A Rebel War Clerk's Diary is written by John B. Jones and is published by Time-Life Books.

This book (two volumes) is composed of the war-time diaries of John B. Jones, a clerk in the Confederate War Department. Mr. Jones was a newspaper editor before the war, but volunteered his services to the Confederacy shortly after the war began. Since he was fifty-one years old when the war began, he was not enlisted into the army, but was made a clerk in the war department.

This diary is interesting for a number of reason. First, Mr. Jones was a talented writer and observer. Second, he had no military experience with which to judge the reports (and rumors) which he recorded in his dairy. Third, he was a devoted patriot to his government, and this colored his view of things. Finally, he was a human being with the prejudices of a human being.

To this last point, entries of this diary concern accusations of war profiteering agamst just aboout anyone running a profitable business in Virginia. If this was the average Southerner's attitude toward business, the South must have had little chance to win a sustained war. Someone had to supply food and supplies to its army, and that someone would have to make a profit to support himself and stay in business.

This diary shows the "roller coaster" effect which the war had on the emotions of a true believer like Mr. Jones. This is especially notable in the entries near the end of the war. He records amazing rumors, such as Lee's and Johnston's armies uniting and sharply defeating Grant in Virginia. Hope may have been "eternal", but the reality was Five Forks and Appomattox.

I recommend this book to anyone who would like a "behind the scenes" view of the Confiederate War Department. However, keep a few grains of salt handy, as Mr. Jones revised some of the diary after the war. Consequently, some entries are obviously written with a knowledge of future events.

An example of this is Mr. Jones' account of General J. E. Johnson visit to the War Department after General Johnston's removal as commander of the Army of Tennessee. With perfect hindsight, Jones notes the irony that General Johnston's reputation could only increase if his replacement failed and his country was destroyed.

Despite such lapses, Mr. Jones' diary is a worthwhile read for those interested in the American Civil War.

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