![The Private History of a Campaign That Failed, by Mark Twain](http://shop.historynet.com/cdn/shop/articles/Mark-Twain_f2fcd1d0-019a-4920-95b3-7236c7a0d4f7.png?v=1681848615&width=480)
The Private History of a Campaign That Failed, by Mark Twain
In the summer of 1861, Mark Twain went to war as a soldier for the Confederacy, riding a small yellow mule carrying a valise, a carpetbag, two gray blankets, a homemade quilt, a squirrel rifle, 20 yards of rope, a frying pan and, perhaps most importantly of all, an umbrella. He lasted two weeks. His account of that fortnight, "The Private History of a Campaign That Failed," can be read below.