Post Civil War Stories

I remember seeing in Ken Burns' film that the last ACW vet didn't die until the 1950s. Looking for a book about post-war lives of the soldiers. The reunions. How the readjusted to civilian life. Who stayed in and served out west and in the Spanish American War, etc. Not looking for individual memoirs. Any suggestions?

Taking a stab at this one with some suggestions:

Information about the veterans and reunions may possibly be found in any of the various books with "Grand Army of the Republic" in the title.

Bibliographies in books about Custer or "buffalo soldiers" may give you more information concerning books about the Western army.

Homeward Bound by William B. Holberton is about demob at the end of the Civil War. I own it but haven't read it yet.

I think even books or articles that deal with the history of reenacting may cover some of this, because didn't the reunions feature reenactments occasionally? Sort of tableaux vivants.

HTH, Renee

I have Campaigning with the Irish Brigade about Private John Ryan of the 28th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, which also recounts his post Civil War service with the U.S. 7th Cavalry, including the Little Bighorn, which he survived.

Robert A. Mosher

If you're looking for fiction Helen Hooven Santmyers And ladies of the club... opens with the ladies wating for the train that brings their men home from the battlefields of the South. The story takes place in a small town in central Ohio & is a sort of micro-cosm of how Ohio became so powerful in the last quarter of the 19th. century.
Don Robertson'sParadise falls cover much of the same territory but is not as well written.

Hands Across the Wall is about the 50th and 75th reunions of both armies from the battle of Gettysburg. It's a pretty short book with a lot of photos.

You might also look for Ambrose Bierce's Civil War stories that appear in several collections including Civil War Stories and Ambrose Bierce's Civil War Stories. Some of them deal with the after effects of the war though most are set during the war - they have the added virtue of being written by a veteran of that war.

Robert A. Mosher

These are great. Thanks, all!