Voyage en Amérique 1861-1862. Un prince français dans la guerre de Sécession (in French)

 
From the publishers:
For the young princes of Orléans – sent into exile by Napoleon III – the Second Empire was a time of idleness. Louis Philippe's grandsons, the Comte de Paris (twenty-three years old) and his brother, the Duc de Chartres (twenty-one years old) resolved to visit the United States and learn about American democracy.
 
Arriving in New York in September 1861, five months after the outbreak of the Civil War, they were immediately received by President Lincoln and Secretary of State Seward. Keen to fight the good fight and regain some of their lost glory, the brothers donned the blue uniform belonging to the Unionist soldiers and were commissioned as captains into the Army of the Potomac as part of McClellan's general staff. They participated fully in operations against the Confederates, often serving on the frontline. In July 1862, they left America deeply enriched by this experience.
 
Exceptionally placed to observe all that went on, the Comte de Paris – endowed with a remarkably mature spirit of mind and an alert style – left a diary full of variety and detail. This fascinating and previously unseen document throws light on the state of the US in the grips of the most terrible war in its history.