McKenzie LaughtonArkansas HistoryConfederate Guerrilla In the memoir Confederate Guerrilla, a history of Joseph M. Bailey's time in the Confederate Army during the Civil War, there are many interesting points describing what is found in the Confederate Army meant. Joseph talks about things he felt, such as the feeling of pride that his company flag, made by his sister, was chosen as the regimental color along with the great pride of becoming a sergeant and being named the color bearer of the regiment. regiment or the regret of having burned houses and killed men. He mostly talks in terms of what was happening during key moments of his service. There are three key turning points that Joseph Bailey goes through, these points are the Battle of Pea Ridge, during a surprise raid they attempted to attempt against the Union army, the Confederate army fired until they ran out of ammunition together with the other party. Bailey, feeling a surge of victory, rushed them, demanding they surrender only to be shot in the chest. At this point Bailey gave up hope of living and winning that battle. He begins to think about his regrets but never fears what will become of him until he thinks he is in the hands of his enemy. That's when he screams for help and begs for his life, but unfortunately he is taken by enemies. Due to the severity of the wound they only treated him as soon as he died and since there was a man he knew in that army he was treated in a hut near his father's house. Once rescued and cared for by his family, he received a doctor's warning that he would not have long to live. At first he accepted his fate but as time passed he recovered and returned to normal. Joseph Bailey learned that becoming too arrogant will lead to ruin and that even when times are hard and all hope is lost, good things will happen filling him with hope, along with the compassion he shows to his own prisoners, the condition of their clothing, food, and poor pay played a role in the army's downfall, such as shoeless soldiers, nearly inedible food covered in bugs, and pay every two months. Upon hearing the news of General Lee's surrender, the remaining Confederate camps were filled with a depressed atmosphere, there was talk of disbandment but they still continued their charade as they tried to gain passage only to end up surrendering. After giving up, Bailey attempts to return home after recovering from his illness, all while meeting compassionate people who helped him on his journey home. The surrender gave Joseph Bailey time to reflect on his journey and realize what he had been through. Not only does he witness several acts of “barbaric cruelty,” but he also witnesses the self-sacrifice of many heroic men and the numerous acts of compassion of people (p. 66). His lesson was to never forget any act of any kind, whether cruel or kindness, because those acts are what make life memorable and worth defending. The reliability of this writing is a bit skeptical. There are a couple of reasons why this work is not one hundred percent historically reliable. One is that these are Bailey's memories many many years after the war ended. Memory tends to fail people and it doesn't always