Outskirts Press, INC.

“Seeing the Elephant”

“Seeing the Elephant” a term used by a Civil War soldier meaning experiencing things far beyond his simple life before the war. Follow the picket as he moves through his wartime life. As the elephant comes closer and closer into his view, it becomes much more than he could have ever imagined.

Book reviews: Readers Favorite April 18, 2017 When we read and study the battles of the American Civil War, we learn about the great deeds of military men, who won and who lost. We learn, too, about the heroes, the great leaders, and those who gave their lives honorably. And what about the ordinary men, the privates, those who stood guard as pickets and assisted the other fighting men by doing menial tasks like filling canteens with water? These men served, too, and they served honorably, following orders and standing long hours on patrol as pickets. It was not a glamorous job, but what job in the army during times of war was really glamorous? Author and Civil War reenactor, Virgil C. Moon III gives us a look into the life of an ordinary private in the Civil War in The Picket. It doesn't matter on which side of the battle this private belonged; the menial, but very necessary responsibilities would be the same. With realistic descriptions of camp life as well as the horrors of the battlefield, the author creates an in-depth portrait of an ordinary, or perhaps not so ordinary, private in a very gruesome war. Written in first person, the story pulls the reader directly into the private's personal life and thoughts as he struggles to make sense of the people he fights with, the living conditions in the camp, and the horrors on the battlefield. It's as if we are reading a journal, a complete rendition of a private's life in a time of war. Very cleverly and accurately presented. Biloxi Sun Herald June 18, 2017 Virgil C. Moon III's "The Picket" details the story of those men charged with guarding the picket lines between their own companies and those of the enemies. Moon offers a surprisingly sensitive and engrossing tale of the interplay between soldiers and non-combatant women and children, as well as a riveting tale of the tense existence of a "solitary sentinel", suffering such horrors as, "before I could react, there was a sudden sharp stinging in my right ribs and chest." You'll read it straight through.