A Soldier's Diary 1893-1918

From Philadelphia to the Philippines,Crawfish Jesse Tells It Like It Was

By: Jesse C. Davisson, Alison M. Wilkom

Narrated by: David Leland Horton

Digging into one's family history can reveal unusual surprises. In my case, I recently discovered my great grandfather, Jesse C. Davisson's first-hand account of his 25-year military experience during an epic period in American history. Jesse was no angel when he first joined the Army in 1893, as an ordinary young man in Philadelphia. His diary follows his subsequent adventures - from learning to ride a horse with the 7th Cavalry, and befriending Indian Scouts, to surviving ambushes, and water-boarding prisoners - all while serving in the American Indian Wars, the Spanish-American War, the Philippine Insurrection, and World War I.

A Soldier's Diary 1893-1918: From Philadelphia to the Philippines, Crawfish Jesse Tells It Like It Was, reveals the good and the bad in our human character. In fact, some of the descriptions of brutal killings and torture may not be suitable for some listeners. But for many military history devotees and fans, WWI scholars, and all those who study American history during this era, Jesse's story will not only educate - it will reveal a sordid side of our country's military history, which, up until now, has been either unknown, or largely overlooked.

"We all write through pain," a relative told me upon listening to Jesse's diary, and I can say with certainty, that this diary will take listeners to many extraordinary places, as it travels back in time to when this country was not a nation, but a series of staked claims, and territories. You will meet a motley crew of cattle rustlers, thieves, murderers, outlaws, and deserters, as Jesse himself, once became. Between his encounters in saloons with women of the night, Mexican banditos, Yaqui Indians, and German machine guns, it is amazing that he was not injured or killed in action. Instead, Jesse eventually died as a result of chest problems he suffered while being gassed in France, during WWI. Someone once said, "When a man dies, a library burns down." I hope that by reviving the unknown story of my great grandfather, you will also become fascinated with Jesse, and this epic period of American history.

©2015 Alison M. Wilkom (P)2017 Alison M.Wilkom

Absorbing Memoir

This is a memoir of Crawfish Jesse Davisson covering his time in the United States Army from 1893 to 1918. The book provides insight into what life was like for a foot and cavalry soldier. Davisson tells about life in the late 1890s American Indian Wars. He served in Troop G of the 7th Cavalry in Texas. He served in the 1898 Spanish American War in Puerto Rico and also in the Philippine insurrection. Jesse tells about his service during World War One; he fought in the Belleau Woods in France where he survived being gassed.

Jesse wrote excellent descriptions of war including its brutality. It is obvious he was not highly educated but his writings are simple and descriptive. Apparently, Alison W. Wilkom is the great granddaughter of Jesse. The diary was handed down amongst her family. Alison added information in separate chapters to provided background information and enhance enjoyment of the story. She also provided a detailed description of Jesse’s military medals. Alison was active in genealogy and published her great grandfather’s diary. This is a great example of the treasure trove of history that could be found by those interested in their family history. I hope this book will encourage more people to publish the stories of their ancestors.

I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is only five hours long. David Leland Horton does a good job narrating the book. Horton is a voice-over artist and audiobook narrator. Just a note, apparently the book format contains photographs that are not available in the audiobook format.