm in love with Andrew Carroll. I LOVE old letters, I love American history, and I especially love war histories told on a personal level. On top of it all, Carroll dedicated this book to the American women who experienced war both from the home and from the front lines, and who were primarily responsible for keeping the letters and the memories safe so that those stories would be remembered. American history with a focus on women during war? I think I just died and went to heaven.

Anyways, this is a wonderful collection. I especially enjoyed the WWII chapter, but all were fascinating and Carroll does such a great job of including letters from diverse sources. You can either peruse the collection and read the ones that sound most interesting, or you can do like I did and just read it cover-to-cover. It's actually quite an emotional experience, reading these letters: you start to read a letter and it's funny or sweet or earnest and you find yourself hoping that at the end there won't be a little italicized note at the bottom stating that the author had been killed in action just after writing it. And when you do get to the end and you do find that the author was killed, your heart kind of sinks a little. The letters are funny and sad and hopeful and desperate and poignant and wonderfully mundane and earnest and detached and all of them put a human, personal face on war.

I really enjoyed this book, and if you have any interest in the subject, I would strongly recommend this book.

[Erin (Historical Fiction Reader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Find this and other reviews at: http://flashlightcommentary.blogspot....

Carroll's collection of war letters is one of the most interesting nonfiction pieces I've had the pleasure of picking up. It is one thing to read the politics or the history of a conflict, it is another to read the thoughts of the men and women who fought it. To read, in their own words, their motivations, emotions and understanding of history as it was being made.

In most cases, the individuals who put pen to paper were not writers and Carroll did not make any effort to edit their correspondence. These letters are presented in their original format, a choice which I felt, preserved their value. Don’t expect perfect structure or grammar and be prepared to navigate some interesting variations of spelling, but read between the lines and you will understand my rating.

I wont call this a must read. It isn't the kind of book that takes over your down time and creeps up on you throughout the day, but I greatly enjoyed it just the same. Carroll's obvious regard for history and respect for those who fought made this a particularly well-construction collection and one I’d highly recommend.

[Cami Rice · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be required reading for all American high school students. This book is about much more than war. It is reading history through the letters of individual Americans.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This refers to the audio version, which my spouse bought a year or so ago. Bottom line, it was far more, and far better, then I expected. 85 letters with background and follow up encasing each letter. There is substantial historical context not only to the individual letters, but also to the milieu of war in which they were written. They begin with the Civil War, follow with first world war, second world war, Korea, and Vietnam. There are even a couple of letters from the Cold War era. They deal with emotional and personal challenges more than the mechanics of war. I have not read the print version, but strongly endorse this audio version.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up War Letters for an insight on the on-the-ground views of soldiers in the field while it was happening. The book was all it I anticipated it to be. I was surprised the amount of depth of research that Carroll endured to determine what happened to the letter writer following the war. I really appreciated the fact that letters were not changed to correct spelling. Errors were left in so the writer's intent was left unadulterated, as it should have been. This is a must read for anyone serving or who has served, especially if you are feeling that no one understands.

[Anna Riggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is a true masterpiece portraying the life and ultimate sacrifice of those who have served for the United States. Not only does this novel give a first hand account of soldiers and loved ones, but it also emphasizes the reality of the horrors of war. I believe that this novel gives a deeper understanding to the history of the US involvement in war and how it affects the nation as a whole, but also each and every soldier involved. Great read

[AGNES CABALU · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heart breaking

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love primary sources and as an old retired AF guy I am still a military history junkie. This book contains letters from the Civil War and letters from more recent times to include the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War, Somalia and Bosnia. There are letters from famous people like General Sherman and Teddy Roosevelt and a letter from Black Jack Pershing to his nine year old son. But there are more letters from privates, spouses, nurses and all sorts of people. I'm lucky enough to retain letters that my mother wrote to me in Vietnam. I treasure those and I guess that is part of the reason I like this book so much. It shows you war through the eyes of those who have to fight it and those who love them and wait. It also shows you sorrow, loss and love. It exposes different sides of people as in this letter Teddy Roosevelt wrote to Mrs. H. L. Freeland after Teddy's son Quentin, a WWI Fighter pilot was killed. He is responding to a letter Mrs. Freeland wrote to his wife:

Aug 14, 1918

Dear Mrs. Freeland,

Last evening ... Mrs. Roosevelt handed me your two letters, saying ... I must see them. As yet it is hard for her to answer even the letters she cares for most; but yours have so singular a quality that I do not mind writing to you of the intimate things which one can not speak of to strangers.
Quentin was her first baby, the last child left in the home nest; on the night before he sailed a year ago, she did as she had always done and went upstairs to tuck him in bed ... a week ago a letter from him, written two days before he was killed, came to a devoted member of our family ... a gay, merry letter....
-----------------------------------
If you want more, read this, you will not be disappointed

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book does not lend itself to being read word for word. I did read most of it. It works best if the reader browses rather than reading cover to cover.

The Editor, Andrew Carroll, founded the Legacy Project with the goal of preserving the letters of service people for posterity. This volume covers the Civil War, WW I, WW II, Korea, The Cold War, Vietnam, the First Gulf War, Somalia and Bosnia. For reasons that are as much personal as anything, I spent most of my time in the WW II section. It is also the longest chapter.

Many of the letters would be boring were it not for Carroll's insightful commentary, putting each letter and section into an understandable context. It is obvious that culling over 50,000 missives down to the almost 200 contained here, was a daunting job. Carroll, though, managed to highlight the history of each period with appropriate choices.

It's clear that some of the letters would be incredibly heartrending. Some of them brought tears to my eyes. Some of them made me chuckle. Some of them made me angry. Some of them were almost illiterate. All were worthwhile additions to this collection.

I can't say I enjoyed this book but I am very glad I spent as much time with it as I did.

[Nicholas Lapp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Books like this should be MANDATORY reading in schools. Especially in an era of pushbutton wars, where you don't encounter lines for bread, or even see the bodies of the dead soldiers being returned. A heavy, intense and extremely personal collection of letters to and from people 'in the field'

You will cry, that is quaranteed, but also smile and wonder and think and now and then chuckle. This is too much to read at one sitting but it is soul stirring and wonderful. How best to remember us if not by what we write that survives us. Like visiting cemeteries and war memorials, and Normandy and Pearl Harbor, it is best to stop and pause and consider.

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible collection of correspondence from the Revolutionary War through the first Gulf War. Some letters from the front to home; other letters from home to a soldier. The book includes notes after the letters as to whether the soldier made it home or not. The letters are sweet, bitter, depressed, exuberant. They combine to paint a frank portrait of war, both good and not so good.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an amazing book! At times you forget that this is non-fiction, getting swept into the many author's discussion of the world around them. The additional editor's notes about the situation in the world at the time the letter was written puts you in the right frame of mind. Further, incorporating what happened to the authors during the war gives that final personal touch!

[Jesseca Wheaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must say I read only some of the WWI and Civil war letters, and then skipped to the WWII sections and read through all of them. it was so neat to get another look at the war from the men who fought in it.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this book because of the various types of correspondence included in it. It allows the reader to get a different perspective of war.

[Sandy Nawrot · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stumbled upon this one by accident. Every week when I talk to my mom, I ask what her book club is reading, because chances are I've read it or I would want to read it. This was the book chosen but mom couldn't find it at her library. I thought, hey, this is why I have 12 credits a year with Audible, so I got it, and we both listened to it. It touched a nerve with both of us, because my mom has letters she collected in her ancestry work, and my husband has a diary from his grandfather while he fought (under duress...he was Polish) in the Bolshevik Revolution. These voices of the past come to life when you hear about how they fought to survive, street level.

In 1998, author Andrew Carroll founded the Legacy Project, which attempted to collect, nationwide, letters from all of the American wars in order to remembering those who served and sacrificed for their nation. This grew into something truly remarkable...a collection of over 50,000 letters from the Civil War, WWI, WWII, Vietnam, Korea, the Cold War, Bosnia and Desert Storm. In this book, he features 200 of these letters, curated for their emotional impact. Not only do we hear from the nurses and soldiers on the ground, but from Presidents, Generals, family at home, activists and celebrities. Some of the stories are uplifting...soldiers who were shot down but survived to return home. Some are boys who long for their parents and girlfriends at home, but never make it back. It's devastating.
As you are listening to these poor souls suffering horrible conditions and constant terror, you cringe to find out from the author whether or not they made it through alive. You hear about leadership so chaotic and inept, and dauntless bravery. We read a letter written by Hitler's nephew who immigrated to the states and BEGGED the President to be allowed to fight in WWII. A heartfelt letter from JFK to a woman who had lost her brother in Vietnam. Letters from Julia Child, Generals Sherman and Schwarzkopf. All of these letters are National Treasures.

Obviously I had some serious mood swings on this one. But it did give me probably one of the best big-picture perspectives of war through the ages. And that perspective is sometimes senseless sacrifice of young men for their country, and how much appreciation I have for this sacrifice, no matter if it's from the Civil War or Somalia. War is always hell. I'm certainly glad I purchased this audio because there is a lot to unpack and I'll want to listen again.

The narration of these letters is a full cast of famous voices...I can't even list them all. But they each represent a personality behind the letter. It makes every voice feel very very real.

[Suzanne Auckerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book in my house. Initially I had no idea where it came from. Then I found a card to my aunt in the book and think she probably passed the book on to me. It was published in 2001. Carroll got the idea to post on Facebook asking for copies of letters that were written by armed forces from the various wars. The response was overwhelming, resulting in a book with letters from the Civil War, WWI, WWII, Korean War, Viet Nam, Bosnia/Serbia, and Iraq. It took a long time to read because there was a lot of sadness. However, there was a lot of letters where people serving expressed even if they did not make it home, they were glad they had served. I felt that change over the years in the book. Because of the unrest at home, many of the Viet Nam soldiers saw what they were doing as worthless. It made me reflect. I protested the Viet Nam war when I was in college, but never against the people serving over there, but the governments inability to work this out.

Since then whenever I see some one in uniform, I go over and shake their hand and thank them for serving. A couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to work in the World Trade Center and one weekend went to the museum. There were three soldiers sitting in the lobby. I went over and they immediately stood up. I said, No need to stand. I shook each one's hand and thanked them for their service. One soldier was African American and he had tears in his eyes. He said, No one had ever told him that before.

[Judith Leipold · Rating 5 out of 5]

War through the ages of American military history, not from a historian's perspective, or a government missal, but rather correspondence from the field to loved one's back home. These are letters written by the everyday man or woman, often with answers written back. There are some exceptions, (like US Presidents, and Generals) but for the most part, people (sometimes teens) expressing horrors as well as requests. Regardless of the date or the specific locations, the underlying message is the same: a wish for peace, a wish to return home, a wish to fulfill their dreams. As a non-fiction selection, the book is divided into sections (typically by each War). The format allowed me to read for 15-30 minutes at a time to digest the beauty of each person and to understand his/her nature. They were noble, brave, and diligent. They were also ridden with guilt, afraid, and bewildered. But all were hopeful, and all were ready to face their death. This isn't an easy read, but I believe an important one to honor those that gave their all.

[Dylan · Rating 5 out of 5]

These extraordinary letters speak for the dead, missing in action and long gone Daddies in the USA..

Civil war..brother to brother "farewell Dear Brother we meet again beyond the tomb". Husband to wife: "did I tell you that when we passed through Petersburg on April 3rd we saw President Lincoln? He was on horseback and was surrounded by a crowd of colored people shouting 'God Bless Massa Lincoln'".

20 years on, a veteran paying a visit to the field where he was shot: "all is changed there now. What was a solid piece of woods through which I led my troops is now all cleared field, & the hill side so smooth then is now grown up with little clumps of trees - marking some spots made rich perhaps by the bloody struggled enacted upon them"

World War 1 mother to son: "and when you do come marching home old fellow bring me back the same boy I gave my country - true and clean and gentle and brave. I know you will come back to me". General Pershing to his 9 year old son: "the German army has committed most serious crimes, and we are fighting to punish them". Proud soldier to Philadelphia wife: "Sometime ago I told you about capturing a Hun. Remember? Well I'm mailing you his cap today, after having had it washed and cleaned up a bit".

Life, in all it's colours and failures doesn't stop for war. A Utah father to his 19 year old son in France, with terrible news from West to East: "Dear Son, be strong and have faith and rest assured that all has been done that could be done..you have a fine little baby girl, she is 5 days old today and is doing well and she will be waiting for you when you return but your dear wife has passed to the other side today".

Troubled husband to faraway wife: "If I had to go over the same road with you again, I am quite sure the way would be easier for you. The mistakes I have made, the heart aches I have caused you stand out like the shell holes that deface much of this country that once was so beautiful".

A prophetic letter from an American Jew in 1933: "recently I have cultivated a taste for poetry, a sure sign I am now sentimental and love-smitten..Hitler's policy now means utter ruin, not only for Jews but to the whole of Germany itself. I see no hope for our kinsman abroad."

A 19 year old traveller from Fargo writing back from England, Summer 1939: "anti aircraft guns in Hyde Park, museums are closed, art treasure fast disappearing into safe caverns..all citizens hold gas masks..in Canterbury the stained glass was being removed..students at Cambridge are crating old manuscripts..and in the churches the faithful gather in a silent prayer for peace. But peace is lost".

At Pearl Harbour a naval surgeon writes: "If you think these damn slant eyes didn't do a thorough job, guess again. They certainly knew where they could hurt us most and they dropped their bombs and torpedos right there".

President Roosevelt receives an extraordinary appeal from a half-German immigrant who wants to join the war effort: "I am the nephew of the ill-famed Chancellor of Germany who today so despotically seeks to enslave the free and Christian peoples of the globe...all my friends and relatives will soon be marching for freedom...may I be allowed to join them...struggle against tyranny? The British could not feel cordial towards an individual bearing the name I do...very respectfully yours..Patrick Hitler".

From somewhere on the Bataan peninsula, May 1943, one of the many thousands trapped and later, prisoners: "It is pretty hard to check out this way without a fighting chance but we can't live forever...write: Mary Robertson at Houtzdale, Penn. Her son Melville died of disentry with his head on my shoulder. We were like brothers".

Writing home from basic training: "for the Nth time, thanks for your package. Please don't send me any more underwear, socks or candy. The milk of magnesia was absolutely unnecessary. I'm having no more bowel trouble and don't anticipate any".

Flying with the RAF on a bombing raid "all is quiet except for the sweet steady drone of my engines, and the whisper of the radio waves coming through my ear-phones. Before me, my instruments, my controls, my love, my life".

Horace Evers, found himself in Hitler's Munich apartment and wrote a letter about Dachau, sitting in Hitler's chair: "two rooms were full of bodies waiting to be cremated".

Korea, 1950: "Life to the oriental is so very cheap, they care not if you live or die..had they given us enough food, clothing and medical care thousands more of America's finest youth would be alive today. They are outright murderers and hope that some day they may be made to pay for their crimes against the human rights of man".

An emphatic Cold War denial from Helen Keller: "I want you to know that if Mrs Flynn was a member of or connected with the Communist Party at the time of our meetings forty years ago, I was totally unaware of the fact. I want also to assure you that no plan, purpose or conspiracy for the violent overthrow of the United States Government could awaken any response in my soul. I am not a Communist now and never have been a Communist".

1968, Tet Offensive, a Daddy to his daughter: "Maybe some do not appreciate America. Let them visit many other lands, as I have, and they will thank God for the blessing of being an American".

College buddy to buddy: "The past week has been one continuous HIGH for me. Every night I lose myself. Like you said, the first few times, I felt nothing. I fear I'm becoming a connoisseur. And that's not all; I went to Saigon two weeks ago and smoked opium. The greatest feeling".

1971: "I had to write to tell you I'm ok but my buddies are all dead. Out of our infantry company 21 killed, 29 wounded, and 27 of us are left to talk about the 5 hours of hell we went through".

These letters..these words. Written in fear, resignation, with wit, care, concern and pride..speak for themselves.

[Trisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is so much more to be learned from letters which offer more personal and intimate descriptions of their experiences. Carroll gathered an extraordinary collection of letters from the most major American wars including the Civil War forward. The letters are filled with descriptions of the conditions they were fighting under, emotion and courage, soldiers' reflections on the nature and meaning of warfare, and more. Many of the letters included were written by soldiers killed afterward. It is a valuable and absorbing view we all should take note of.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book and a priceless treasure about the letters American soldiers wrote back home to their families during war. From the Civil to the Persian Gulf, this book shows the other side of war, one with love and compassion and truth. Soldiers pridicting their upcoming death, as well as the promises that they would come home to their families soon. Read and cherish this book until the last page.

[Kelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always love reading letters from History. Its a shining example of how much we are all the same in every time period. Different technology or environments, but the core emotions are still the same. This is an interesting book and one that you can pick up at any point because of the way the letters and paragraphs about each person are split up. I would recommend reading it from time to time just to remind ourselves about these peoples legacy's.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actually this review is for the play that Andrew Carroll wrote- If All The Sky Were Paper. I am assuming that the play is based on this book.

I loved the play. I would really like to do it here at my local theatre but I live in a mostly white community. The play contains whites, blacks, Asians, and Latinos. It would be hard to cast here. The letters are moving and beautiful. I would like to see it performed.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are many letters included in this volume. Some are extraordinary for their insight on issues ranging from life and war to the tenderness of familial concerns. Many ordinary letters provide a glimpse into war on personal terms. It is a good book for picking up and browsing a little at a time.

[Bill Combs · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you ever want to step back in time and also gain a spirit full of perspective, read this. My son, William gave me this. It's one of the best books I've ever read. Poignant, tragic, utterly sad yet loving and even happy at times. The struggles and sacrifices of our young soldiers and those they left behind are told candidly.

[Elizabeth Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I thought the letters gave a glimpse into the wars and showed things that a person might not have realized by just researching the war. I loved reading about the victories but also the struggles each soldier faced. I liked how the author used to last letter to pay tribute not only to the American Flag but to all those who died serving our country.

[Lisa Schwarz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring and heart wrenching

I wonder as I read these letters why so many write that war should be stopped and we don’t listen. I am thankful for the opportunity to read these letters, thankful for the service and sacrifice of the men and women who fought for our country. I would recommend this book highly.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting personal accounts of America's wars over the last 140 years. From the Civil War to the Kuwait war, letters from servicemembers are published, many for the first time ever. The reading was sometimes tedious as the explanatory paragraphs provided a mini-history of the each war and event. An excellent collection of importance for future historians. Carroll did a great job of editing.

[Manette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the audio version of this book and I just ordered a hardback copy. This is a book I will read again. I wish this type of reading was used to teach history in schools. Unlike history class being just a bunch of dates, statistics, places, and facts, this collection of letters made history come to life.

[Windy · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I did find the majority of the letters very interesting, I also found the book to be incredibly sad as it seems that most of the letter writers never made it home. Very interesting historical facts included, too.