Each entry includes the town from which the soldier enlisted, or to which his name was credited--not necessarily his hometown. The summaries also include, in most cases, the highest rank achieved by the soldier during the war, excluding brevet ranks. Both the rank and town of enlistment are derived from Theodore S. Peck’s Revised Roster of Vermont Volunteers. The names of all soldiers who authored materials in each collection appear in boldface, as do the names of civilian authors who played official or quasi-official roles. All boldfaced names appear in the indexes; the names of those who are mentioned in the descriptions but who did not write anything in the collection are not indexed.
C. G. D.
1865 April 20
1 item
Letter from a Union soldier identified only as “G.D.C.” concerning the dismounting of heavy artillery in the Washington defenses and the soldiers' reactions to the assassination of President Lincoln.
Location: Manuscript files, Civil War
Cargill, George C. (d. 1864)
Brighton
Fifteenth Vermont Infantry, Cos. E, G
Seventeenth Vermont Infantry, Private
1862 Nov. 4-1864 Sept. 18
25 letters, 1 diary
Letters of ten Vermont soldiers written to Elmina Cargill of Island Pond, Vermont. Most of the letters are from Brighton-area soldiers who served in Co. E, Fifteenth Vermont, including Elmina’s brother George (known as Calvin), Hercey M. Bishop, Leander F. Currier, G. G. Lasell, and Elijah W. Davis. These letters concern camp life and news of mutual friends. Calvin Cargill re-enlisted in the Seventeenth Vermont and was killed in action at Spotsylvania Court House. Letters from Lucius D. Blake and Jeremiah Bishop, both of Cargill’s company, concern his death. Also, three letters of John R. Dawson, Co. B, Eighth Vermont, including one (Nov. 11, 1863) concerning the assault on Port Hudson the previous spring; a letter from Joseph L. Currier, Co. D, Third Vermont; and Jeremiah Bishop, Co. K, Ninth Vermont. A small diary of Ezekiel Skinner, Co. G, Fourth Vermont Infantry, includes brief descriptions of the Mud March and the battles of Chancellorsville and Gettysburg.
Location: Cargill Family Papers
Carter, Edward W.
Brattleboro
Fourth Vermont Infantry, Cos. F, G, K, Captain
1862 Mar. 2
1 letter
Letter of Edward Carter to his friend Levi telling of his promotion to second lieutenant, and the disappearances of his brother and brother-in-law in separate battles.
Location: Manuscript files
Chace, Charles E.
Holderness, N.H.
Twelfth New Hampshire Infantry, Corporal
1863 Feb. 3 - 1865 May 22
27 items
Letters of Charles E. Chace to his mother and brother in New Hampshire. Chace described the 12th New Hampshire's experience at the battle of Fredericksburg and wrote of the regiment's severe losses at the battle of Chancellorsville. He made comments on guard duty and picket duty, including attempts to trade with Rebel pickets across the Rappahanock River. Seriously wounded at Cold Harbor, Chace spent more than a year in various hospitals until his discharge in June 1865.
Location: Manuscript files
Chamberlin, J. B.
Middlesex
Thirteenth Vermont Infantry, Private
1862 Nov. 3-1863 May 16
5 items
Letters from Private Chamberlain to his family concerning the activities of the Thirteenth Vermont, with comments on conscription, the capture of Brig. Gen. Edwin Stoughton, and rumors of the regiment's impending return to Vermont.
Location: Manuscript files
Cheney, Perley C.J.
Washington
First Vermont Cavalry, Co. C, Second Lieutenant
1862 Oct. 3
1 item
Letter of Perley C.J. Cheney to Mr. D.R. Cook, concerning Cheney’s activities in the cavalry and his decision to enlist rather than engage in business.
Location: Manuscript files
Childs, Asahel S.
Fourteenth Wisconsin Infantry Lieutenant
1865 Feb. 12
1 item
A letter from Lieutenant Childs to his cousin Myra of East Warren, Vermont, giving a brief account of his regiment's movements.
Location: Manuscript files
Church, William T.
St. Albans
Eighth Vermont Infantry, Co. F, Sergeant
1863 May 14
1 item
Letter from Sergeant William T. Church to his friend Ed concerning crops, prices for goods, and the absence of white men in rural Louisiana.
Location: Manuscript files
Clary, Silas S.
Georgia
Ninth Vermont Infantry, Co. A, Private
1862 Sept. 23
1 item
Letter from Silas S. Clary to his wife Caroline, concerning his enlistment bounty and his uncertainty about where the regiment would be sent on parole after its capture at Harper’s Ferry.
Location: Manuscript files
Clark, Charles
Poultney
Seventh Vermont Infantry, Co. I, Captain
1 letter
1862 May 4
Letter describing the Seventh Regiment’s camp and conditions on Ship Island, Mississippi.
Location: Manuscript files
Clifford, Simeon
Orange
Third Vermont Infantry, Co. K, Private
1861 Nov. 24
1 letter
Private Clifford wrote to his father from Camp Griffin suggesting how the latter might spend the money Clifford has sent home.
Location: Manuscript files
Corbin, Job
Grand Isle
U.S. Navy, Surgeon
1861-1867
1 folder
Orders and official correspondence, some signed by Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles, of Job Corbin, a Navy surgeon from Grand Isle, Vermont.
Location: Manuscript files
Corse, Henry P.
Cambridge
Second Vermont Infantry, Cos. G, B, L, Corporal
1864 June 4
1 letter
Letter of Henry Corse to his sister Loduska assuring her of his survival after the battle of Cold Harbor.
Location: Manuscript files
Cummings, Henry D.
Plymouth
Sixteenth Vermont Infantry, Co. I, Private
1862 Dec. 28, 1863 Jan. 14
2 letters
Two letters from Private Cummings to a friend, the first concerning his sickness in camp and the second describing a visit to the Capitol.
Location: Manuscript files, Inez Pinney
Cunningham, William P. (d.1864)
Hardwick
Fourth Vermont Infantry, Co. D, Sergeant
1862 Mar. 11-1863 Feb. 12
1 volume
Diary containing brief descriptions of the regiment’s activities day to day, including its participation in the Peninsula Campaign, Antietam, Fredericksburg, and the Mud March. Includes comments on the soldiers’ stealing, gambling, and drunkenness.
Location: Manuscript files
Davis, George Frank
Cavendish
Quartermaster-General
1861-1865
5 cartons, one box
Personal and official correspondence and official records of George F. Davis, Quartermaster General for the State of Vermont from 1857 to 1864. The personal correspondence, consisting mainly of letters to Mrs. Davis (Ada), contain comments on Vermont governors and legislators, the workings of state and national legislatures, Davis’s activities on trips to Washington, and observations on the difficulties of supplying troops in the field.
Location: George F. Davis Papers
Davis, Martin V. B.
Chelsea
Second Vermont Infantry, Co. E, Sergeant
1863 Apr. 1
1 letter
In a letter to an acquaintance in Chelsea Davis expressed his strong approval for General George B. McClellan and predicted that General Joseph Hooker would never be able to gain the trust of the soldiers.
Location: Manuscript files
Dewey, William S.
Hartford
Seventh Rhode Island Cavalry, Co. B, Private
1862 July 13-23
3 letters
William S. Dewey was a member of the “College Cavaliers,” a company of Norwich University cadets who volunteered for a three-month term of service in what became the Seventh Rhode Island Cavalry Squadron. His letters concern cavalry drills near Washington, a visit to the capital, and his adjustment to camp life.
Location: Manuscript files
Dickinson, John Q.
Benson
Seventh Vermont Infantry, Cos. C, F, Captain
1854-1886
11 folders
John Q. Dickinson began his service in the Seventh Vermont as a lieutenant in Company C. He apparently wrote frequently to his family, though the collection holds only one letter to his father (April 6, 1862), but he also wrote accounts for newspapers in Vermont. The collection includes part of a war-time journal (March 10 to May 21, 1862) describing in detail the difficult voyage of the Seventh Vermont from New York to Ship Island, Mississippi, conditions on the island, and the siege of Forts Jackson and St. Philip on the Mississippi River. Dickinson accepted a promotion to quartermaster before returning to company duty as captain of Company F in 1865. His quartermaster’s account book contains a lengthy defense of the Seventh against General Benjamin F. Butler’s censure of the regiment for its performance in the battle of Baton Rouge. Correspondence includes several letters from an uncle in North Carolina (1854 to 1861) who questioned Northern motives in the worsening sectional conflict, and a letter (May 1, 1863) presumably from Albert Dickinson, a sergeant in Co. D, Fourteenth Vermont Infantry. After the war, John Dickinson settled in Florida and was involved in Reconstruction-era politics. Serving as county clerk of Jackson County, he was assassinated in April, 1871, by the Ku Klux Klan. The collection holds commissions, correspondence, and other documents relating to his death.
Location: John Q. Dickinson Papers
Domag, William J. (d. 1864)
Essex
First U.S. Sharpshooters, Co. F, Private
1862 Sept. 7-1864 May 2
21 letters
Letters of Private William J. Domag to his sister Sarah, mostly concerning news from home, camp activities, and religion. One letter from the winter of 1863 describes a camp holiday with games, contests, and reviews. Another, from October 1863, gives a brief description of fighting near Brandy Station. Domag’s last letter contains a piece of silk from the regiment’s retired battle flag.
Location: Manuscript files
Drenan, John S.
Woodbury
Eleventh Vermont Infantry, Co. L, Lieutenant
1864 June 19
1 letter
Lieutenant Drenan wrote to his mother about family matters and the high morale of the army following its successes before Petersburg. He was captured at Weldon Railroad a few days later.
Location: Manuscript Files
Drew, Arthur
Boston, Mass.
Forty-Fourth Massachusetts Infantry, Sergeant
1864-1865, 1929
5 items
Warrants issued to Arthur Drew as non-commissioned officer in the Forty-Fourth and Second regiments of Massachusetts Militia, and in the 37th unattached company of Militia. Also, Drew’s discharge from the Forty-Second Massachusetts Militia, and a certificate of service issued in 1929. The Forty-Fourth regiment was called into federal service for nine months and served in North Carolina.
Location: Manuscript files
Dubois, Charles B.
Peacham
Third Vermont Infantry, Co. G, Sergeant
1861-1864
1 volume
Charles B. Dubois composed his memoirs of the Civil War long after it was over, but his recollections are remarkably detailed. He wrote poignantly about his service in the Third Vermont from the time he joined in July, 1861 to his mustering-out in July, 1864, giving blow-by-blow accounts of many battles and a wealth of anecdotes about the men with whom he served. The memoirs consist of more than 200 full pages of text.
Location: Large bound manuscripts
Duggan, Patrick F.
Irasburg
Tenth U.S. Colored Troops, First Lieutenant
1864 Nov. 7 - 1885 May 2
1 folder
Three letters of Patrick F. Duggan to his friend Edward W. Santy. Duggan, who had served with Santy in the Third Vermont Infantry, wrote mostly about personal matters from his post in City Point, Virginia. Also included are pension notices to Edward Santy and his commission as second lieutenant in the Fifth Vermont Militia (Home Guards), dated December 13, 1864.
Location: Manuscript files
Dutton, John
Rochester
Second Vermont Battery, Light Artillery, Artificer
1863 May 1-July 16
John Dutton kept a fairly detailed diary of his involvement in the siege of Port Hudson, writing about the frequency of bombardments, rifle work, and trench-digging, as well as the hardships of the continuous fighting. It is unclear how much of his time was spent with artillery; he seems to have been a sharpshooter as well.
Location: Small bound manuscripts
Early, Jubal A. (1816-1894)
Confederate States of America, Major General
1882 May 22
1 letter
Letter of former Confederate General Jubal A. Early to autograph collector Edward William Bok concerning an unidentified document Bok was supposed to have sent. Early mentions enclosing a copy of his account of the burning of Chambersburg.
Location: Manuscript files
Emery, Edson
Tunbridge
Second Vermont Infantry, Co. E, Corporal
1861
1 volume
Pocket diary of Edson Emery for 1861, giving an account of the First Battle of Bull Run and activities of the Second Vermont Regiment in the vicinity of Washington. Also, a small memo book, furlough pass, and a short note from a friend. The U.S Army Military History Institute in Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, holds Emery’s 1862 diary.
Location: Manuscript files
Emery, Philo (d. 1864)
Tunbridge
Second Vermont Infantry, Co. E, Private
1861-1864
2 volumes
The first of Philo Emery’s two diaries covers his joining the Second Vermont in Burlington in June, 1861, through October, 1862. Emery generally wrote a line a day, often referring to his brother Edson, but elaborated a little more on events such as the Peninsula campaign and the Antietam campaign. The second diary starts on October 1, 1863 and contains similar entries on daily activities, with reference to fighting in the Mine Run campaign and the Wilderness, where Emery was wounded in the knee. He wrote the remainder of his entries from hospitals until his death on June 9, 1864.
Location: Small bound manuscripts