This final post in the short series of Nathanial Rollins who served in the Iron Brigade (2nd Wisconsin) Chronicles the days after the battle concluded and during which he started his time as a Confederate prisoner. Rollins would refuse to be paroled and spent the rest of the war in various prisoner of war camps. For more on this series see: 1, 2, 3. July 3d: This morning at about…

[This is a continuation of Nathaniel Rollins’ diary entries for Gettysburg, here and here] As the sun crept over the fields and mounds outside of Gettysburg it became apparent to the Confederates that the Union army was dug in on the high ground. The Union army had established strong positions in a giant U-shaped defensive line stretching from Culp’s Hill to Cemetery Ridge. After some initial probing it became apparent…

They woke early and made breakfast before heading out towards Gettysburg. The 2nd Wisconsin lead the way as they left Marsh Creek Camp. The oldest and most famous of the five Iron Brigade regiments, the 2nd Wisconsin was one of the first 3-year enlistment regiments to arrive in Washington in 1861. They marched for some time until the outskirts of Gettysburg was reached where they began to hear the cannon…

Captain Nathaniel Rollins of the 2nd Wisconsin Infantry kept a daily diary throughout the Civil War. Parts of the diary are available here at SoldierStudies.org. Rollins diary is informative, at times passionate, and also revealing of the typical Civil War soldier. During his correspondences he provides a comprehensive portrait of the daily life of a soldier in the Iron Brigade. During the battle of Gettysburg Rollins was taken prisoner and…