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.
Fairbanks, Erastus (Governor)
St. Johnsbury
1861
1 folder
A small collection of Governor Fairbanks’s papers includes several letters from Vermont Adjutant and Inspector General H. Henry Baxter from the summer of 1861, in which Baxter writes about recruitment issues, arming and equipping volunteers, raising bands for the volunteer regiments, the election and appointment of company officers, and the morale and behavior of recruits in camp at Burlington. Two letters from Fairbanks to State Treasurer J. B. Page concern arrangements for drawing on the state treasury for war expenses.
Location: Manuscript files
Farnham, Roswell
Bradford
Twelfth Vermont Infantry, Co. D, Lieutenant Colonel
1861-1863
153 items
Approximately 150 letters from Roswell Farnham, and a few from his wife Mary, to family and friends during Farnham’s service in the First and Twelfth Vermont Infantry regiments. He served as a lieutenant in the First Infantry from May to August, 1861, and as a lieutenant-colonel of the Twelfth Infantry from September 1862 to July 1863. The letters contain detailed descriptions of regimental activities, including a narrative of the Battle of Big Bethel, camp life at Wolf Run Shoals in Virginia, and the hard march to Gettysburg in June 1863. Some sketches and maps are included. Also, Roswell Farnham's line-a-day diaries for 1862 and 1863, containing brief notes on drilling, picketing, etc.; and a more substantial diary of Mary Farnham, which she kept during her visit to the Twelfth Regiment from December 1862 to April 1863. The collection includes four letters from Sergeant (later First Lieutenant) Ezekiel T. Johnson (Tenth Vermont Infantry) of Windsor, Vermont, three written from Camp Washburn, Brattleboro, where his regiment was mustered into U.S. service, and one (June 13, 1863) from White's Ford, Maryland, giving an account of a cavalry skirmish. A letter (May 31, 1863) to Mrs. Mary Farnham from Private Nelson J. Rogers (Twelfth Vermont Infantry) describes regimental activities and the Confederate attack on a train near the camp of the Twelfth Vermont.
Location: Roswell Farnham Papers; online
Fenn, Austin
Weston
Tenth Vermont Infantry, Co. H, Private
1862 Oct. 27
1 letter
Letter from Private Fenn to his wife describing duty in camp shortly after the Tenth Regiment arrived in Washington. Includes comments on a soldier who contracted venereal disease from a prostitute.
Location: Manuscript files
Field, Frederick M.
Irasburg
Eleventh Vermont Infantry, Co. F, Private
1862 Aug. 17-1865 June 11
Six folders
Frederick Field’s letters to his wife Susan and their children concern camp conditions, food, money, and his occasional work shoeing horses and mules. He wrote from Forts Slocum and Slemmer in the Washington defenses, and from the field after the Eleventh Regiment joined the Vermont Brigade in May 1864. Though wounded at Cold Harbor, Field wrote little about his battle experiences, but he made some remarks about the Battle of Cedar Creek, life in the Petersburg trenches, and the Sixth Corps' march to Danville, in May 1865.
Location: Manuscript files
Fields, George A.
Vernon
Ninth Vermont Infantry, Private
1864 April 19
1 letter
Letter from Private Fields describing conditions in camp at Newport Barracks, North Carolina.
Location: Manuscript files
Fifield, Edson H.
Poultney
Second Vermont Infantry, Co. B, First Lieutenant
1861 Aug. 9
1 item
Letter from Edson H. Fifield to a friend in
Castleton, Vermont, describing the dull routines of camp life at Camp Bush Hill, Virginia.
Location: Manuscript files
Fisher, Curtis O.
Bethel
Fourth Vermont Infantry, Co. E., Private
1861
1 volume
Private Fisher’s diary contains notes on daily labor until he enlisted in the summer, then continued with a record of drilling, weather observations, and an occasional reference to his health. He noted the death and burial of a number of soldiers at Camp Griffin. Fisher himself died of disease in the spring of 1862.
Location: Small bound manuscripts
Fisher, William H. H.
Rutland
Seventh Vermont Infantry, Cos. G, F, D, Corporal
1865
1 volume
Diary for the year 1865, containing brief entries on the activities of the Seventh Vermont in New Orleans, at the siege of Mobile, and as part of the “Army of Observation” in the Clarksville/Brownsville area along the Rio Grande.
Location: Small bound manuscripts
Flowers, William J.
Jericho
First Vermont Cavalry, Co. A, Musician
1862 October 11
1 letter
Musician William J. Flowers wrote to a friend from Camp Parole in Annapolis, MD, about camp conditions and the poor health and hygiene of Union prisoners recently transferred from Confederate prisons.
Location: Manuscript files
Gale, Frederick M.
Barre
Eighth Vermont Infantry, Co. E, Private
1862 Oct. 22-1867 June 9
8 items
Seven letters from and one letter to Private Gale during his service in the Thirteenth and Eighth Infantry regiments. Among the subjects he commented on were the sentiment for peace among Southerners early in 1865, and the reaction of Vermont soldiers to the assassination of President Lincoln.
Location: Manuscript files
Glover, Joel (d. 1863)
Groton
Fifteenth Vermont Infantry, Co. D, Private
1862 Oct. 9-1863 Apr. 24
15 items
Letters of Joel Glover to his wife in Groton, Vermont, concerning picket and guard duty, sickness, management of the family farm, and the prospects for an end to the war.
Location: Manuscript files
Gold, Frank W. (William Franklin Gold?)
1863 Apr. 2-Nov. 12
2 items
Two letters from Frank W. Gold (possibly William Franklin Gold of Northfield, Vermont) to family members describing his activities in an unidentified military unit at Belle Plain and Warrenton Junction, Virginia.
Location: Manuscript files
Goodell, John A.
Calais
Eighth Vermont Infantry, Co. E, Private
1865, 1920, 1926
3 items
Discharge and pension certificates and an obituary of John A. Goodell.
Location: Manuscript files
Gould, Charles Gilbert (1844-1916)
Windham
Eleventh Vermont Infantry, Cos. E, G and
Fifth Vermont Infantry, Co. H, Captain
1862 Aug. 13 1865 Dec. 24
4 folders
Typescript copies of letters to family members from Charles Gould, who enlisted as a private in the Eleventh Infantry (which became the First Vermont Heavy Artillery) in August 1862. Gould's letters contain considerable commentary on camp life, artillery practice, and Washington news and gossip from the fall of 1862 to the spring of 1864. In May 1864, the Eleventh Vermont joined the Sixth Corps as an infantry regiment. Gould described his activities in the battles of Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, Petersburg, Fisher’s Hill, and Cedar Creek. Near the end of the Shenandoah campaign, he accepted a commission as Captain in the Fifth Vermont Infantry. At Petersburg in April 1865, Gould was the first Union soldier to enter enemy fortifications, where he received wounds in hand-to-hand combat. For this accomplishment, which he mentioned only briefly in his letters, Congress awarded Gould the Medal of Honor. He was mustered out in June 1865. The collection includes a short biography of Gould written by his daughter, Mrs. Margaret Gould Owens.
Location: Manuscript files
Grant, Lewis A.
Rockingham
Second Brigade, Second Div., Sixth Corps, Brigadier General
1864-1915
3 letters, 4 documents
Three post-war letters of General Grant, one being a lengthy recommendation for a commission in the regular army for Charles G. Gould, winner of the Medal of Honor for his service in the assault on Petersburg, April 2, 1865. The four documents are contemporary manuscript copies of Grant’s official reports of the Old Vermont Brigade’s activities in the Spring, 1864, campaign, including the battles of the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, Cold Harbor, and the ensuing actions through June 12.
Location: Manuscript files
Greene, Albert R. (1843-1863)
St. Albans
First Vermont Cavalry, Co. L, Private
1862 Oct.-1863 June 28
21 letters
Letters of Albert Greene to his family describing camp life, pastimes, fox and turkey hunting, and the cavalry’s march to Gettysburg. Greene was captured at Hagerstown on July 6, 1863, and died three months later in a Richmond prison. Also includes a letter (September 9, 1862) from Albert's uncle, Luther A. Greene, a private in the Eighth Vermont, describing agriculture and military activities in Louisiana.
Location: Small bound manuscripts
Grout, Joel
Stratton
Ninth Vermont Infantry, Co. K, Private
1863 Mar. 18
1 letter
Writing from a hospital in Chicago, where his regiment awaited parole, Private Grout described the death of a companion soldier from a disease of the lungs.
Location: Manuscript files
Grout, William W.
Barton
Fifteenth Vermont Infantry, Lieutenant Colonel
1863 Jan.
1 letter
Lieutenant Colonel Grout wrote to his wife about the possibility of her joining him in camp with many of the other officers’ wives.
Location: Manuscript files
Hagar, George Ingersoll
Burlington, Sergeant Major
Twelfth Vermont Infantry, Co. C
1862 Nov. 9-1863 June 23
19 items
Letters from George I. Hagar to his sister Sarah Hagar describing the daily activities of the Twelfth Vermont near Alexandria, Wolf Run Shoals, and nearby areas in Virginia. Hagar comments on his trips to Mount Vernon and Washington, the capture of Brigadier General Edwin H. Stoughton, and the rebel attack on a train near Union Mills.
Location: Manuscript files
Hall, Charles P.
Westmoreland, N.H.
Fourteenth New Hampshire Infantry, Captain
1864 Nov. 6-1865 Feb. 20
2 letters
Two letters of Charles P. Hall to his cousin Levi. The first, written in camp in the Shenandoah Valley, describes conditions there shortly after the battle of Cedar Creek. The Second gives an account of living conditions and civilian morale in Savannah, Georgia, after its capture by Union forces.
Location: Manuscript files
Hapgood, Charles M.
Peru
Second Vermont Infantry, Co. A., Private
1861 Oct. 16-1862 Dec. 31
1 vol.
Charles Hapgood’s pocket diary for 1862 has entries beginning October 16, 1861, the day he enlisted, through 1862. Hapgood wrote of his marches, fatigue and picket duty, and several battles, including the Seven Days and other engagements of the Peninsular Campaign, and Fredericksburg.
Location: Hapgood Family Papers
Harris, Luther B.
Sutton
Fourth Vermont Infantry, Co. D, Sergeant
written in 1887 and 1888
1 volume (189 pages)
In the late 1880s, Luther B. Harris wrote a manuscript account of his experiences as a prisoner of war during the Civil War. “A Prison Story” describes his capture, attempted escape, and conditions at Andersonville and other Confederate prisons between June 1864 and February 1865.
Location: Small bound manuscripts
Harris, Romanzo A.
Windham
Eighth Vermont Infantry, Co. H, Private
1863 Nov. 15
1 letter
Letter from Private Harris to his sister concerning company promotions and the lice infestation in camp at Vermillion Bayou, Louisiana.
Location: Manuscript files
Harwood, Albert W.
Rockingham
Twelfth Vermont Infantry, Co. I, Private
1863
1 volume
Private Harwood’s diary is a record of picket and fatigue duty in the camps of the Second Vermont Brigade in the outer defenses of Washington. He made brief remarks on the capture of General Edwin Stoughton and the skirmishes with Colonel John S. Mosby. Harwood recorded the progress of the regiment’s long march to Gettysburg and noted its assignment there to guard duty.
Location: Small bound manuscripts
Haskell, Londus W.
Woodbury
Eleventh Vermont Infantry, Co. I, Sergeant
1864-1865
1 folder
Three letters from Sergeant Haskell describe the devastation in the Shenandoah Valley during the summer of 1864, the apparent faltering defense of Petersburg at the end of March, 1865, and the hard march of the Sixth Corps to Danville, Virginia, in April 1865. Haskell’s 1865 diary contains short remarks on the weather and military routines as well as very brief remarks on the Confederate assault on Fort Stevens on March 25, the battle of Petersburg on April 2, and the assassination of President Lincoln.
Location: Manuscript files
Haskins, William (1821-1877)
Bradford
Eighth Vermont Infantry, Co. H, Captain
1861-1865
15 folders
William Haskins enlisted in the Eighth Vermont in October, 1861, and was appointed Hospital Steward in the spring of 1862. He served in that capacity until the final days of the war, when he was commissioned captain of Company D. His letters concern family matter primarily, with some description of events at Ship Island, Mississippi, and New Orleans, and opinions on the conduct and leadership of the war. The collection includes a few letters from relatives in the South before and after the war, including one from a Virginia woman expressing hatred for Yankees and Abraham Lincoln. Also, several folders of company and regimental documents including volunteer descriptive lists, monthly and quarterly reports of supplies and equipment, and War Department forms; and a small, undated memorandum book “of persons entering the Hospital and their clothing.”
Location: William Haskins Papers
Hatch, Benjamin Franklin
Hartland
Twelfth Vermont Infantry, Co. B, Private
1862 Sept. 27-1863 June 23
26 folders
Benjamin Hatch wrote to his wife, Lucina Hatch, almost every day during the nine-month service of the Twelfth Vermont. He gave Lucina advice on running the farm and household, and kept her informed of the health and activities of fellow soldiers from Hartland. Hatch’s letters provide an ongoing account of camp life up to about two weeks before the regiment left for Vermont to be mustered out. He commented on the quality of the food, the conduct of his tent-mates, the capture of General Edwin Stoughton, and the attitudes of Vermonters toward conscription. The collection contains single letters from Daniel W. Rodgers (February 3, 1863) and Daniel Shortt (April 4, 1863), of Hatch's company.
Location: Benjamin F. Hatch Papers
Haupt, Herman
United States Army, Brigadier General
1863
1 volume
Photographs of the engineering experiments of General Herman Haupt. The eighty two plates show bridges, bridge sections, boats, trains, and machinery that Haupt used in his experiments to devise new techniques for the construction and destruction of roads and bridges. Bound with the photographs is a twenty-seven page booklet detailing the experiments and explaining the photographs.
Location: Rare Book collection
Heaton, Solomon G. (d. 1864)
Brighton
Third Vermont Infantry, Co. D, Private
1861 July 30-1864 May 12
11 items
Eleven letters from Private Heaton to his parents in Island Pond, Vermont. Heaton wrote about day-to-day activities and the poor treatment he received from some of the officers. On one occasion, he wrote, his division was paraded to witness the branding of two deserters. Heaton died on June 6, 1864, from wounds suffered three days earlier at Cold Harbor.
Location: Manuscript files; online
Henry, Hugh
Chester
Sixteenth Vermont Infantry, Co. I, Second Lieutenant
1861 May 13-1863 June 1
187 letters
Four of the letters in the Henry Family Papers were written by Lieutenant Henry during his service in the Washington defenses, in which he disputed the claim that most soldiers thought highly of George McClellan, and admitted that duty was easy for the Second Vermont Brigade. The rest of the Civil War letters were written to Hugh by friends and acquaintances in the service, most of them from Chester or nearby towns. The bulk of these letters date from May 1861 to August 1862. Horace O. (George C.?) Maxfield (First Vermont Infantry, Fourth Vermont Infantry) wrote about scenes and events around Fort Monroe in the spring of 1861 and described Williamsburg after its capture in May, 1862. John C. Parmenter, a clerk in the Seventh Massachusetts Battery, defended President Lincoln in remarks on the politics of war, wrote a lengthy description of the battle of the Merrimack and the Monitor, and tried to persuade Hugh not to enlist. Lieutenant James H. Rice (Nineteenth Massachusetts Infantry) wrote about raising and drilling a company, and gave an account of his regiment’s part in the battle of Ball’s Bluff. Henry E. Smith, a private in the First Vermont Infantry who later enlisted as a sergeant in the First Vermont Cavalry, gave an account of the battle of Big Battle, described the cavalry mustering camp in Burlington, made remarks on the leadership of Col. Lemuel B. Platt, and described skirmishes and activities in Shenandoah Valley in spring 1862, including engagements at Middletown and Winchester on May 25 and 26. Assistant Surgeon Ptolemy O’Meara Edson (First Vermont Cavalry) also described the cavalry’s active campaigns in the Shenandoah Valley and remarked on the characters of Colonel Platt and General Irvin McDowell. Captain Thomas R. Clark (First Vermont Infantry, Sixth Vermont Infantry) wrote about camp conditions near Fort Monroe and the battle of Big Bethel, and later remarked on his detached service with the Signal Corps. Captain M.R. “Mell” Baldwin (Second Wisconsin Infantry) wrote descriptions of the First Battle of Bull Run and its aftermath and the battle of Chancellorsville. Corporal Lucius C. Fletcher (Fourth Vermont Infantry) described his participation in the battle of Lee’s Mill and wrote about soldiers’ funerals. Captain Charles W. Boutin (Fourth Vermont Infantry) remarked on General John W. Phelps’s efforts to recruit black soldiers. Private John S. Adams (Seventh Vermont Infantry) wrote about mustering in at Camp Phelps, Rutland, complained about shoddy uniforms, and described his regiment’s voyage to Ship Island and the battle of Baton Rouge. A lively and opinionated correspondent who identified himself as “Delano” (and addressed Hugh as “Jabez”) evidently served in a sharpshooter regiment. Other correspondents are Private Gardner H. Porter (First Vermont Infantry), Privates George H. Randel, Edward D. Hatch, and William A. Miller (Third Vermont Infantry), Musician Sherwin Ransom (Fourth Vermont Infantry), and Private Byron Jefts, Private Creon A. Smith, Sergeant Silas O. Dwinell, and Corporal Henry C. Cleveland (Sixth Vermont Infantry). Many of the latter correspondents wrote about military life at Camp Griffin, commented on the capture and release of Confederate envoys James Mason and John Slidell, and described events on the Yorktown peninsula prior to the Seven Days’ battles.
Location: Henry Family Papers
Highgate, Vermont
1862-1865
2 folders
Draft lists, bounty receipts, muster certificates, and other documents relating to the raising of troops in Highgate, Vermont.
Location: Manuscript files
Hill, John J.
Bakersfield
Thirteenth Vermont Infantry, Co. G, Corporal
1862 Oct. 29
1 item
Letter from John J. Hill of Bakersfield, Vermont, to “friend Hayden,” concerning camp food and cooking.
Location: Manuscript files
Hinckley, Oscar
Plattsburgh, NY
1862
1 volume
Oscar Hinckley’s diary entries tell of his sickness through the better part of 1862. His spelling and writing are very difficult to read.
Location: Small bound manuscripts
Hitchcock, E.V.N.
Pittsford
Seventh Vermont Infantry, Co. C, Captain
1862-1864
1 folder
Accounts, receipts, orders, and other papers relating to the supply of food, equipment, and ordnance to company C, Seventh Vermont Infantry.
Location: Manuscript files
Holbrook, William C.
Brattleboro
Seventh Vermont Infantry, Colonel
1861 Oct. 16-1865 Apr. 22
1 box
William C. Holbrook, son of Vermont Governor Frederick Holbrook, was promoted from Major to Colonel of the Seventh Vermont after the death of Col. George T. Roberts in August 1862. Holbrook’s letters follow the Seventh from Vermont to the Gulf Department, where the regiment served under General Benjamin Butler. Most of the letters were written to Gov. Holbrook during the summer of 1862, and contain recommendations for promotions and comments on the conduct of the war. The major topic is General Butler's condemnation of the 7th after the battle of Baton Rouge on August 5, 1862. Holbrook demanded and received a court of inquiry on the affair, and the regiment was largely exonerated, though it remained under a cloud of censure ever after. Included is a letter from Governor J. Gregory Smith (who succeeded Governor Holbrook) concerning a proposal to brigade the Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Vermont regiments. Also, two letters from Lieutenant Colonel Volney Fullam concerning replacements for officers killed or incapacitated, and a letter from former Brigadier General John W. Phelps (Oct. 3, 1862) on the necessity of war to resolve the slavery issue. The collection includes post-war speeches by William C. Holbrook and various family papers. An addition to the collection includes Major Holbrook’s General Order 26, commending Lieutenants Parker and Dickinson for their role in capturing the steamboat J. Morgan Brown, and a resolution of condolence to the friends and family of Col. Roberts.
Location: William C. Holbrook Papers; online
Holley, Nathan
Monkton
Fourteenth Vermont Infantry, Co. I, Private
1862 Dec. 11
2 items
Letter of Nathan Holley to his parents from Camp Vermont, expressing concern for their welfare and uncertainty for his future. A photograph of Holley in uniform is included.
Location: Manuscript files
Holmes, John G.
Enosburg
Fifth Vermont Infantry, Private
1862 Feb. 16
1 item
Letter of John G. Holmes to his brother, asking for a box of food to be sent to him at Camp Griffin. Half of the letter was written by Corporal Amos A. Wright, Holmes’s cousin.
Location: Manuscript files
Holton, Edward A. (1835-1906)
Burlington
Sixth Vermont Infantry, Cos. H, F, I, Captain
1861 Dec. 20-1864 May 10
37 letters
Edward Holton, who won the Congressional Medal of Honor for valor at Lee’s Mill, served with the Sixth until his discharge for disability in August 1864 for wounds received at the Wilderness on May 5, 1864. His early letters were addressed to his mother, but the bulk (Sept. 1863-May 1864) are to his bride Kate, whom he married while on leave in September 1863. They concern personal matters for the most part, but also contain accounts of General Meade’s campaigns in the fall of 1863, the execution and branding of deserters, and Kilpatrick’s Raid in March, 1864. Two letters written shortly after the battle of the Wilderness give a brief account of the battle and a list of Company I’s casualties, which included Holton and his brother David, who was killed in action.
Location: Edward A. Holton Papers
Hopkins, Francis L. (d.1923)
Enosburg
Tenth Vermont Infantry, Co. F, Private
1865
1 volume
Pocket diary of Francis L. Hopkins of Enosburg, Vermont, who enlisted in the Tenth Infantry on March 13, 1865 and served until the regiment was mustered out in June. Hopkins wrote about food and camp conditions and the army's wearying march to Danville, Virginia, in April 1865.
Location: Francis L. Hopkins Papers
Houghton, George Harper (ca.1824-1870)
Civilian
1861-1863
1 volume, 83 photographs
Brattleboro photographer George H. Houghton traveled to Virginia twice from 1861 to 1863 to photograph the soldiers and scenes of the Civil War. Concentrating on the First Vermont Brigade, he photographed regimental camps, officers, and groups of soldiers at Camp Griffin in 1861, and scenes of the Peninsula Campaign of 1862. During the winter of 1862-1863 he photographed the Second Vermont Brigade in its camps in the defenses of Washington, at Wolf Run Shoals and Young's Mills. Houghton sold his photographs to soldiers and the general public. This volume and a similar volume in the collections of the Vermont Historical Society, both containing a selection from Houghton's published list of Civil War photographs, are the only known bound sets.
Location: Large bound manuscripts
Hovey, Roger
Worcester
Eighth Vermont Infantry, Co. A, Private
1862-1865
1 box
Letter and journal of Roger Hovey, from the time of his mustering in early in 1862 to his mustering out in 1865. He wrote about events in Camp Holbrook (Brattleboro) and the voyage to Ship Island, and daily events in the Eighth Regiment’s camps in Louisiana. The journal has brief daily entries for months at a time, but is incomplete. Significant events include a foraging raid near Bayou Lafourche in June 1862, and a Rebel attack on a train six days later; the siege and surrender of Port Hudson; the destruction of the Rebel gunboat Cotton and the capture of the Union gunboat Diana; and the third battle of Winchester. Also, letters from military hospitals in Philadelphia, Brattleboro, and Montpelier. Included is considerable discussion of the weather, sickness, fatigue duty, company politics, re-enlistment, Hovey’s long recovery from a wound received at Winchester, and personal advice to his sister Martha, to whom the letters are addressed.
Location: Roger Hovey Papers
Howard, Oliver Otis (1830-1909)
United States Army, Major General
Major General
1861-1865
One carton
The Civil War manuscripts in the Howard papers consist entirely of typescript and handwritten copies of orders issued by Howard and other officers of the military commands to which he was attached. These include general and special orders for brigades in the Army of the Potomac for 1861 and 1862, the Second Army Corps in 1862 and 1863, the Fourth and Eleventh Army Corps in 1864, and the Army of Tennessee in 1864 and 1865. Bowdoin College holds a much larger collection of Howard’s papers.
Location: O. O. Howard Papers
Howe, David L.
Quartermaster Sergeant
Northfield
Eleventh Vermont Infantry, Co. I
1862 Mar. 2-1863 Aug. 23
ca. 50 letters
Letters of Frances Howe from her father, David L. Howe, and her brother, William W. Howe (private, Co. K, Fourth Vermont Infantry). David enlisted in the Eleventh Vermont as a corporal a year after William enlisted, leaving Frances alone at home. Her father’s letters contain advice on handling family business and lengthy descriptions of guard and picket procedures as well as wry observations on the management of the army. He gave an account of a night on picket duty, which involved stopping deserters from sneaking through the lines. William Howe’s letters generally concern his participation in the Peninsula Campaign, with confident predictions of victory before the Seven Days’ battles and expressions of discouragement afterward. A letter from Milo J. Wilson (private, Co. K, Fourth Vermont Infantry), dated December 3, 1862, informed Frances of her brother’s worsening health. He died on December 8. Several letters from a friend in Washington concern his attempts to secure a position for Frances as a government clerk.
Location: Howe Family Papers
Howe, George G.
Shoreham
Eleventh Vermont Infantry, Cos. B, I, Captain
1864 Feb. 14-1865 May 16
6 items
Letters from Lieutenant George Howe to his friend Lorette, primarily about personal matters, with some reference to military activities around Washington.
Location: Manuscript files
Hubbard, Franklin J. (d. 1864)
Whiting
Second Vermont Battery, Light Artillery, Musician
1861-1865
125 items
The Hubbard Family papers contain about 125 letters written during the Civil War years, most of which are letters from family members to Franklin J. Hubbard, a bugler in the Second Vermont Battery, Light Artillery. Fifteen letters from Hubbard describe camp conditions at Fort Parapet and other locations in Louisiana, with some remarks on the Battle of Port Hudson. Some of the letters contain bitter remarks about the conduct of the war and leaders in Washington. Several letters to Hubbard from Chauncey Stanley, the Battery's other bugler, give an account of Stanley’s stay at a military hospital in New Orleans. Letters from Lieutenant Perry A. Baker to the Hubbard family give news of Frank Hubbard during his illness in 1862 and of his imprisonment at Andersonville. Hubbard was captured on August 2, 1863 and died at Andersonville on June 19, 1864.
Location: Hubbard Family Papers
Hulburd, Benjamin
Stowe
Second Vermont Infantry, Co. H, Private
1864-1865
6 letters
Letters of Benjamin Hulburd, a private in Co. H, Second Vermont Infantry during the Civil War. Includes accounts of battles of Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Opequon, Third Winchester, and Petersburg.
Location: Manuscript files
Hunter, Truman M. (d. 1862)
Weybridge
Second Vermont Infantry, Co. K, Private
1861 [July?] 16-1862 May 11
6 letters
In his letters to family members Private Hunter briefly described conditions at Fort Baxter, St. Johnsbury, his participation in the first battle of Bull Run, and some of the activities of his regiment in the Peninsula Campaign. He was killed in action at Savage’s Station on June 29, 1862.
Location: Manuscript Files
Hutchinson, Alden
Twenty-Third Massachusetts Infantry, Co. H, Sergeant
1862-1864
1 folder
Alden Hutchinson kept a loose-leaf journal of his experiences in the winter and early spring of 1862, during which time his regiment participated in General Ambrose Burnside’s celebrated capture of Roanoke Island and the assault and capture of New Bern, North Carolina. Hutchinson provided many interesting details of the harsh life aboard transport ships at Cape Hatteras, the landing under fire at Roanoke and the subsequent fighting, and the campaign at New Bern, ending with the regiment’s occupation of new quarters at Newport Barracks, North Carolina. Included are his NCO appointment certificates and discharge certificate.
Location: Manuscript files