How a One-Legged Rebel Lives

Résumé du livre

You'll recognize John Robson as that eccentric uncle who you haven't seen in ages and who shows up at your wedding with tales to tell.But Robson really served with the 52nd Virginia in the American Civil War, his tales are true, and like your uncle's, they meander a bit. But he has a voice and a story to tell and it's worth sitting through supper with him. As a one-legged veteran, he wrote this book in the hopes of earning an honest living.Ironically, like many veterans, he thinks his personal part of the war is the least interesting. In fact, it comes rather late in the book but it's the most fun to read. When he finally comes to terms with losing his leg, he writes:"I did not fancy this juncture of my affairs at all, for though by no means a vain man, nor unusually proud of my personal beauty, I had, nevertheless, a strong liking for myself and every part of myself, and looked upon this attempt of ridding me of one of my well-tried propellers, as a direct attack on the beautiful contour--on the perfect outline of my tout ensemble--"His odd spelling and sometimes baffling turns of phrase only add to the entertainment.