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.
Ide, Horace K.
Barnet
First Vermont Cavalry, Cos. D, F, I, Captain
1861-1865
1 volume, ca. 300 pages
Bound manuscript history of the First Vermont Cavalry, written after the war by Captain Ide. His treatment of controversies involving the regiment’s leadership may explain why the history was never published. The volume is on loan to Special Collections.
Location: Horace K. Ide Papers
Irwin, Richard J.
Burlington
Twelfth Vermont Infantry, Co. C, Private
1862 Nov. 1-1863 July 11
16 items
Letters of Richard J. Irwin of Burlington, Vermont, to family members. Irwin wrote about camp life in the defenses of Washington, his duties as an assistant to the regimental quartermaster, and current events. A tintype portrait of Irwin is included.
Location: Manuscript files
Janes, Henry (1832-1915)
Waterbury
Third Vermont Infantry, Surgeon
1861-1865
2 volumes, 2 folders
Medical record book (1861-1865), copy book of letters and orders (1863), and other papers of Dr. Henry Janes, who served as Surgeon for the Third Vermont and was placed in charge of hospitals at Gettysburg after the battle in July 1863. The record book details the wounds, treatments, and other details of more than 1,600 soldiers whose cases Dr. Janes considered interesting, principally from the battle of Gettysburg, and including soldiers from both sides of the conflict. Included are 125 carte-de-visite photographs of soldiers showing wounds. An index to the record book is available. The copy book of letters and orders also contains lists of hospital attendants, morning reports, and lists of supplies. Among the other papers are copies of daily inspection reports for Camp Letterman (Gettysburg) from July to October 1863; and a letter (June 4, 1864) from Janes to the Surgeon General in response to an accusation of mismanagement and cruelty to wounded soldiers on board the hospital transport ship State of Maine.
Location: Large bound manuscripts; manuscript files
Jennings, Stephen E.
Whiting
Second Vermont Infantry, Co. G, Private
[1864?] February 18
1 letter
Letter written from Jude Square Hospital in Washington concerning Private Jennings’s improved health and his resolve to be frugal.
Location: Manuscript files
Jones, George M. (d. 1864)
Waitsfield
Second U.S. Sharpshooters, Co. H, Private
1863 Dec. 28-1864 June 9
16 letters
Eleven letters from private George M. Jones to his family in Waitsfield describing the routines of camp life during the winter of 1864. Letters from Thomas T. Prentiss and Leonard C. Berry of Jones’s company describe the manner in which he was killed at the Wilderness. An eleven-page letter from Matt Bushnell Jones to his uncle Charles describes the former’s journey in 1911 to retrace the steps of his uncle George at the Wilderness. Also includes two letters from Israel Childs, a private in the Thirtieth Wisconsin Infantry, to his friend Charley, and a letter from Fordis O. Bushnell, a private in Co. B, Thirteenth Vermont Infantry, to his aunt in Waitsfield.
Location: George M. Jones Papers
Kelly, John T.
Rutland
Second Vermont Infantry, Private
1864
1 volume
Pocket diary of Private John Kelly for 1864, containing brief notes on daily activities and fighting at the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, Cedar Creek, and other places.
Location: Small bound manuscripts
Kenesson, Daniel G.
Derby
Third Vermont Infantry, Co. D, Captain
1864 Feb. 17-Apr. 6
4 letters
Captain Kenesson wrote in February 1864, of the fine weather in Virginia and the prospects for ending the war the next summer. In March he wrote to express his disdain for abolitionists, the negative consequences of the Emancipation Proclamation, and his opinions of President Lincoln and George B. McClellan. Included are two letters of Albert S. Judd (corporal from Holland, Vermont, in Co. D, Third Vermont), concerning his army pay and his plans to pay off a debt. Judd was killed in action at Spotsylvania Court House.
Location: Manuscript files: Cobb Family
Kennedy, Ronald A.
Concord
Fifth Vermont Infantry, Cos. D, I, K, Lieut. Colonel
1863-1898
2 folders
One folder of documents relates primarily to Colonel Kennedy’s pension application, including dome materials describing his activities in the war, as well as his application for appointment as superintendent of a national cemetery. The other folder contains monthly and quarterly returns and vouchers for equipment, ordnance, and supplies, mostly for Company K, Third Vermont Infantry.
Location: Manuscript files
Kenney, Francis H.
Springfield
Sixteenth Vermont Infantry, Co. E, Private
1873-1874
1 folder
Pension application materials for Abbie Kenney, widow of Francis H. Kenney
Location: Manuscript files
Kimball, Stephen H.
Vershire
Fifteenth Vermont Infantry, Co. A, Private
1862 Dec. 8
1 letter
Private Kimball described his regiment’s twelve-hour march from a camp near Bull Run to Camp Vermont in early December, and a visit from a Vershire citizen.
Location: Manuscript files
Kinerson, William T.
Cabot
Fourth Vermont Infantry, Co. H Private
1861-1865
3 folders
The Kinerson Family papers include materials from five soldiers and letters from home. William T. Kinerson’s diary, starting in July 1862, has brief entries about his stay in a hospital recovering from a leg wound and his activities after his discharge in August. A folder of letters to William from family members in 1862 concern his health, farm activities, and the lack of news about his brother Albert Kinerson, a private in the First Vermont Cavalry, who was captured in May and died in captivity in August. Two of Albert’s letters, written from the cavalry training camp in Annapolis, Maryland, in the winter of 1862, are included. Several letters from Private Samuel W. Howe, a conscript in the Sixth Vermont Infantry, concern activities in the conscript camp at Brattleboro in the fall of 1863, and brief descriptions of his service in the Shenandoah Valley and Petersburg. Sergeant Nathan L. Heath wrote from Camp Griffin in January 1862 about his dissatisfaction with General McClellan and his low opinion of blacks. Private Julian J. Washburn of the Fifteenth Vermont infantry described the massive movement of Union troops pursuing Lee’s army in June, 1863.
Location: Kinerson Family Papers
King, Lorentio H. (ca. 1836-1865)
Northfield
First Vermont Cavalry, Co. C, Regimental Commissary
1861 May 7-1864 July 15
7 items
Six letters from Commissary Lorentio H. King to relatives, concerning the rigors of cavalry camp life, observations on the progress of the war, and remarks on the capture of Major William Wells and other officers. Also, a tintype portrait of a mounted soldier (presumably King). A former merchant in Northfield, Vermont, King died at home shortly after leaving the cavalry.
Location: Manuscript files
Kinsman, Charles C.
Brandon
Fourth Vermont Infantry, Co. D, First Lieutenant
1862 July 14
1 letter
Lieutenant Kinsman’s letter contains brief remarks on General William F. Smith and the First Vermont Brigade’s duty in the rear guard during the Seven Days’ battles.
Location: Manuscript files
Knapp, Francis L.
Cabot
Sixth Vermont Infantry, Co. D, Private
1864
1 volume
Francis L. Knapp was drafted and assigned to the Sixth Vermont in the winter of 1864. He was sick for a time, and finally joined his regiment in June. His diary contains brief entries notes on drill, picket, and fatigue duty, as well as periods of sickness. After being wounded at Charlestown on August 21, he spent the rest of the year in hospitals and at home.
Location: Small bound manuscripts
Lamson, Franklin S.
Windsor
Eleventh Vermont Infantry, Co. H, Private
1864 June 18
1 letter
Letter briefly describing the involvement of Lamson’s regiment in the battle of Cold Harbor and the minor wound he received.
Location: Manuscript files
Landman, John F.
Londonderry
Sixth Vermont Infantry, Cos. D, I, Private
1863 Jan. 30-1865 June 1
3 folders
John F. Landman was drafted and mustered into the Sixth Vermont, but received assignments that kept him out of battles. Much of writing concerned the mundane activities of camp life. He described the effects of the explosion of a torpedo at City Point in August 1864, and mentioned playing baseball and attending a Negro prayer meeting. He commented on George McClellan’s “dishonorable” peace plan and told of a soldier who was hanged until he recanted his statement that he was glad of President Lincoln’s assassination. Includes single letters of Privates Joseph N. Covey and George T. Chase of Co. H, Ninth Vermont Infantry, briefly describing life at Newport Barracks, North Carolina.
Location: Manuscript files
Lanpher, Rufus G. (d. 1862)
Hyde Park
Seventh Vermont Infantry, Co. E, Private
1861 Sept. 13-Sept. 22, 1963
50 letters
Rufus Lanpher’s letters capture much of the daily trials of the ordinary soldier coping with boredom, bad food and water, and harsh living conditions. He wrote about camp life in Rutland, Vermont, the difficult voyage of the Seventh to Ship Island, Mississippi, and the debilitating expedition to Vicksburg in June and July, 1862. He remarked briefly on the battle of Baton Rouge and later mentioned that the Seventh had been maligned, though he expressed confidence that General Benjamin F. Butler would eventually defeat the rebels. Rufus died of disease in November, 1862. His brother, Private George M. Lanpher, enlisted in the Fifth Vermont Infantry, Co. D, in August, 1861. George described conditions at Camp Griffin and the interactions between soldiers and local civilians. The extant letters make little mention of military engagements. George was discharged for disability in July 1862. Included is a letter of September 22, 1863, from James R. Hale (Co. A, One Hundred Sixth New York Infantry), expressing sorrow for the death of Rufus Lanpher.
Location: Lanpher Family Papers
Leach, Chester K. (1830-1909)
Fletcher
Second Vermont Infantry, Co. H, First Lieutenant
1861 June 1864 June 26
30 folders
The Chester Leach papers contain approximately 300 letters written by Lieutenant Leach to his wife Ann in Fletcher, Vermont. Writing about twice a week for three years, Leach carried on a detailed account of the labors and health of Company H, commenting on many of the soldiers who were sick, wounded, or killed. Among these was his brother William H. Leach, who enlisted in December 1863 and died of disease three months later in Virginia. Leach frequently mentioned Hollis Montague, a company musician and neighbor from Fletcher. Montague enclosed letters home in a few of Leach’s letters. Leach wrote extensively about camp conditions, military politics, attitudes of soldiers, and the battlefield activities of the regiment at First Bull Run, Lee’s Mill, Antietam, Marye’s Heights, the Wilderness, and Spotsylvania. Leach acted as captain of Company H during extended absences and vacancies in the position. He finally received a captain’s commission in May 1864 but declined it after participating in the bloody battles of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania. Company H, like the rest of the 2nd Regiment, suffered severely, losing 50 of 63 men able to bear arms between May 3 and May 18. Lieutenant Leach was mustered out of service on June 29, 1864, one of a small minority of his company and regiment to serve a full three years without receiving any wounds. Included is a carte-de-visite album with portraits of several officers in the Second Vermont. The collection also contains eleven folders of military inventories, payrolls, commissions, and other paperwork Leach filled out for company H. Other materials, including a set of Leach's diaries beginning in 1865, extend the collection to 1908. The entire collection of letters is available on microfilm, and selected letters appear in Dear Wife: The Civil War Letters of Chester K. Leach (2002).
Location: Chester K. Leach Papers
Leach, Orrin T.
Bridgewater
Sixth Vermont Infantry, Co. C, Corporal
1862-1918
6 folders
Orrin T. Leach’s reminiscences cover his activities in the Sixth Vermont from his enlistment in August 1862 to the end of the war. Leach wrote anecdotes of camp life as well as his participation in battles. He described the building of winter quarters, foraging expeditions, snowball fights, trading with Confederate soldiers, and other activities. The handwritten account lacks the first 19 of 77 pages, but the 60-page typescript appears to be complete. Also included are four letters, an 1864 diary in Pitman's shorthand, pension documents, and four photographs, one of Leach as an aged veteran and the others of groups of veterans.
Location: Manuscript files
Leddy, Barney (1841-1864)
Jericho
First U.S. Sharpshooters, Co. G, Private
1863 May 19-1863 Dec. 31
1 volume
Diary of Barney Leddy for 1863, giving brief summaries of marches, duty assignments, and engagements, including Gettysburg and Mine Run. Leddy was killed in action at Weldon Railroad, June 22, 1964.
Location: Manuscript files
Leland, Henry S.
Athens
First Vermont Battery, Light Artillery, Private
1864 Jan.-April
1 volume, 44 pages
Journal of Private Henry Leland of Athens, Vermont. Leland enlisted in the 1st Battery at the end of 1863 and transferred to the 2nd Battery in July 1864. His entries include observations on the voyage to New Orleans, camp life, and his stay in a military hospital. Leland was left behind at the hospital when the 1st Battery joined General Nathaniel P. Banks's Red River expedition in April 1864.
Location: Small bound manuscripts
Leslie, Henry C.
Plymouth
Private
Second U.S. Sharpshooters, Co. E
1865 Feb. 14 and 1865 Apr. 16
2 letters
Private Leslie wrote to his mother about the disbanding and transfer of the sharpshooter regiments to infantry regiments in the winter of 1865, skirmishing near Petersburg, and the battle of Petersburg on April 2, 1865.
Location: Manuscript files
Leslie, Warren S.
Plymouth
Second Vermont Infantry, Co. I, Private
1862 Feb. 7-1863 Feb. 9
14 items
Eleven letters from Private Leslie to family members written during the Peninsula Campaign, giving his impressions of the Union effort, and two letters he wrote from military hospitals after a recruit accidentally shot him in the side. Included is a letter from William H. Daniels (Feb. 16, 1862) of the First Vermont Cavalry, giving an account of the regiment's trip from Vermont to Washington and training near Annapolis, Maryland.
Location: Manuscript files
Louiselle, John (d. 1864)
Swanton
Tenth Vermont Infantry, Co. F, Corporal
1861 Nov. 17-1864 Sept. 6
5 folders
Letters and diary of Corporal Louiselle to his wife Eliza, from the time of his enlistment in August 1862 to two weeks before his death in the third battle of Winchester in September 1864. He wrote about the health and activities of other soldiers from Swanton, his unwilling election as company cook, and the sad state of religion in the army. Louiselle kept a diary on loose sheets, which he mailed to Eliza periodically. Two sections survive: from April 1 to June 19, 1864, in which he kept an account of the regiment’s activities throughout the bloody spring campaign, and from August 1 to September 3, 1864. Also included are four letters of Lester Greene, a private in the First Vermont Cavalry, and one letter of Joseph Louiselle, John's brother, a private in the Sixth Vermont Infantry.
Location: Greene/Louiselle Family Papers