"Dyer's text is a wealth of primary source material for the battlefield impressions. . . . He was a skilled observer, a severe critic, and a fine prose stylist. . . . Chesson's scholarship is impeccable."—Eric von der Luft, The Journal of Military History
"The publication of [Dyer's] journal is important because there are but a limited number of available works by Civil War surgeons, and his letters are well written with apt descriptions of battles and leaders of the war. . . . The entries are thoughtful and lucid, providing a rare glimpse of the Civil War through the eyes of a man who came face to face with death and used his considerable medical talents to try and defeat it."—C. David Dalton, Journal of Southern History
"This is a very well edited volume and [it] provides one of the best insights in the daily life of a front line medical officer during the most turbulent period in our country's history."—Peter D'Onofrio, Civil War Book Review
"A well-informed viw of the war's effects on Virginia's society and its people."—Brent Tarter, Virginia Libraries
“J. Franklin Dyer’s journal is a rare find, and Michael B. Chesson’s edition is a worthy presentation. . . . Chesson’s editorial work is commendable.”—P. C., Council on National Literatures Book Diges
"There is a surprising amount to be learned from doctors' diaries, and J. Franklin Dyer's
The Journal of a Civil War Surgeon (edited by historian Michael B. Chesson) is one of the best. . . . A reader of this excellent diary will encounter a skilled physician, a dedicated American, and an engrossing writer. . . . [Michael B. Chesson] with his many assistants, has chased down thousands of details about Dyer's life, his associates, and his descendants."—Thomas P. Lowry,
www.medscape.com