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)
- Gale, Justus F., 1837-1863 [7]
- Spafford, Joseph, 1837-1866 [6]
- Farnham, Roswell, 1827-1903 [3]
- Barney, Valentine G., 1834-1889 [2]
- Spafford, John, b. 1810; Spafford [2]
- Barton, Hiram H., 1836-1903 [1]
- Baxter, Horace Henry [1]
- Fairbanks, Erastus [1]
- Jackman, A. [1]
- Morse, E. A. [1]
Recipient(s)
- Phelps, John Wolcott [4]
- Farnham, Mary [3]
- Gale,Jonas, 1800-1874 [3]
- Spafford, Mary Jane [3]
- , [2]
- Barney,Maria, 1833-1884 [2]
- Gale,Charles T., 1845-1862 [2]
- Spafford, John, b. 1810; Spafford [2]
- Spafford, Joseph, 1837-1866 [2]
- Barton, Melissa [1]
Place(s)
- Vermont -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 [5]
- Fort Monroe (Va.) [3]
- Military camps -- Louisiana [3]
- Military camps -- Vermont [2]
- Military camps -- Virginia [2]
- Military campsVirginia [2]
- New Orleans (La.) -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 [2]
- United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Campaigns [2]
- Fort Jackson (La.) [1]
- Harpers Ferry (W. Va.) [1]
Format(s)
- text [28]
Genre(s)
- correspondence [28]
Topic(s)
- Operational rations (Military supplies) [28]
- United StatesArmy Military life [11]
- Food [7]
- United StatesArmy.Vermont Infantry Regiment, 8th (1861-1865) [6]
- Morale [5]
- Farnham, Roswell1827-1903 [2]
- Medicine, Military [2]
- Ship Island (Miss.) [2]
- United StatesArmy.Vermont Infantry Regiment, 1st (1861) [2]
- Families of military personnel [1]
- Intrenchments [1]
- McClellan, George Brinton1826-1885 [1]
- Military pay [1]
- Prisoners of war [1]
- Richmond (Va.) [1]
- Slaves [1]
- Sutlers [1]
- United StatesArmy.Vermont Infantry Regiment, 4th (1861-1865) [1]
- United StatesArmy.Vermont Infantry Regiment, 9th (1862-1865) [1]
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Topic: ("Operational rations (Military supplies)")
Title: E. A. Morse to John Wolcott Phelps
Creator: Morse, E. A.
Date: 1861-08-22
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include rations for the 1st Regiment of the Vermont Volunteer Militia for May 23rd to August 8th, processing routine, the offering of the position of Quartermaster in the 4th Vermont Regiment, writer's decline of the position.
Title: Erastus Fairbanks to John Wolcott Phelps
Creator: Fairbanks, Erastus
Date: 1861-07-29
Resource type: correspondence
Letter from Vt. House Rep. Erastus Fairbanks writing about the storage of military equipment that has not otherwise been disposed of at Fort Monroe, Va., mentions loss of supplies by the 2nd Regiment at Manassas.
Title: George W. Quimby to Emeline B. Masta
Creator: Quimby, George W., 1835-1862
Date: 1862-07-12
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include an account of a battle starting on the 27th of June (Battle of Gaines' Mill/First Cold Harbor/Chickahominy). Quimby mentions some explosions that surprisingly caused less harm than expected. Difficulties include long marches, usually at night; surprise attacks; and water deprivation.
Title: George W. Quimby to Sister
Creator: Quimby, George W.
Date: 1861-11-05
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include family matters where George gives legal advice to his sister Emeline in regards to settling her estate after the death of her husband, of illness among the men particularly measles, of finally getting all their military clothing.
Title: Henry A. Smith to Family
Creator: Smith, Henry A., d. 1864
Date: 1862-10-04
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include encamping near Alexandria, an update on the health of Lant Blake and Gene, his unable to mail a gun home for his younger siblings, the large loss of the rebels at Orange Court House, a request for boots and gloves from home and a comment that army issue are not worth what the soldiers have to pay for them.
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.
Title: Hiram H. Barton to Melissa Barton
Creator: Barton, Hiram H., 1836-1903
Date: 1861-12-15
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include the number of men in the Regiment, the clothes they received for the first six months, and a description of the barracks.
Title: Horace Henry Baxter to John Wolcott Phelps
Creator: Baxter, Horace Henry
Date: 1861-05-31
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include potentially offering Colonel Phelps command of a three year regiment and inquiring how many horses are needed for his Regiment.
Title: John Spafford to Joseph Spafford, Joseph Spafford to John Spafford
Creator: Spafford, John, b. 1810; Spafford; Spafford, Joseph, 1837-1866
Date: [1861-11-?]
Resource type: correspondence
Letter from John Spafford to his son Joseph. Both serving in the military. John inquires about what needs Joseph might have, of the importance of keeping body and clothes clean and the movement of the regiment from Washington to Camp Griffin. Joseph answers his father's questions on the same letter to be returned to John.
Title: John Spafford to Joseph Spafford, Joseph Spafford to John Spafford
Creator: Spafford, John, b. 1810; Spafford; Spafford, Joseph, 1837-1866
Date: [1861-10-?]
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include inquiries about writing materials, tobacco, dress coats, and stockings.
Title: Joseph Spafford to Mary Jane Spafford
Creator: Spafford, Joseph, 1837-1866
Date: 1861-09-15
Resource type: correspondence
Spafford writes from Camp Holbrook in Brattleboro, Vt 4th Vt Vol. M. Atherton Guards to his sister in Upper Falls, Vt. Topics include marching orders for Washington, D.C. on September 16, 1861, of his stolen "valice" (dressing case), of having received military supplies of blankets and forthcoming uniforms and arms.
Title: Joseph Spafford to Mary Jane Spafford
Creator: Spafford, Joseph, 1837-1866
Date: 1861-09-15
Resource type: correspondence
Spafford writes to his sister about possibly coming to see him at Camp Holbrook in Brattleboro, of Captain A. writing to his wife to have her join him at camp, having received guns and about possible delay in departure.
Title: Joseph Spafford to Mary Jane Spafford
Creator: Spafford, Joseph, 1837-1866
Date: 1861-10-23
Resource type: correspondence
Writes of muddy conditions at Camp Griffin, Virginia, of seeing Gen. Davis from Cavendish, of learning George is to be married, of being still in good health, of having gone out scouting but seeing no Rebels, asks about Thanksgiving in Vermont, meals of wheat bread and coffee, getting butter from sutler to enhance his meal.
Title: Joseph Spafford to Mary Jane Spafford
Creator: Spafford, Joseph, 1837-1866
Date: 1862-10-29
Resource type: correspondence
Stationed in Washington, D.C. on Capitol Hill topics include a brief description of the items Joseph Spafford has in his possession, the living situation at camp, and the good health of the regiment.
Title: Justus E. Gale to Father
Creator: Gale, Justus F., 1837-1863
Date: 1862-03-28
Resource type: correspondence
Two letters one dated March 28th and one April 6th.Topics include a description of the journey to Ship Island, Mississippi, being seasick, about the food and hard bread, poor quality water and little of it, writes of his faith in God and his sighting of the island.
Title: Justus F. Gale to Brother
Creator: Gale, Justus F., 1837-1863
Date: 1862-01-24
Resource type: correspondence
Two letters in one dated Jan 24th and Jan 26th. Topics include the expectation that the war will end in a couple of months, waiting for military pay, anxious to hear from home, Sergeant U. A. Woodbury drilling the company, the stormy weather at camp, the bad food being served except for good bread from a local bakery, the good health of Gale and of him sending a picture in this letter.
Title: Justus F. Gale to Brother
Creator: Gale, Justus F., 1837-1863
Date: 1862-04-24
Resource type: correspondence
Two letters dated April 24th and 25th. Topics include the capture of Fort Jackson(?) ; fort south of the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, [battle April 18-28], the food at camp good except greasy pork meat, and the schedule for the day including battalion drills and dress parade.
Title: Justus F. Gale to Father
Creator: Gale, Justus F., 1837-1863
Date: 1862-06-06
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include the good living conditions in New Orleans, the Indiana regiment taking meat from the rebels, been on cooking duty, good meals, fresh beef, waiting for military pay and the possibility of leaving soon.
Title: Justus F. Gale to Father
Creator: Gale, Justus F., 1837-1863
Date: 1862-07-10
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include the medicating himself after seeing the doctor twice to rid his diarrhea, taking of Richmond and rebel prisoners, the weather in Algiers, high price of provisions, inquires about family and the plan to go visit friends 4 miles away.
Title: Justus F. Gale to Sister
Creator: Gale, Justus F., 1837-1863
Date: 1862-06-14
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include the movement of the company from Algiers to Lafourche, a description of the living situation at Algiers, the good food at camp including fresh fruit berries, water quality not good.
![Thumbnail: Justus F. Gale to [Family]](http://cdi.uvm.edu/archives/civilwar/cwvhsGaleJustus08_01-thumb.jpg)
Title: Justus F. Gale to [Family]
Creator: Gale, Justus F., 1837-1863
Date: 1862-02-19
Resource type: correspondence
Writing from Brattleboro topics include drilling, a few companies being sworn into the United States service, Justus Gale’s health improving from a brief cold, mentions "rag" hash soup, boiled beef & potatoes, news of family members and the snow at camp.
Title: Ransom W. Towle to Parents and Friends
Creator: Towle, Ransom W., d. 1864
Date: 1862-05-23
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include Towle’s not receiving wages, the high prices of food, poverty in camp, the destruction of the countryside by the Rebels, how the Union soldiers are forbidden to even touch any property, the movement of the regiment in Virginia, and the attitude of the slaves towards the Yankees.
![Thumbnail: Roswell Farnham to Mary [Farnham]](http://cdi.uvm.edu/archives/civilwar/cwuvmfarnham06_1-thumb.jpg)
Title: Roswell Farnham to Mary [Farnham]
Creator: Farnham, Roswell, 1827-1903
Date: 1861-05-09
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include anticipated journey to New York en route to Ft. Monroe, Va. Farnham describes oath-taking ceremony upon leaving Camp Fairbanks (Judge Smalley) and soldiers passing muster by Col. Rains. US Army has provided them with good clothing and food. Villages cheer when they pass through. Farnham is confident that Gen. Scott will be pleased with the Vt. soldiers soon to arrive at Ft. Monroe.
![Thumbnail: Roswell Farnham to Mary [Farnham]](http://cdi.uvm.edu/archives/civilwar/cwuvmfarnham07_1-thumb.jpg)
Title: Roswell Farnham to Mary [Farnham]
Creator: Farnham, Roswell, 1827-1903
Date: 1861-05-10
Resource type: correspondence
Farnham relates the impression the 1st Regiment made on citizens of Troy, NY and finally New Yorkers, both in public and in the press. Apparently, it was "the biggest and toughest looking regiment" seen in New York. Concludes letter with a few domestic concerns. Mentions daughter Laura's letter "in the Times" (probably Burlington Times).
![Thumbnail: Roswell Farnham to Mary [Farnham]](http://cdi.uvm.edu/archives/civilwar/cwuvmfarnham14_1-thumb.jpg)
Title: Roswell Farnham to Mary [Farnham]
Creator: Farnham, Roswell, 1827-1903
Date: 1861-05-27
Resource type: correspondence
Topics include the movement from Hampton to Newport News, Virginia, the beginning of the first entrenchment at Camp Butler, some details about camp dentistry, and the appointment of John Wolcott Phelps as Brigadier General. Mentions Vt. military units: Northfield Co., Bradford Guards, Vt. Regiment ; a Virginia unit: Old Dominion Dragoons (ODD) ; ships: Catalina, Monticello ; and a newspaper (Vt.?): "the Telegraph."
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