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)
- Veazey, Wheelock G., 1835-1898 [4]
- Holbrook, William Cune, 1842-1904 [2]
- Smith, Henry A., d. 1864 [2]
- Wilder, Henry Harrison [2]
- Barton, Hiram H., 1836-1903 [1]
- Bliss, Warren E., 1840-1930 [1]
- Bruce, Horatio P., [1]
- Bruidnell, William, b. 1842 [1]
- Canning, Charles C., b. 1828 [1]
- Heaton, Solomon G. [1]
Recipient(s)
- Veazey, Julia A., [4]
- Henry, William Wirt, [3]
- , [2]
- Bancroft,Smiley, 1808-1874 [2]
- Holbrook, Frederick [1]
- Williams,Lois L. [1]
- Williams,Warren, Williams Caroline [1]
- [Barton,Melissa] [1]
Place(s)
- Military camps -- Virginia [5]
- Military campsVirginia [4]
- United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Campaigns [4]
- United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 [3]
- United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Casualties [2]
- United StatesHistoryCivil War, 1861-1865 [2]
- United StatesHistoryCivil War, 1861-1865Casualties [2]
- Fort Monroe (Va.) [1]
- Military camps -- Maryland [1]
- United StatesHistoryCivil War, 1861-1865Campaigns [1]
Format(s)
- text [21]
Genre(s)
- correspondence [21]
Topic(s)
- McClellan, George Brinton1826-1885 [21]
- Armed Forces Officers [10]
- Battle casualties [7]
- United StatesArmy Military life [5]
- Marching [4]
- Military hospitals [2]
- United StatesArmy.Vermont Infantry Regiment, 4th (1861-1865) [2]
- War casualties [2]
- Banks, Nathaniel Prentiss1816-1894 [1]
- Drill and minor tactics [1]
- Fair Oaks, Battle of, Va., 1862 [1]
- Food [1]
- Freedmen [1]
- Homesickness [1]
- Horses [1]
- Love-letters [1]
- Merrimack (Frigate) [1]
- Operational rations (Military supplies) [1]
- Patriotism [1]
- Peninsular Campaign, 1862 [1]
- Picketing [1]
- Pope, John1822-1892 [1]
- Postal service [1]
- Prisoners of war [1]
- Savage's Station, Battle of, Va., 1862 [1]
- Seven Days' Battles, Va., 1862 [1]
- Skirmishing [1]
- Sutlers [1]
- United StatesArmy.Vermont Infantry Regiment, 2nd (1861-1865) [1]
- United StatesArmy.Vermont Infantry Regiment, 9th (1862-1865) [1]
- United StatesArmy.Vermont Infantry Regiment, 9th (1862-1865).Company B [1]
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Topic: ("McClellan, George Brinton1826-1885")
Title: Charles C. Canning to William Wirt Henry
Creator: Canning, Charles C., b. 1828
Date: 1862-05-26
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include the defeat of General Banks (Battle of Winchester, May 25) , the promotion of Lt. Col. Stannard, and the request to William Henry to raise a company so that Charles Canning may become a captain. Canning mentions orders from McClellan to prepare for "a bloody battle," but major fighting doesn't ensue until May 31st (Battle of Seven Pines, May 31), when Confederates take advantage of Union positions on the south side of the Chickahominy River.
Title: George W. Quimby to Parents
Creator: Quimby, George W., 1835-1862
Date: 1862-11-14
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include rumors of an upcoming march and the suspension of General McClellan. (Major Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside would assume command of the Army of the Potomac.) Quimby still hoping to receive a warm coat from home.
Title: Henry A. Smith to Family
Creator: Smith, Henry A., d. 1864
Date: 1862-07-28
Resource type: correspondence
From Culpeper Court House (Virginia) topics include a list of regiments in the area including the 1st Vt, the hope that Captain Rundlett submits his resignation, the resignation of Colonel Kellogg, the acquiring of double barrel shotguns taken from the citizens, brief reference to Gen. McClellan and Gen. John Pope and the prediction that the war will not last much longer.
Title: Henry A. Smith to Family
Creator: Smith, Henry A., d. 1864
Date: 1862-07-05
Resource type: correspondence
From Snickers Ferry on the Shenandoah River topics include news from Richmond, rumor that Stonewall Jackson was killed, having enough to eat including local peaches & cherries found in Virginia, horses well fed, men on picket duty, newspaper report that General McClellan taken prisoner along with 40,000 of his men, and Henry Smith's homesickness.
Title: Henry Harrison Wilder to Mother
Creator: Wilder, Henry Harrison
Date: 1862-03-13
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include marching from Camp Griffin to camp near Flint Hill and the news that the regiment will continue on to Washington. This is the beginning of the Peninsula Campaign.
Title: Henry Harrison Wilder to Mother
Creator: Wilder, Henry Harrison
Date: 1862-03-16
Resource type: correspondence
Wilder's location is titled "Sesesh Church," in Alexandria. "Sesesh," Wilder's phonetic spelling of "secesh," or "secessionist," suggests that the members of the church were Confederate sympathizers. Mentions Gen. George B. McClellan (recently relieved of his supreme command but still in charge of the Army of the Potomac) and the beginnings of the Peninsula Campaign, which involved patrolling the James and York rivers. Wilder expresses determination to fight for the Union cause.
![Thumbnail: Hiram H. Barton to [Melissa Barton]](http://cdi.uvm.edu/archives/civilwar/cwvhsBartonHiram02_01-thumb.jpg)
Title: Hiram H. Barton to [Melissa Barton]
Creator: Barton, Hiram H., 1836-1903
Date: 1862-09-11
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include the journey from Harrisons Landing to Fort Monroe, a fight at Bulls Run (aka 2nd Manassas), and the deaths of Thomas Covil and Lyman Morhouse.
Title: Horatio P. Bruce to Smiley Bancroft
Creator: Bruce, Horatio P.,
Date: 1862-06-26
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include the death of Charles Bancroft from typhoid fever, the sickness of other men in the company, and that the fall of Richmond will bring the war to an end. Like many other writers, he refers to McClellan's reluctance to deploy his massive army.
Title: Ira A. Marshall to William Wirt Henry
Creator: Marshall, Ira A., d. 1893
Date: 1862-05-13
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include recent battles in Yorktown and Williamsburg, which had significant casualties; the destruction of the C.S.S. Merrimack off the coast of Norfolk, Va., now under Union occupation. McClellan will likely send Vt. troops home once Richmond is taken. Ill soldier Tilton Sleeper mentioned again.
Title: Lyman S. Williams to Parents
Creator: Williams, Lyman S., 1839-1905
Date: 1862-07-06
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include a retreat to the James River (known later as a "great skedaddle," a word that Williams uses here but in the context of not being paid), a fight at Savage's Station, a review by General McClellan, and the men killed and wounded in the fight.
Title: Nathan A. Williams to Lois L. Williams
Creator: Williams, Nathan A., 1837-1903
Date: 1862-08-24
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include the expectation of a battle and reinforcements. The anticipated battle was probably the 2nd Manassas or Bull Run campaign (Aug. 26-30, another win for the Confederates).
Title: Ransom W. Towle to Friends
Creator: Towle, Ransom W., d. 1864
Date: 1861-02-27
Resource type: correspondence
Writing from his Virgina camp Griffin, Towle gives a description of a Battalion Drill and the ill health effects on the soldiers, of a gale storm damaging tents and overturning an ambulance with a sick soldier inside. He writes of orders from General McClellan to be ready to move, and states men are sick and death count to date for his regiment is 66.
Title: Solomon G. Heaton to Father
Creator: Heaton, Solomon G.
Date: 1862-10-30
Resource type: correspondence
As Heaton indicates, the Army of the Potomac crossed the river into Virginia at the time this letter was written (Gen. George McClellan would soon be removed, however, and succeeded by Gen. Ambrose Burnside). There is no record of a "very hard fight" at Gordonsville, Va. Gen. Wm. Buel Franklin was implicated in some intrigue against Burnside, and both were relieved of their command in Jan., 1863. Heaton complains about harsh treatment by his commanding officer and being denied a rubber blanket. Nevertheless, he claims to be in good spirits.
Title: Warren E. Bliss to Smiley Bancroft
Creator: Bliss, Warren E., 1840-1930
Date: 1862-06-19
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include moving to camp near the Chickahominy, anticipation of a battle at Richmond, the capture of Fort Darling, a description of the Battle of Fair Oaks, and the death of Charles Bancroft. Topics include moving to camp near the Chickahominy, anticipation of a battle at Richmond, the capture of Fort Darling, a description of the Battle of Fair Oaks, and the death of Charles Bancroft. Use of hot air balloons in reconnaissance is mentioned, as is the observation that many plantations are deserted by their owners and run by slaves, Gen. McClellan threatened to turn every "White House" (plantation) into a hospital.
Title: Wheelock G. Veazey to Julia A. Veazey
Creator: Veazey, Wheelock G., 1835-1898
Date: 1862-04-17
Resource type: correspondence
From Camp Winfield Scott topics include Motts battery engaging the rebels, an account of Wheelock Veazey’s regiment driving the rebels back, references to several officers and their men and the losses during the skirmishes.
Title: Wheelock G. Veazey to Julia A. Veazey
Creator: Veazey, Wheelock G., 1835-1898
Date: 1862-05-14
Resource type: correspondence
Writing from the field 26 miles from Richmond, Virginia topics include a description of camp at Cumberland Landing on the Pamunkey River (tributary of the York River in eastern Virginia), the White House Farm estate, restrictions of the soldiers to respect and not touch anything belonging to the house or grounds, the expectation of a battle at the Chickahominy Swamp, reference to Gen. McClellan and his divisions, praise from confederates prisoners of the excellence of the Vermont 3rd and the hope for a victory near Richmond.
Title: Wheelock G. Veazey to Julia A. Veazey
Creator: Veazey, Wheelock G., 1835-1898
Date: 1862-06-07
Resource type: correspondence
Writing somewhere near Richmond, Virginia topics include expression of sadness over the death of Captain William Parker Ainsworth of Nashua (May 30, 1862), a description of the Battle of Richmond (Peninsular Campaign), his praise for General McClellan and the reporting of the favorable opinion of François-Ferdinand-Philippe-Louis-Marie d'Orléans, prince de Joinville of the Yankees.
Title: Wheelock G. Veazey to Julia A. Veazey
Creator: Veazey, Wheelock G., 1835-1898
Date: 1862-06-15
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include Wheelock Veazey’s position as Judge Advocate of a General Court Martial, the inspiration of General McClellan, and a love letter to his wife.
Title: William Bruidnell to William Wirt Henry
Creator: Bruidnell, William, b. 1842
Date: 1862-05-25
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include the good health of everyone except Tilton Sleeper, the hope of taking Richmond from the rebels, and the good weather near Cool Harbor, Virginia.
Title: William C. Holbrook to Frederick Holbrook
Creator: Holbrook, William Cune, 1842-1904
Date: 1861-10-28
Resource type: correspondence
Writing to his father in Montpelier, Vt topics include Holbrook's desire to be appointed aide to General Phelps staff rather than Gen. Brooks', mentions names of several officers, his suggestion to appoint only West Point men to the position of Colonel, his opinion about Frank making a good Major, praise for McClellan and celebrating Thanksgiving on the wrong day.
Title: William C. Holbrook to Mother
Creator: Holbrook, William Cune, 1842-1904
Date: 1861-10-16
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include the movement of the regiment from Camp Advance to Camp Griffin, an alarm caused by the Dutchmen mistaking a calf for the rebels, Union officers receive praise from Holbrook (McClellan) as does the unit he is in from officers Col Stoughton and Gen Smith and a description of the living situation at camp that include good food, sleeping on the ground and sending money back home.
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