While these manuscripts were written long ago, I ask that you first read the following excerpt from Josiah's writings, and then understand and respect why these writings are copyrighted, not to be used in any publication without prior permission or to be used in any commercial application:
Here then Closes these Memmoirs - Biography or whatever They may be called - These I leave behind, will now have to Take them up, if they Think them of Intrest or Value Sufficient to Continue them on, and so Transmit them to the Farther Generations.
In writing these Memmoirs, I have bee actuated Soley by the disire of letting my Children Know Who and What thier Progenitors were, and where they came from As far back as could be Traced, How they Lived, How They prosperd or Sufferd and the reason of it & c This I Think they will be able to do by these Writings - - - - -
I am fully aware of my Limitations. And realize the Errors and Mistake, in Gramer, Spelling, Punctuation and c & c. (I am an Uneducated Man) These They will have to correct themselves.
I have herin told - Only the Truth, nothing is here said but what I have Partiscipated in, or Wittnessed, in Mentioning Persons - I admit I have Been Harsh, and to those not aware of the Facts, it will No doubt seem Unescessarly So, but it is the Solemn Truth, Every Word written - , and the Persons or People so Refered To - They and thier Actions and Work were in a large Measure the cause of my Failure in Life. I am aware That I am to blame for being so Weak - and so Trusting and willingly bear the Fruits of it - but to write a true Account of my Life, I had or wanted to show all the Reasons - the Cause - the why and the Wherefor, of A Life - that Might and Should have been a Success But turned out to be a Miserable Failure, if I have Been Harsh and seemingly Unjust with others - I have not Spared myself - as these Papers will Testify - if I have Blamed I have been willing to Share the Blame, but Censured only where Censure was due, So I leave it To be Judged By those Reading it - And I can only Hope they Will take A Lesson from and Proftit by it for thier Good in this World and the World to Come.
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These Lines are Written to be seen By Our Children or those of our imediate Family, Not to be seen Or Read or Heard Read by even my Brothers or Sister or any of Thiers it is Strictly A Family Paper and I ask them to Respect it as Such !
Josiah Conzett 1905
INDEX TO WEB PAGES
Josiah's book, presented exactly as it was originally
written by his own hand, is broken up here into
four sections for easier reading on the web:Pages 1 - 20 of My Civil War, Before, During and After
Pages 21 - 43 of My Civil War, Before, During and After
Pages 44 - 67 of My Civil War, Before, During and After
Pages 68 - 128 of My Civil War, Before, During and After
Note: These page numbers relate to the page numbers on the corrected version below.
Josiah's book, in corrected form, is also available online.
It is much easier to read, is but still retains all the
facts and flavor of the original manuscript:
Pages 1-40 of The Corrected Edition of My Civil War, Before, During and After
Pages 41-80 of The Corrected Edition of My Civil War, Before, During and After
Pages 81-128 of The Corrected Edition of My Civil War, Before, During and After
Index of people, places and names from pages 1-128
You may download a copy of the original book in MS-DOS text format: civilwar.zip 123k.
If you have any questions or comments, please e-mail me at
larry @ conzett.org. Thank you.
