Vermonters in the Civil War
Collection Overview
Vermont soldiers in the Civil War wrote an enormous quantity of letters and diaries, of which many thousands have survived in libraries, historical societies, and in private hands. This collection represents a selection of letters and diaries from the University of Vermont and the Vermont Historical Society.
The collection includes materials dating from 1861 at the start of the Civil War, and will grow with additional materials throughout the years of the sesquicentennial commemoration, from 2011 through 2015. Materials were selected for digitization to provide a variety of perspectives on events and issues. The voices represented in the collection include private soldiers and officers, as well as a few civilians. All of the extant Civil War-era letters or diaries of each of the selected individuals (at least, all that are to be found in the participating institutions’ collections) will eventually be included; each adds a certain experience and point of view to the whole.
1861
In 1861, Vermont produced a three-month volunteer infantry regiment (the First Vermont Infantry) that served in Virginia from May through July. Five additional volunteer infantry regiments, mustered for three-year terms and numbered consecutively, were put in the field in the summer and fall, camping first in Washington and at Camp Griffin through the fall and winter. The First Vermont Cavalry regiment was also mustered and sent south in the fall of 1861.
Subject content for the 1861 letters and diaries covers a great deal of ground. The many logistical issues involved in launching the war effort come to light in the letters of General John W. Phelps, while officers such as Lieutenant Roswell Farnham often made thoughtful observations on the events and personalities in the camps and in the field. The enlisted men occasionally described important events in detail, but more often wrote about everyday life and concerns. Eyewitness accounts of engagements at Big Bethel (June 9-10), Bull Run (July 21), and Lewinsville (September 11) reveal the motivations and expectations of the men in arms, while descriptions of living conditions, drilling, sickness, and political intrigue provide insight on the soldiers’ experiences.
Officers in the photo above are (from left to right): Lieutenant Colonel Charles B. Stoughton, Colonel Edwin H. Stoughton, Major Harry N. Worthen. All are from the Fourth Vermont Infantry Regiment.
Time Period Covered: 1861
Sub-collections
Charles F. Bancroft Correspondence
Horace Barlow Diary
Valentine G. Barney Correspondence
John Lester Barstow Correspondence
Barton Family Correspondence
John W. Campbell Correspondence
Roswell Farnham Correspondence
Justus F. Gale Correspondence
Solomon G. Heaton Correspondence
William Wirt Henry Correspondence
William C. Holbrook Correspondence
Albert A. May Correspondence
Benjamin F. Parmenter Correspondence
Joseph L. Perkins Correspondence
John Wolcott Phelps Correspondence
George W. Quimby Correspondence
Joseph Chase Rutherford Correspondence
Henry A. Smith Correspondence
Joseph Spafford Correspondence
Edward and John Stone Correspondence
Ransom W. Towle Correspondence
Orlando S. Turner Correspondence
Wheelock Graves Veazey Correspondence
Daniel S. White Correspondence
Henry Harrison Wilder Correspondence
Lyman Williams Correspondence
Published: April 11, 2011, University of Vermont, Bailey/Howe Library, Center for Digital Initiatives
Rights: Requests to reproduce this item should be sent to the UVM Libraries' Center for Digital Initiatives at cdi@uvm.edu. For more information, see http://cdi.uvm.edu/about/rights. More information.
Browse Options
Creator(s)
- Farnham, Roswell, 1827-1903 [7]
- Quimby, George W., 1835-1862 [6]
- Veazey, Wheelock G., 1835-1898 [6]
- Spafford, Joseph, 1837-1866 [5]
- Barney, Valentine G., 1834-1889 [4]
- Smith, Henry A., d. 1864 [4]
- Wilder, Henry Harrison [4]
- Gale, Justus F., 1837-1863 [3]
- Towle, Ransom W., d. 1864 [3]
- Williams, Lyman S., 1839-1905 [2]
Recipient(s)
- , [4]
- Barney,Maria, 1833-1884 [4]
- Masta, Emeline B. [4]
- Veazey, Julia A. [4]
- Farnham, Mary [3]
- Spafford, Mary Jane [3]
- Williams,Lois L. [3]
- Veazey, Julia A., [2]
- Barton,Melissa [1]
- Gale,Abigail Albee [1]
- Harding, C. H. [1]
- Henry, Mary Jane, [1]
- Rutherford, Hannah [1]
- Spafford, Mary Jane, [1]
- Towle, Rufus [1]
- Towle, Sebra [1]
- White, Homer [1]
- [Barton,Melissa] [1]
Place(s)
- Military camps -- Virginia [9]
- Military campsVirginia [8]
- United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Campaigns [6]
- VermontHistoryCivil War, 1861-1865 [6]
- United StatesHistoryCivil War, 1861-1865 [5]
- Fort Monroe (Va.) [4]
- United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 [4]
- United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Casualties [4]
- United StatesHistoryCivil War, 1861-1865Campaigns [3]
- Harpers Ferry (W. Va.) [2]
- Richmond (Va.) [2]
- United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Medical care [2]
- United StatesHistoryCivil War, 1861-1865Military reconnaissance [2]
- Vermont -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 [2]
- Culpeper County (Va.) [1]
- Military camps -- Maryland [1]
- Military camps -- Vermont [1]
- Military camps -- Washington (D.C.) [1]
- Military campsWashington (D.C.) [1]
- New Orleans (La.) -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 [1]
- SlaveryUnited StatesHistory [1]
- United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Military reconnaissance [1]
- United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Songs and music [1]
- United StatesHistoryCivil War, 1861-1865Medical care [1]
Format(s)
- text [53]
Genre(s)
- correspondence [53]
Topic(s)
- Marching [53]
- Battle casualties [9]
- Picketing [9]
- United StatesArmy Military life [8]
- Farnham, Roswell1827-1903 [7]
- McClellan, George Brinton1826-1885 [4]
- Operational rations (Military supplies) [4]
- United StatesArmy.Vermont Infantry Regiment, 3rd (1861-1865) [4]
- Skirmishing [3]
- United StatesArmy.Vermont Infantry Regiment, 1st (1861) [3]
- African Americans [2]
- Confederate States of AmericaArmy [2]
- Military discipline [2]
- Military hospitals [2]
- Military pay [2]
- Postal service [2]
- Prisoners of war [2]
- United StatesArmy.Vermont Infantry Regiment, 5th (1861-1865) [2]
- United StatesArmy.Vermont Infantry Regiment, 9th (1862-1865) [2]
- Antietam, Battle of, Md., 1862 [1]
- Banks, Nathaniel Prentiss1816-1894 [1]
- Big Bethel, Battle of, Va., 1861 [1]
- Bull Run, 2nd Battle of, Va., 1862 [1]
- Burnside, Ambrose Everett1824-1881 [1]
- Courts-martial and courts of inquiry United States [1]
- Diseases [1]
- Families of military personnel [1]
- Food [1]
- Fort Donelson, Battle of, Tenn., 1862 [1]
- Fort Henry, Battle of, Tenn., 1862 [1]
- Friendly fire (Military science) [1]
- Guerrilla warfare [1]
- Homesickness [1]
- Intrenchments [1]
- Medicine, Military [1]
- Patriotism [1]
- Promotions, Military [1]
- Shooters of firearms [1]
- United StatesArmy Surgeons [1]
- United StatesArmy.Vermont Infantry Regiment, 12th (1862-1863) [1]
- United StatesArmy.Vermont Infantry Regiment, 16th (1862-1863) [1]
- United StatesArmy.Vermont Infantry Regiment, 2nd (1861-1865) [1]
- United StatesArmy.Vermont Infantry Regiment, 4th (1861-1865)Company B [1]
- United StatesArmy.Vermont Infantry Regiment, 8th (1861-1865) [1]
- United StatesArmy.Vermont Infantry Regiment, 9th (1862-1865).Company B [1]
- War Economic aspects [1]
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Browsing by:
Topic: ("Marching")
Title: Lyman S. Williams to Lois L. Williams
Creator: Williams, Lyman S., 1839-1905
Date: 1862-04-01
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include the journey from Alexandria to Newport News.
Title: Lyman S. Williams to Lois L. Williams
Date: 1862-05-18
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include the hard marching to a camp owned by the rebel Colonel Lee and requests for items to be sent from home.
Title: Lyman S. Williams to Lois L. Williams
Creator: Williams, Lyman S., 1839-1905
Date: 1862-02-18
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include the warm, muddy weather, the success of the Burnsides Expedition, the capture of Forts Henry and Donelson, and the possibility of either marching to Manassas and on to Richmond or back to Vermont.
![Thumbnail: Ransom W. Towle to [Family and Friends]](http://cdi.uvm.edu/archives/civilwar/cwvhsTowleRansom21_01-thumb.jpg)
Title: Ransom W. Towle to [Family and Friends]
Creator: Towle, Ransom W., d. 1864
Date: 1862-05-08
Resource type: correspondence
Towle's regiment pursues the Rebels after finding their hasty departure from their camps. The men marched to the enemy's strong holds at Williamsburg, Virginia including Fort Magruder and a battle was fought. Killed and wounded reported. Soldiers had to endure heavy rain and muddy conditions. Some men did reconnaissance.
![Thumbnail: Ransom W. Towle to [Family and Friends]](http://cdi.uvm.edu/archives/civilwar/cwvhsTowleRansom29_01-thumb.jpg)
Title: Ransom W. Towle to [Family and Friends]
Creator: Towle, Ransom W., d. 1864
Date: 1862-06-18
Resource type: correspondence
Towle writes from the field near Richmond, Va on heavy firing between Union gun boats on James River and Fort Darlin, an exchange of fire with the enemy, the seemingly deterioration of Gen. McClellan's appearance and the arrest of Colonel Stoughton for not turning out with his regiment to in line of battle.
Title: Roswell Farnham to Laura
Creator: Farnham, Roswell, 1827-1903
Date: 1862-12-14
Resource type: correspondence
Farnham writes to his sister, Laura, about the regiment moving to a new camp near Fairfax Courthouse (Fairfax, Virginia), the arrival of Mary Farnham and Mrs. Blunt, the movement of General Sigel and his 20 to 40,000 troops, and reference to the Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia (Dec 11-15).
Title: Roswell Farnham to Laura
Creator: Farnham, Roswell, 1827-1903
Date: 1862-12-31
Resource type: correspondence
Farnham writes from Camp Vermont near Fairfax Court House, Va. to his sister, Laura, of rebel threatening, of military action with the rebels, of Col. Stoughton's entry into the rebel camp, of wife Mary's reaction to gunfire, of Jackson and his 12,000 men on the march maybe to Harper's Ferry.
![Thumbnail: Roswell Farnham to Mary [Farnham]](http://cdi.uvm.edu/archives/civilwar/cwuvmfarnham12_1-thumb.jpg)
Title: Roswell Farnham to Mary [Farnham]
Creator: Farnham, Roswell, 1827-1903
Date: 1861-05-25
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include the rebels burning Hampton Bridge, the funeral of Benjamin Underwood, the food the Massachusetts Regiment is receiving from home, and false alarms of rebels. Hampton population, whites and blacks. Fortress Monroe now has close to 4,000 soldiers encamped; news that Vt. Regiment is about to be shipped out, destination unknown. Names mentioned: Gen. Butler, Col. Washburn, Maj. Worthen, Lt. Pickett, Col. Phelps, Capt. Clark, Andross, Judge Underwood, John Prichard, Mr. May, Mr. Batchelder, Ed. Wilcox, John Richards, Dr. Hartley, Daniel Johnson.
![Thumbnail: Roswell Farnham to [C. H.] Harding](http://cdi.uvm.edu/archives/civilwar/cwuvmfarnham13_1-thumb.jpg)
Title: Roswell Farnham to [C. H.] Harding
Creator: Farnham, Roswell, 1827-1903
Date: 1861-05-26
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include preparing for a march with the 4th Massachusetts Regiment and a New York Regiment most likely to Sewells Point, Virginia. Farnham expresses pride in the Green Mountain Boys. Names mentioned: Officers Stearns, Andross, and Worthen.
![Thumbnail: Roswell Farnham to [Mary Farnham]](http://cdi.uvm.edu/archives/civilwar/cwuvmfarnham23_1-thumb.jpg)
Title: Roswell Farnham to [Mary Farnham]
Creator: Farnham, Roswell, 1827-1903
Date: 1861-06-11
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include the expected fight at Little Bethel and the battle at Great Bethel, where fewer than fifty men were killed on the Union side. Mentions German Regiment (Col. Bendix) and Duryea's Zouaves. Description of "friendly fire" incident. Excursion proved to be the most exhausting so far.
![Thumbnail: Roswell Farnham to [Mary Farnham]](http://cdi.uvm.edu/archives/civilwar/cwuvmfarnham80_01-thumb.jpg)
Title: Roswell Farnham to [Mary Farnham]
Creator: Farnham, Roswell, 1827-1903
Date: 1862-11-02
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include the movement of the regiment from Capitol Hill to Camp Seward and down across Hunting Creek and finally setting up camp on the Potomac near Mount Vernon.
Title: Solomon G. Heaton to Family
Creator: Heaton, Solomon G.
Date: 1861-07-30
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include an account of the journey from Camp Baxter.
Title: Theodore Barton to Sister
Creator: Barton, Theodore
Date: 1862-09-29
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include the journey from Harrison's Landing to Boliver via Newport News and Alexandria. Names several wounded and deceased soldiers, perhaps known by his sister. Concludes with a somewhat gruesome description of "picnic."
Title: Valentine G. Barney to Maria Barney
Creator: Barney, Valentine G., 1834-1889
Date: 1862-09-06
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include the regiment marching towards Harpers Ferry, the regiment disheartened to being ordered to retreat, loss of much equipment and people left behind in the hospital, the destruction of supplies left behind, their hard march to current location, the brief mention of a "heavy battles". (Maryland Campaign Sept 3-15, 1862). Reference to prisoners being paroled.
Title: Valentine G. Barney to Maria Barney
Creator: Barney, Valentine G., 1834-1889
Date: 1862-06-19
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include the march to camp in Brattleboro, having very good tents that helped keep the overnight rain from getting him wet and hopes to be home in about a week.
Title: Valentine G. Barney to Maria Barney
Creator: Barney, Valentine G., 1834-1889
Date: 1862-07-21
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include being in camp near Clouds Mills near Alexandria, Va., the journey there including a 14 mile march, the numerous regiments encamped together, not liking the Southern area or the dirty cities, feels the South may not be worth fighting for and having a good dinner received in camp.
Title: Valentine G. Barney to Maria Barney
Creator: Barney, Valentine G., 1834-1889
Date: 1862-09-22
Resource type: correspondence
Writing from Camp Parole topics include a hard march to the camp near Annapolis, being paroled and possibly being sent out West to fight the Indians or sent to home state and a detailed description of an engagement at Harpers Ferry (West Virginia) that included heavy fire, skirmishing Rebels, Union soldiers abandoning their posts, troops falling back, white flag raised by the Union soldiers, men discarding their revolvers and swords, mingling of the Confederates with the Union men as comrades in arms.
Title: Wheelock G. Veazey to Julia A. Veazey
Creator: Veazey, Wheelock G., 1835-1898
Date: [1861]-07-19
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include a change of plans to leave for Baltimore on Wednesday instead of Tuesday.
Title: Wheelock G. Veazey to Julia A. Veazey
Creator: Veazey, Wheelock G., 1835-1898
Date: 1861-08-09
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include the measures taken by the camp to secure their safety.
Title: Wheelock G. Veazey to Julia A. Veazey
Creator: Veazey, Wheelock G., 1835-1898
Date: 1861-09-06
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include advancements made by the Regiment although they have not seen any action yet.
Title: Wheelock G. Veazey to Julia A. Veazey
Creator: Veazey, Wheelock G., 1835-1898
Date: [1861]-11-14
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include a few items Wheelock G. Veazey would like his wife Julia to send him and concern that his horse will die.
Title: Wheelock G. Veazey to Julia A. Veazey
Creator: Veazey, Wheelock G., 1835-1898
Date: 1862-08-22
Resource type: correspondence
Writing from Heigera Hotel at Fortress Monroe topics include marching to the fort, his feelings of how the Peninsular Campaign has been for naught, only for the loss of so many lives, storm postponing the division from moving, the resignation of Captain Atherton and reminding Julia of not to engage in flirtatious behavior.
Title: Wheelock G. Veazey to Julia A. Veazey
Creator: Veazey, Wheelock G., 1835-1898
Date: 1862-12-14
Resource type: correspondence
From Head Quarters 16th Vt Volunteers, at a camp between Centreville and Bull Run, Virginia topics include the march to Fairfax Court House, the 24 sick men that were left behind at Camp Vermont, and the current living situation.
Title: William Wirt Henry to Mary Jane Henry
Creator: Henry, William Wirt, 1831-1915
Date: 1862-[09]-17
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include marching to the Maryland side of the Potomac River and a victory against the rebels.
![Thumbnail: [Henry Harrison Wilder] to Mother](http://cdi.uvm.edu/archives/civilwar/cwuvmwilder03_1-thumb.jpg)
Title: [Henry Harrison Wilder] to Mother
Creator: Wilder, Henry Harrison
Date: 1861-09-30
Resource type: correspondence
Henry writes from his camp at Chain Bridge of his journey made by the 5th Regiment of Vermont Volunteers from Springfield to Washington D.C. and on to Marellian Hill and then to Chain Bridge. Speaks of soldiers being shot almost everyday by the Rebels and of orders to march to Fairfax Court, requests postage stamps.
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