Reminiscences of a Rebel

In Short

Reminiscences of a Rebel is a firsthand account of the American Civil War written by Wayland Fuller Dunaway, who served as a captain in the 40th Virginia Regiment. The book chronicles his journey from a nineteen-year-old law student to a seasoned combat veteran, participating in many of the conflict's major campaigns under Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee. It details the daily hardships of camp life, the chaos of battle, months spent as a prisoner of war on Johnson's Island, and the sobering return home. The book endures as a valuable, ground-level historical contribution by an ordinary participant in a monumental conflict.

The Story

The narrative opens in the fall of 1860 as nineteen-year-old Wayland Fuller Dunaway leaves his native Lancaster County to study law at the University of Virginia. With the outbreak of war in 1861, these academic pursuits are abandoned. Enrolling in the Lacy Rifles, Dunaway joins his comrades on a festive voyage up the Rappahannock River, blissfully ignorant of the realities of war. Soon transferred to the Peninsula and subjected to the malaria-ridden lowlands of the Chickahominy, the young soldiers quickly shed their romantic notions.

As part of Hill's Light Division, Dunaway experiences his baptism by fire during the Seven Days' Battles, fighting at Gaines' Mill and Frazier's Farm. He witnesses the heavy toll of combat, mourning the loss of teachers and friends. Under the command of Stonewall Jackson, he participates in grueling marches that culminate in the Second Battle of Manassas and the engagement at Ox Hill. The narrative follows the army through the Maryland campaign and back to Virginia for the freezing winter quarters near Fredericksburg, where brief repushes of peace see soldiers trading tobacco across the river.

Following the victory at Chancellorsville—marred by the mortal wounding of Stonewall Jackson—Dunaway fights in the punishing clashes at Gettysburg. The momentum shifts, and the weary Confederate army begins its long retreat southward. In the later stages of the war, Dunaway is captured during a cavalry skirmish and sent north to the prison camp on Johnson's Island in Lake Erie. Months of harsh confinement, crowded quarters, and meager rations test his endurance alongside thousands of other Confederate officers. Paroled in the spring of 1865, he makes his way back home to Virginia on foot, only to learn the definitive news of General Lee's surrender at Appomattox. The memoir closes with reflections on the unmatched valor of the Southern soldier, the brilliance of its generals, and the quiet dignity of a defeated army accepting its fate.

How It Unfolds

• The voyage begins: Leaving behind his legal studies, the young author enthusiastically enlists in the Confederate army and boards a schooner with his peers, entirely unaware of the destruction ahead.
• The Peninsula fever: Assigned to the lowlands near Richmond, the regiment endures swarms of malaria-carrying mosquitoes and debilitating illness while retreating before the advancing Union army.
• Baptism of fire: During the grueling Seven Days' Battles, Dunaway faces intense artillery fire at Gaines' Mill and captures a battery at Frazier's Farm, losing close friends in the process.
• Stonewall's marches: Following the legendary commander on rapid, exhausting foot journeys, the troops arrive unexpectedly at Manassas and engage in fierce combat.
• Winter on the Rappahannock: After major victories and the loss of Jackson at Chancellorsville, the army establishes winter quarters, enduring freezing snow and picket duty alongside brief respites of trading.
• Gettysburg and capture: The narrative reaches a turning point during the desperate charges at Gettysburg, ultimately concluding with Dunaway's capture in battle and transfer to a northern prison.
• Prison and home: Enduring months of severe crowding and cold on Johnson's Island, Dunaway is eventually paroled and walks home to Virginia, where news of Appomattox greets him.

The People

Wayland Fuller Dunaway serves as the memoir's central figure and narrator. A young man eager to serve his home county, he transitions from an inexperienced volunteer into an observant, resilient captain who cares deeply for his men and accepts the final defeat with sorrowful dignity.

St. John F. Moody, Dunaway's former teacher and beloved companion, embodies the tragic cost of the conflict. His bravery and death at Gaines' Mill leave a lasting emotional mark on the author.

Charles Wesley, a young Black man of the same age as Dunaway, accompanies him to the front not as a slave, but as a trusted friend, cook, and nurse. His unwavering loyalty is demonstrated when he refuses freedom behind enemy lines and successfully rides Dunaway's horse home after his capture.

General Stonewall Jackson looms large over the narrative. Revered completely by Dunaway and his fellow soldiers, Jackson inspires absolute confidence through his strategic brilliance and rapid marches, and his death at Chancellorsville is mourned as the turning point of the Southern cause.

In Its Own Voice

Ignorant of war, we were advancing toward its devouring jaws with such conduct as became an excursion of pleasure.

Reflecting on the lighthearted and naive departure of his company up the Rappahannock River in the spring of 1861.

When my watch was off and the opportunity to sleep was afforded the question was, where to lie down.

Describing the bleak reality of resting on cedar boughs atop several inches of snow during freezing picket duty near Fredericksburg.

My heart sank within me.

Recalling the moment he read a newspaper delivered from a federal gunboat detailing General Lee's surrender at Appomattox.

What It's Really About

The memoir explores the stark transformation of youthful romanticism into the grim endurance of seasoned veterans. It examines the psychological weight of unquestioning devotion to military leadership, particularly the near-religious faith placed in Stonewall Jackson. Beneath the battle descriptions lies an inquiry into the nature of duty, camaraderie, and survival under extreme deprivation. Dunaway argues that the prolonged resistance of the South was sustained entirely by the unmatched valor of its soldiers and the genius of its commanders, despite severe disadvantages in resources. Finally, the book addresses the psychology of defeat—how men who fought for a chosen cause confront the collapse of their world, the loss of friends, and the difficult transition back to a changed reality without bitterness toward their individual adversaries.

Why Read It Today

Readers interested in firsthand perspectives of the American Civil War will find this memoir deeply compelling. It offers a rare, ground-level view that balances the grand maneuvers of generals with the intimate, freezing reality of sleeping in wet garments on a rain-soaked earth. Dunaway writes with an unpretentious, reflective warmth that makes his journey engaging, even when describing grueling marches or the monotonous hunger of Johnson's Island prison. Modern readers should approach the book with an awareness of nineteenth-century period attitudes and the unapologetic Confederate perspective typical of veterans writing half a century after the conflict. Yet, beyond the politics, what stays with the reader is the poignant depiction of human endurance—the bonds formed between companions, the faithfulness of men like Charles Wesley, and the quiet dignity with which ordinary soldiers faced both victory and utter defeat.