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.
Quimby, Charles (d. 1862)
Concord
Third Vermont Infantry, Co. C, Private
1861 July 20-1865 March 17
63 letters
Charles Quimby enlisted in the Third Vermont in June, 1861, and died of disease on November 2, 1862. The collection holds 24 letters to Charles from friends and family members, concerning news of events in the Concord area, and two letters from Charles written at the General Hospital at Harrison’s Landing in August, 1862. Most of the remaining letters were written by Charles’s brother George W. Quimby, who served as a private in Co. K, Fifteenth Vermont Infantry, and as a corporal in Co. K, Seventeenth Vermont Infantry (not to be confused with Captain George W. Quimby of the Fourth Vermont). George wrote about camp life in the outer defenses of Washington, his bout with measles, and the draft, with much commentary on activities at home. Many of the young people George corresponded with or wrote about are also represented in the Moses Parker collection (Parker Family Papers).
Location: Charles Quimby Papers
Quimby, George W. (1835-1862)
Barton
Fourth Vermont Infantry, Co. D, Captain
1861-1863
3 folders
Captain George Quimby's letters contain good descriptions of camp duties, observations on the Peninsula Campaign, and a brief description of the Antietam battlefield after the Confederate withdrawal. His commissions and four photographs by George H. Houghton are included. Two letters from Lieutenant Charles C. Kinsman and one letter from Chaplain John L. Roberts concern Quimby's death at Fredericksburg on Dec. 13, 1862.
Location: George W. Quimby Papers; online
Randall, George H.
Glover
Fourth Vermont Infantry, Co. D, Musician
1861 Oct. 1-1862 June 14
7 folders
George H. Randall’s letters to his wife Emma describe his duties, camp life, and daily events in Camp Griffin and in the Peninsula Campaign. He commented on the prevalence of sickness in Camp Griffin, and wrote frequently about family and money matters.
Location: George H. Randall Papers
Read, James Marsh (1833-1865)
Burlington
First Vermont Infantry, Tenth Vermont Infantry, Private, Adjutant/ Lieutenant
1861 April 23-1865 May 5
65 letters
James Marsh Read served as a private in the First Vermont Infantry regiment during its 90-day service in 1861 and enlisted as a sergeant in the Tenth Vermont Infantry in the summer of 1862. For most of his service in the Tenth he was a clerk to the regiment’s adjutant. He was well-suited to this job, having served as a civilian member of a U.S. Army surveying expedition to the Southwest under Captain (later Major General) John Pope in the 1850s. In summer 1864 he received a lieutenant’s commission and was later made adjutant. His letters from the First Vermont include a short description of the battle of Big Bethel and observations on the Union debacle at Bull Run, for which he criticized the appointment of officers who had no military experience. In the Tenth he described conditions in the defensive positions in the upper Potomac River region, including mention of the activities of a Union spy (June 8, 1863). Until the fall of 1864 he did not serve in line of battle. Nevertheless, he wrote useful descriptions of the back-and-forth movement of the Army of the Potomac in the fall of 1863, and the battles of Orange Grove, Wilderness, Spotsylvania, North Anna, and Cold Harbor. The Tenth was among the few experienced units hastily pulled together to challenge Jubal Early’s advance at the Monocacy on July 8, 1864; Read wrote a lengthy description and drew a map showing the Union force’s retreat. He wrote triumphantly about the battles at Winchester, Fisher’s Hill, and Cedar Creek, where he was slightly wounded, and described the destruction undertaken by the army in the Shenandoah Valley to deprive the rebels of food and supplies. For a time he served both as commander of Company D, Tenth Vermont, and as adjutant, due to heavy casualties among the regiment’s officers. Read led his company in the battle of Petersburg on April 2, 1865, where his foot was wounded and subsequently amputated. He died three days later from complications. The collection includes two letters from Read’s brother, Ogden B. Read, who served as a corporal in the Tenth Vermont and as a captain in the Thirty-ninth U.S. Colored Troops. Also, three letters from Chaplain John B. Perry, friend George Welch, Assistant Surgeon J. Sykes Ely of the Sixth Corps Field Hospital, and James’s father David Read, all concerning James’s death.
Location: James M. Read Papers
Remington, Jonathan
Arlington
Fifth Vermont Infantry, Co. E, Musician
1861 Oct. 1-1865 Mar. 22
3 folders
Jonathan Remington was a musician in the Fifth Vermont during its entire service. His letters to Dr. E. O. Eddy of Wallingford, Vermont, concern Remington's selling of watches, chains, and other merchandise supplied to him by Dr. Eddy. The letters contain some battle anecdotes and several colorful songs about the Confederates. An ambrotype portrait of Remington is included.
Location: Manuscript files
Rich, James D.
Bethel
Eleventh Vermont Infantry, Cos. C and H, Captain
1863 Aug. 14-
6 items
Letter to a friend in another Vermont regiment about Rich’s current duties and recent news. Also, five company documents concerning supplies and camp garrison procedures.
Location: Manuscript files
Ripley, Edward H. (1839-1915)
Rutland
Ninth Vermont Infantry, Colonel
1864 August 31
1 letter
An 8-page “hasty sketch” of the Ninth Vermont’s history from September, 1863 to September, 1965, by its colonel, written as a report to Vermont Adjutant General Peter T. Washburn. The account covers the regiment’s removal from Yorktown to New Bern, North Carolina, the death of Major Charles Jarvis, the battle of Newport Barracks, and other activities up to the regiment’s transfer to the Eighteenth Army Corps.
Location: Manuscript files
Robie, Edward W.
Cambridge
Third Vermont Infantry, Co. H, Corporal
1861 January 6-1863 May 18
11 items
Letters of Edward W. Robie to his friends Alonzo and Levi, giving accounts of camp life and Robie’s opinions on abolitionists, blacks, General George B. McClellan, and other topics.
Location: Manuscript files
Rowell, Abram
Andover
Sixteenth Vermont Infantry, Co. C, Private
1862 October 24-1853 June 10
14 items
Fourteen letters of Private Abram Rowell to his wife Addie concerning food, camp life, and leisure activities in Co. C of the Sixteenth Vermont.
Location: Manuscript files
Rutherford, Joseph C. (1818-1902)
Newport
Tenth Vermont Infantry, Seventeenth Vermont Infantry, Surgeon
1862 Aug. 27-1865 July 6
178 items
Dr. Joseph C. Rutherford wrote faithfully to his wife Hannah from the time of his appointment as assistant surgeon of the Tenth Vermont Infantry in August 1862 to his mustering out as surgeon of the Seventeenth Vermont Infantry in July 1865. He informed her of his medical duties, his relations with the soldiers and officers, and news about soldiers from the Newport, Vermont area. Rutherford’s letters convey a strong sense of pride in his work, but increasing frustration over his failure to win promotion, particularly after the severe battles of 1864. He finally received a commission as surgeon of the Seventeenth Vermont in March 1865. Rutherford described the battle of Orange Grove (Nov. 27, 1863) and Sheridan's Shenandoah campaign, but only one letter (May 17, 1864) survives from the nearly continuous fighting of May and June, 1864. Many of the letters contain advice to Mrs. Rutherford on financial matters and the treatment of their children's illnesses. Rutherford also expressed strong opinions about copperheads, traitors, and Southerners. The collection includes three letters from Edward Belville (d. 1864) of Derby, Vermont, a private in the Eighth Vermont Infantry. One of these (July 16, 1863) gives an account of the assault on Port Hudson, in which Belville was wounded.
Location: Joseph C. Rutherford Papers; online
Safford, Henry
Adams’s Brigade, Breckenridge’s Division, CSA
Headquarters, Polk’s Corps
1863 Apr. 27-July 7
2 letters
Letters of Henry Safford, a soldier in Confederate General Braxton Bragg’s army in Tennessee, to his father. In the first letter Safford wrote about the army’s movements and his efforts to transfer to another unit, including Safford’s visit to General Leonidas Polk, which resulted in his appointment to Polk’s staff. The second letter describes some of the skirmishing and the army’s retreat during the Tullahoma Campaign of late June and early July, 1863.
Location: Manuscript files, Safford Family
Savage, Reuben A.
Stowe
Civilian
1861 July 8-1864 Apr. 28
27 items
The Savage Family papers contain letters from eight soldiers, most from Stowe, Vermont, to Deacon Reuben A. Savage. Private Samuel C. Boynton of the Third Vermont Infantry wrote about his activities in the Peninsula Campaign; he died in December 1862 of wounds received at Fredericksburg. Joseph J. Boynton, a captain in the Thirteenth Vermont Infantry, described the state of religion among the soldiers and the ongoing guerrilla warfare that culminated in the capture of General Edwin Stoughton in March 1863. Quartermaster Lauriston L. Stone of the Second Vermont Infantry wrote about a foraging expedition in January 1862 and gave his impressions of events just before the battle of Fredericksburg in December. The collection contains several letters and documents of Edward E. Phelps, brigade surgeon at the military hospital in Brattleboro, Vermont. Private William J. Cheney of the Eleventh Vermont Infantry commented on the soldiers' hardened feelings toward the dead in a February 1863 letter, while Commissary Sergeant Chandler Watts of the same regiment reported a widespread rumor that the Eleventh was to be mustered out after only nine months of service. Second Lieutenant Charles H. Hodge of the Ninth Vermont Infantry described activities near Suffolk, Virginia, in June 1863, and Private Sumner Hodge of the Eleventh wrote briefly of his easy work as the colonel’s orderly.
Location: Savage Family Papers
Sawyer, Albert Francis
Essex
First Vermont Cavalry, Co. L, Private
1862 Apr. 5-1863 June 12
8 items
The Sawyer Family papers include four letters from Albert Sawyer to family members, one letter from William W. Rand (One Hundred Second New York Volunteers) to Alfred Fleming Sawyer, and three compositions about the war by Alfred Sawyer (later a private in the Ninth Vermont Infantry). Albert Sawyer gave an account of a raid by Mosby's cavalry and mentioned the desertion of three soldiers suspected of committing crimes against a black family. He was taken prisoner on July 7, 1863, and died in Richmond, Virginia, eleven weeks later.
Location: Manuscript files, Sawyer Family
Sawyer, Francis O.
Burlington
Ninth Vermont Infantry, Asst. Quartermaster
U.S. Volunteers
1862-1865
1 carton
Francis O. Sawyer served as quartermaster of the Ninth Vermont from June 1862 to June 1864. He then received a commission as captain and corps assistant quartermaster in the U.S. Volunteers, and served until mustered out in May 1866. The collection consists of records Sawyer kept in the latter position. His duties included supplying military hospitals in Burlington and Brattleboro, Vermont, as well as the frontier cavalry outpost in St. Albans (established after the St. Albans Raid in October 1864). The records include purchase orders, vouchers, and requisition forms for hospital supplies, building materials, clothing and equipment, horses, and wood. Also, payment orders for the transportation of captured deserters, doctors' reports of hospital deaths, and duty orders. The collection includes a muster roll for the Eighth Vermont (1862-1863), and a carte-de-visite portrait of Nathaniel C. Sawyer, a paymaster in the U.S. Volunteers.
Location: Francis O. Sawyer Papers
Scott, Erastus H. (d. 1864)
Cabot
Third Vermont Infantry, Co. G, Private
1861 Oct. 19-1864 June 2
16 items
Letters from Erastus H. Scott, his wife Margarette, and his brother Lewis H. Scott to various family members. Erastus wrote of the hardships of military life and gave an account of battles near Fredericksburg in May 1863. Lewis Scott, in the first of two letters, wrote to his family for advice shortly before enlisting in the Eighth New Hampshire Volunteers. In the second he described the camp at Ship Island, Mississippi, and his voyage from Boston. Margarette Scott's letters to her sister-in-law Harriette make frequent references to Erastus, Lewis, and their brothers Luther B. Scott (lieutenant in the Fourth Vermont) and Leander Scott (private in the Seventeenth Vermont). Her last letter expresses her grief upon learning of her husband's death at the battle of Spotsylvania.
Location: Manuscript files
Shadick, Isaac (1846-1864)
Norwich
Seventeenth Vermont Infantry, Co. H, Private
1861-1865
4 folders
The Shadick Family papers contain letters from three family members who served in Vermont regiments: Isaac Shadick (six letters), his brother James W. Shadick (two letters), who served as a private in the Fifth Vermont Infantry, and their father William Shadick (one letter), also a private in the Fifth Vermont. Isaac wrote all but one letter from the General Hospital in Burlington, where he stayed for several months after becoming ill in the spring of 1864. He rejoined his regiment in August, and wrote from the trenches near Petersburg, where he became ill again. He died in October. James Shadick wrote about camp life near Washington; he died of disease two months after arriving there in the fall of 1861. A letter from First Lieutenant Wilson D. Wright informed James's parents of his death. William Shadick wrote to his wife Betsy from Sloan Hospital in Montpelier (Oct. 6, 1864) about his condition and prospects for returning to the front. Also included are pension papers, a few letters to the soldiers from family members, and a letter from George Sharlow, a cousin of Isaac and James Shadick who served in an unidentified Union regiment.
Location: Manuscript files, Shadick Family
Shattuck, DeForrest
Franklin
First Vermont Cavalry, Co. B, Private
1862 June 21
1 item
A light-hearted letter to a friend concerning Shattuck’s conversations with females and his light duties as a saddler.
Location: Manuscript files
Shepard Family
Hubbardton
143 letters
1862 August-1866 March
Harvey Shepard and his son Fenimore Shepard both enlisted in the Company A, Seventh Vermont Infantry, late in 1863. They arrived at the regiment’s camp in Barrancas, Florida, in February 1864 and remained there while the veterans returned to Vermont on furlough in the summer of 1864. The recruits joined the rest of the regiment in New Orleans at the end of 1864 and participated in the siege of Mobile in the spring of 1865. After the war, the Seventh was assigned to the Army of Observation in Texas, and the Shepards remained with it until mustered out in March, 1866. Their letters to Clara, Harvey’s wife and Fenimore’s mother, include brief accounts of skirmishes in Florida and battles at Gonzales Station, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama. Fenimore spent much of his time in Florida guarding the guardhouse while Harvey acted as the company tailor, and in Texas as a hospital supervisor. Throughout their terms of service the men were frequently sick, as were a great many of their comrades, suffering from dysentery, infections, and scurvy; others were said to have died from smallpox, cholera, and measles. Both men wrote about the low morale of the troops, bordering on mutiny, and the poor quality of their officers. While in Florida Fenimore made reference to refugees, Confederate deserters, black soldiers, and soldiers who had escaped from Andersonville Prison and found their way to the Union lines. The long delays in getting paid and the high cost of food were frequent complaints, as was the Army’s policy of requiring soldiers to buy dress uniform inappropriate to the climate. Also included are letters of Fenimore’s brother-in-law Joseph S. Perkins, a private in Company K, First Vermont Cavalry. Perkins enlisted in the fall of 1862 and served for the duration of the war. He served as clerk to the regiment’s adjutant for much of his time and was promoted to sergeant. His letters contain some commentary on the internal politics of the regiment, including disparaging remarks about Colonel Edward B. Sawyer. Perkins participated in cavalry raids near Richmond in the summer of 1864; his letters cease in July of that year.
Location: Shepard Family Papers
Shumway, John B., Jr.
Bradford
Sixth Vermont Infantry, Co. B., Private
1865, Apr. 3
1 folder
“Sheridan’s Raid,” John Shumway's lyrics set to the tune of “Wait for the Wagon,” recounts the U.S. Cavalry’s victory over the remains of Jubal Early's army at Waynesboro, Virginia, on March 2, 1865.
Location: Manuscript files
Shurtleff, S. C.
Plainfield
Civilian
1863-1894
ca. 175 case files
Pension claim documents and correspondence between pension agent S. C. Shurtleff, his clients, and various government offices, including the Pension Office, War Department, Paymaster General, Treasury, Adjutant General, and the Department of the Interior. Location: Civil War Pension Materials
Smith, James O.
Chester
Sixteenth Vermont Infantry, Co. E, Sergeant
1863
1 volume
Line-a-day diary of James O. Smith, with supplemental notes on the battle of Gettysburg.
Location: Small bound manuscripts
Smith, Portus B.
Hartford
Eleventh Vermont Infantry, Co. H., Sergeant
1864 September 1-1865 Jan. 23
1 volume
In his journal Portus Smith described events in the Shenandoah Valley from September 1864 until he received a furlough in January, 1865, including brief remarks on the battles of Winchester, Fisher’s Hill, and Cedar Creek, comments on the presidential election and on General Sheridan’s efforts to destroy crops and feed in the Valley. The journal also includes a list of enlisted men in his company and other administrative notes.
Location: Small bound manuscripts
Smith, William Farrar (1824-1903)
Major General
Second Division, Fourth Corps
1862 Apr. 25-26, 1889 May 28
3 items
Three letters concerning an accusation of drunkenness against General Smith at the battle of Lee's Mill. Captain Preston F. West of General Smith's staff and Lieutenant-Colonel Wheelock G. Veazey of the Third Vermont addressed their letters to Colonel Nathan Lord of the Sixth Vermont, and Colonel Henry A. Smalley of the Fifth Vermont wrote to Vermont Senator Solomon Foote, all refuting the accusation. Smith was exonerated by a court of inquiry. Also, a letter of General Smith to military historian John Codman Ropes concerning the Maryland campaign of 1862.
Location: Manuscript files
Soldier’s Relief Society
Montpelier
1862-1863
1 folder
Reports of the Soldier’s Aid Society, containing lists of subscribers, clothing and supplies made by volunteers, and materials donated.
Location: Manuscript files
Sparrow, Bradford P.
Elmore
Fourth Vermont Infantry, Co. K, Private
1863 Aug. 19-1865 June 6
3 folders
Thirty-two letters and a diary of Bradford P. Sparrow, who was drafted and assigned to the Fourth Vermont in the summer of 1863. In letters to his family, Sparrow wrote about the journey to Virginia, his illness through much of the winter, and the battles of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania. Sparrow was captured at the Weldon Railroad near Petersburg, Virginia, on June 23, 1864. For a month he kept a diary, writing about the prisoners’ march to Georgia and conditions at Andersonville Prison. Paroled in April 1865, Sparrow wrote several more letters home from military hospitals before he was mustered out.
Location: Manuscript files; online
Squier, Daniel W.
Rutland
Second U.S. Sharpshooters, Co. E, Sergeant
1863 Feb. 22-1864 Aug. 5
4 letters
The letters of Private Daniel W. Squier contain commentary on the morale of the army in the winter of 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation, Squier’s willingness to fight alongside black soldiers, his approval of conscription and disapproval of Copperheads. The two letters from the summer of 1864 include comments on casualties, hard marching, and poor living conditions since the beginning of the spring campaign.
Location: Manuscript files
Stearns, John W. (d.1883)
Rockingham
Twelfth Vermont Infantry, Co. I, Private
1862 Nov. 30-1863 May 23
3 items
Three letters of John W. Stearns to his cousin George. Stearns wrote about camp life in Camp Vermont in the fall of 1862, his stay in a military hospital in the spring of 1863, and events in camp at Bristoe Station in May 1863.
Location: Manuscript files
Stearns, Warren E. Corporal
Braintree
Ninth Vermont Infantry, Co. G
1863 July 20-1864 Feb. 1
5 letters
Warren Stearns’s letters mention the draft and his distaste for Copperheads, and give a brief sketch of camp life at Yorktown and Newport Barracks, North Carolina.
Location: Stearns Family Papers
Stone, Charles B.
Berkshire
First Cavalry, Second Lieutenant
1862 Aug. 25-1863 July 7
1 volume (132 pages)
Charles B. Stone of Berkshire, Vermont, kept a diary from the date of his enlistment as a private in 1862 to the summer of 1863. He recorded the trials of life in the cavalry, noting the hard marches and poor food. On February 16, 1863, he and three other soldiers on picket duty were captured by Mosby’s cavalry. Stone wrote a colorful account of the capture, the march to Richmond, and life in Libby Prison. Paroled on March 7, he continued his observations in Camp Parole in Annapolis, and Camp Tyler in Baltimore, commenting on the activities of the parolees and the public reaction to the news of the Union victory at Gettysburg. Stone eventually returned to his regiment and served until August 1865, leaving the service as a second lieutenant.
Location: Small bound manuscripts
Stone, Leroy F (b. 1844)
Barnard
Fourth Vermont Infantry, Co. E
First Vermont Cavalry, Co. B
27 letters, 2 diaries
1861-1865
Leroy Stone enlisted in the Fourth Vermont Infantry and wrote home about conditions at Camp Griffin in the winter of 1861-62. He described the regiment’s involvement in the battle of Lee’s Mill and wrote about the grisly sight of the Confederate dead after the battle of Williamsburg. Stone’s father, Frank Stone, enlisted in the Ninth Vermont Infantry, and several letters refer to Frank’s accidental death in November, 1862. Leroy was, by this time, recovering from illness at Hampton Hospital. He wrote about hospital conditions with some comments on the activities of African-Americans in the area. He was discharged in March, 1863. In August, 1864, Leroy enlisted in the First Vermont Cavalry. Letters from Camp Distribution describe the criminal activities of New York substitutes as Stone made his way to the front. The last of his letters is dated September 29, 1864, before Stone joined his regiment. His story is supplemented, however, by diaries for 1864 and 1865, in which he gives an account of the battle of Five Forks and the pursuit of Lee’s army to Appomattox.
Location: Leroy F. Stone Papers
Stowe, William F. (1842-1864)
Calais
Second Vermont Infantry, Co. F, Corporal
1861 June 27-1864 Apr. 14
88 letters
William F. Stowe served from the mustering of the Second Vermont in June 1861 until he was killed in action at the Wilderness on May 5, 1864. His letters home describe the tiring marches and labors of the regiment, and offer strong opinions on leadership of the army and the country. He wrote about the regiment’s experiences in the Peninsula campaign, the battle of Fredericksburg, and the Gettysburg campaign, as well as the “mud march” of January, 1863. Stowe criticized President Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation, and maintained his loyalty to General McClellan. He supported conscription and frequently questioned whether Calais was doing its share in the war effort. Many of his letters concern the sickness and death of his brothers Private Lewis Stowe, Co. K, 2nd Vermont Infantry (a few of whose letters are included) and Lorenzo Stowe. Also included is a letter of Private Frank J. Hastings, Co. F, Second Vermont Infantry, saying that he has been caring for Lewis Stowe during a spell of sickness.
Location: William Stowe Papers
Streeter, John (d. May 6, 1864)
Townshend
Fourth Vermont Infantry, Co. I, Private
March 13, 1864
1 item
Private Streeter’s letter to a female briefly summarizes the hard life he has seen since his enlistment in 1862.
Location: Manuscript Files
Sturtevant, Francis Crayton
Hartland
Fifth Connecticut Infantry, Musician
1862 March 4
1 item
Letter of F. C. Sturtevant to his mother, describing the destruction in Martinsburg, Virginia, after the departure of the Confederates. The Clements Library at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, has 67 of Sturtevant’s letters.
Location: Manuscript files
Sugland, John G.
Vernon
Fifty Fourth Massachusetts Infantry, Private
1864 May 20
1 item
Letter to Anderson Whithead of Vernon telling of Suglund’s good health, positive outlook, and financial situation.
Location: Manuscript files
Sumner, Samuel (d. 1862)
Troy
Fifth Vermont Infantry, Co. D, Second Lieutenant
1860-1865
5 folders
Samuel Sumner Jr. received a commission as second lieutenant in the Fifth Vermont after spending more than a year in Kentucky as a teacher. His letters from Kentucky provide an interesting perspective on that state's struggle in the secession movement. As an officer in the infantry, Sumner wrote about camp life and the progress of the Peninsula Campaign. He was killed on June 29, 1862, at Savage's Station. Captain John R. Lewis, who stood next to Sumner when he was killed, described the incident in a letter (July 19, 1862) to Sumner’s father. The collection also contains letters to Vernon Fitch of Hyde Park from soldiers in the First Vermont Cavalry. Thomas Wiswall wrote two letters, one describing the battle of Ashland, Virginia, on June 1, 1864, and the other giving an account of the cavalry's expedition near Richmond, Virginia, in late June 1864. A letter (March 28, 1863) from Harvey Lilley mentions the ongoing problem of rebel guerrillas capturing the Cavalry's pickets. Lilley was captured a few days after writing the letter.
Location: Fitch Family Papers
Swan, Franklin B.
Pittsfield
Tenth Vermont Infantry, Co. C, Private
1864 June 5
1 letter
Private Swan wrote to his father from the fortifications at Cold Harbor, remarking on the successes and failures of the Union army and casualties in his regiment.
Location: Manuscript files
Sweet, Orlando Philip
United States Volunteers. Asst. Surgeon
1864-1865
1 volume, 50 loose sheets
Autopsy reports and Medical Descriptive Lists for soldiers who died of wounds and diseases at Carver Hospital in Washington, D.C., as compiled by Dr. Sweet and other physicians. The lists are forms providing the patient's name, rank, regiment, disease or injury, dates of admission and death, treatment pursued, and remarks on the patient's condition from admission to death. The hospital treated soldiers from all the states, including Confederates.
Location: Large bound manuscripts
Tewksbury, Charles C.
Calais
Thirteenth Vermont Infantry, Co. C, Corporal
1862 Oct. 18-1863 June 18
16 items
Charles Tewksbury’s letters home concern fatigue duty, the sutler’s business, and affairs at home. Tewksbury described the countryside near Washington and the camps, and made wry remarks about the living conditions. Includes a carte-de-visite portrait and transcriptions.
Location: Manuscript files
Thomas, Stephen
West Fairlee
Eighth Vermont Infantry, Brigadier General
1863, 1878
3 items
A Special Order from Vermont Adjutant and Inspector General Peter T. Washburn to Colonel Thomas directing him to return to the Eighth Vermont after completing a recruitment assignment. Also, a copy of Thomas’s discharge certificate with an accompanying note from the U.S. War Department.
Location: Manuscript files
Thompson, Alfred B.
Berlin
Thirteenth Vermont Infantry, Co. I, Sergeant
1862 Oct. 3-1865 Apr. 14
10 letters
Alfred Thompson’s letters to his sister Fanny describe the duties of an orderly sergeant in the outer defenses of Washington. He commented on the capture of Brigadier General Edwin Stoughton and the dangers of picket duty. Thompson apparently re-enlisted in another unit after the Thirteenth was mustered out. The last three letters were written from Brandy Station (Dec. 20, 1863), Hancock Station (Oct. 30, 1864), and Burksville (April 14, 1865).
Location: Manuscript files
Tilley, Herrick A. (b.1846)
Williston
First Wisconsin Heavy Artillery
1864 Nov. 27
1 letter
Letter of Herrick Tilley, originally of Williston, Vermont, to his parents, concerning Confederate morale and the prospects for peace.
Location: Manuscript files
Tracy, Amasa Sawyer
Middlebury
Second Vermont Infantry, Lieut. Colonel
1859-1889
4 folders
Amasa Tracy’s papers mostly relate to his administrative and personal business in the Second Vermont. They include a few documents concerning the Vermont Militia prior to the Civil War, and such documents as an appointment to a general court martial, passes, leaves of absence, medical certificates, and Tracy’s brevet promotion to colonel for meritorious service in the assault on Petersburg, April 2, 1865. There are several letters requesting information about missing soldiers of the regiment. Several surgeon’s certificates document the wounds Tracy received at Petersburg and Fredericksburg (May 3, 1863). Jonathan M. Hoyt, soon to be Tracy’s second lieutenant in Co. H, Second Vermont, wrote on April 30, 1861, offering to help Tracy raise a company. Corporal Raymond M. Edson, Co. H., Fifth Vermont, wrote in September, 1861 that he hoped to stay in touch with Tracy. Colonel Newton Stone of the Second Vermont wrote to Tracy informing him of his promotion to major. Quartermaster Lauriston L. Stone asked Tracy to advise him, in the winter of 1865, whether he ought to resign once paroled. A larger collection of Tracy papers can be found at the U.S. Military History Institute at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.
Location: Manuscript files
Tracy, William A.
Shelburne
Twelfth Vermont Infantry, Co. C, Corporal
1862 Oct.-1863 June
6 letters
Letters of Corporal Tracy concerning camp life and picket and guard duty. Also, one letter (Dec. 24, 1862) from Lieut. Edgar Leavenworth of the Ninth Vermont Infantry concerning events in Camp Douglas, Chicago.
Location: Brownell Family Papers
Tyler, John E.
Vernon
Eleventh Vermont Infantry, Co. E, Private
1864 October 30
1 letter
The driver of the Division medical supply wagon, Private Tyler wrote a brief outline of the battle of Cedar Creek, commenting that his duty was to “get out of the way as fast as I could conveniently.”
Location: Manuscript files