On April 9, 1865, just hours after Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant and for all practical purposes ended the Civil War, the Eleventh Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment charged across a hellish field of abatis, snarled debris, and ravines loaded with landmines. Their target was Fort Blakely, Alabama. A needless assault (20,000 against less than 2,000) that took only minutes to complete, cost the Eleventh Wisconsin 61 casualties, and ordered by … Read entire article »

Charles J.C. Hutson was with the South Carolina 1st Infantry serving with Major General William Pender of Hill’s Corps, and as they entered Pennsylvania, they traveled on the Turnpike towards Harrisburg. Listening to Hutson describe the march, one would think the Confederates were doing an early version of Sherman’s March: We entered Penn. with as fine an army as was ever enlisted, lived for some time upon the bounty of that rich country, made the inhabitants … Read entire article »

A letter sent from a man on the front lines to his wife back home. … Read entire article »

No name or unit and unable to log into the database. Thomas is the last name, probably a member of a Maine unit: Buds Ferry Camp Hooker Feb. lst Brother George, I now have got a chance to write you a few lines and I will improve it I am well as usual & I had a letter from Ed the other day and he was also well. It has rained here for about a month and the mud is … Read entire article »

Letter written to Lieutenant Oscar F. Samis, by his sister. Dear brother Oscar, I was glad to hear from you and that you was well, but very sorry you was in such a fix now. If you will send your pants home I will mend them all nice. I suppose you think by this time you can sew as well as anybody. You must have considerable to do these times. I should be sorry if you lost … Read entire article »

I wasn’t happy with my very limited sample of about 100 Patriotic Civil War era envelopes that I looked over with regard to testing Gallagher’s thesis that support the notion the war was seen more as a struggle for “union” than anything else. Of the those 100 not one depicted slavery. So I spent some time recently searching archives praying I would find more than I had before and I discovered some excellent resources. I came … Read entire article »