Sub-Collections

Albert A. May Correspondence
Albert A. May of Ludlow enlisted in Co. A, Second Vermont Infantry, in May, 1861, at the age of 17. He reenlisted in December 1863 and was promoted to corporal, and later sergeant. He received a commission as Second Lieutenant in Co. I in June, 1865, but was mustered out of service the following month. Though wounded at the Wilderness on May 5, 1864, he served with his regiment from the very beginning to the very end of its existence. The letters describes the skirmish at Lewinsville, September 28, 1861, the improved morale of the Army of the Potomac, and rumors about the regiment being sent home to enforce conscription.

Barton Family Correspondence
William Henry Barton (known as Henry) was born on April 5, 1826 in Moriah, New York, the son of William A. and Electa (Taylor) Barton. By 1860 he had married Abiah Elliott. He enlisted in the 5th New York Cavalry, Company H on December 14, 1863 and was discharged in July, 1865. He fought in the Battle of the Wilderness, Battle of Spottsylvania Court House, and Ashland Station. His brother, Hiram Horatio Barton, was born on August 20, 1836 in Moriah, New York. He enlisted in Company C, 96th New York State Volunteers. He fought in the Battle of Fair Oaks, the Battle of Kinston and at the Seige of Petersburg, where he was wounded. He was also at Fort Harrison. He was discharged on January 11, 1865. He married Jennie Abbie Johnson on September 5, 1869 in Bridport, Vermont. He died at there of cerebral abcess on April 6, 1903, and was buried in the Bridport Village cemetery. Lyman Barton was born on April 29, 1839 in Moriah, New York, He enlisted on July 7, 1862 in Winsted, Connecticut in Company K, 8th Connecticut Infantry Regiment. He fought at Antietam, Fredericksburg, Petersburg, and Fort Harrison. He was discharged on June 6, 1865. He died in Crown Point, New York on August 14, 1936. Theodore Taylor Barton was born on September 15, 1842 in Crown Point, New York and enlisted on May 1, 1861 in Company H, 34th New York State Volunteers. He was in the Battle of Fair Oaks, Antietam, and Chancellorsville. He was discharged on June 30, 1863, but returned to Washington, D.C. as a teamster and later reenlisted in the Veteran Volunteers. He was discharged in February, 1866. In 1867, he married Augusta Wooster Barton, the widow of his older brother James Bradshaw Barton, who was killed at the Battle of the Wilderness. Theodore moved to Lansing, Michigan and died there on January 2, 1928. Civil War letters written by four brothers, William, Hiram, Lyman, and Theodore. Many of the letters were written to their sister Mary Melissa Barton while she was living at Larabee's Point in Shoreham and the rest of the letters were written to each other. They were all in different units in Virginia and North Carolina. They write of camp life, troop movements, and descriptions of the country side. They also, at times, graphically describe the aftermath of battles. There is a description of the fiasco at the Crater. There is also a patriotic poem by William Izzard.

Benjamin F. Parmenter Correspondence
Benjamin F. Parmenter of Mt. Holly, Vt., enlisted May 7, 1861 in the 2nd Vermont Regiment, Co. I. He deserted in September 1862, but returned and was discharged in January 1863 for disability. Parmenter's letters are written to one of his brothers. Parmenter's letters describe the first battle of Bull Run, his low opinions of his regiment's officers, and his growing disillusionment with the Army and its treatment of soldiers.

Bradford Sparrow Correspondence
Bradford P. Sparrow was drafted and assigned to the Fourth Vermont in the summer of 1863. In letters to his family, Sparrow wrote about the journey to Virginia, his illness through much of the winter, and the battles of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania. Sparro was captured at the Weldon Railroad near Petersburg, Virginia, on June 23, 1864. For a month he kept a diary, writing about the prisoners' march to Georgia and conditions at Andersonville Prison. Paroled in April 1865, Sparrow wrote several more letters home from military hospitals before he was mustered out.

Charles F. Bancroft Correspondence
Charles F. Bancroft of Woodbury, the adopted son of Smiley Bancroft, enlisted in the 4th Vermont Regiment, Co. H, on August 28, 1861, as a Corporal. He died of disease on April 30, 1862. Bancroft's collection includes letters to and from Charles F. Bancroft as well as a letter by George F. Davis informing Smiley Bancroft and his wife of their son Charles' death, April 30, 1862.

Daniel S. White Correspondence
Daniel S. White was born March 12, 1837, in Reading, Vermont, the son of Calvin and Charlotte White. He enlisted as a sergeant in Company I, 2nd Vermont Volunteers on May 7, 1861 in Cavendish, Vermont. He was promoted to lieutenant January 8, 1863 and was commissioned as captain on January 26, 1863. White was discharged on October 24, 1864 because of wounds received at the Battle of the Wilderness on May 5, 1864. He died in June, 1912 in Chicago, Illinois. White's correspondence consists of seven letters written to Maria E. Howe of Ludlow, Vermont, the daughter of Gardner I. and Mariah (Sawtell) Howe. Daniel and Maria married March 8, 1864, in Ludlow, Vermont. The letters describe events such as the execution of a soldier for murder and the taking of civilian prisoners. He also writes about the tragedy of the Civil War and about the fear of dying in battle. The final letter on May 10, 1864 describes a wound he received at the Battle of the Wilderness.

Edward P. Stone Correspondence
The correspondence consists of letters from Edward P. Stone, chaplain of the 6th Vermont Regiment, and his brother John M. Stone, to family in Berlin, Vermont. Edward Payson Stone of Berlin, Vermont, was born on August 1, 1830 in Quechee, the son of John F. and Lydia (Paddock) Stone. He was ordained as a Congregational minister on October 14, 1861. On October 10, 1861, he was commissioned Chaplain of the 6th Vermont Regiment. He served in that capacity until his resignation on August 27, 1863. He died of arteriosclerosis on September 11, 1920, at Rutland, Vermont, and was buried in Green Mount Cemetery in Montpelier. John Munson Stone of Berlin, Vermont, brother to Edward P. Stone, was born on September 18, 1835 in Barre, Massachusetts. He enlisted as a Private in Co. F, 1st Vermont Regiment, on May 2, 1861, and was mustered out on August 15, 1861. He died of enteritis at Williamstown, Vermont, on August 27, 1915, and was buried in Brookfield, Vermont. The Stone letters include updates on the health of men in the regiment, the regiment's events, and Stone's preparations for dead soldiers' funerals.

George W. Quimby Correspondence
George W. Quimby was an 1859 graduate of Dartmouth College before becoming a teacher and law student. Quimby was commissioned from Barton on September 4, 1861 as 1st lieutenant in Co. D, 4th Vt. He was promoted to captain on February 20, 1862. Quimby was killed in action at Fredericksburg, December 13, 1862. Captain George Quimby's letters contain good descriptions of camp duties, observations on the Peninsula Campaign, and a brief description of the Antietam battlefield after the Confederate withdrawal. Two letters from Lieutenant Charles C. Kinsman and one letter from Chaplain John L. Roberts concern Quimby's death at Fredericksburg on December 13th, 1862.

Henry A. Smith Correspondence
Henry A. Smith of Royalton, Vt., enlisted in Co. E, 1st Vermont Cavalry, on September 23, 1861. He was taken prisoner on July 6, 1863, at Hagerstown, Md., and died at Richmond, Va., on Februrary 29, 1864. Smith's letters are written to his family and friends. He describes the regiment's trip to Washington, D.C., and in 1863 writes from Belle Island where he is being held prisoner. The last letter is to Smith's mother from H. W. Spafford, May 16, 1864, and announces Smith's death.

Henry Harrison Wilder Correspondence
Henry Harrison Wilder enlisted from Weybridge, VT on August 23, 1861 as corporal in Co. F, 5th Vermont Regiment. He was killed in action at Savage's Station, June 29, 1862. Wilder wrote home about conditions at Camp Holbrook in St. Albans, Vermont, and Camp Griffin in Virginia, where the Vermonters were hit hard by disease. Wilder described the progress of the Peninsula Campaign in the spring of 1862, including the battles of Lee's Mill and Williamsburg. Also included is a letter from Sergeant Merrill Samson of Weybridge, Wilder's best friend in the army, giving an account of his death, and several letters of condolence to Wilder's family.

Horace Barlow Diary
Horace Barlow was born on May 30, 1842. Barlow graduated from the University of Vermont in 1862 and was a member of the Sigma Phi Society. On August 18th, 1862, Barlow enlisted in Company C of the 12th Regiment of the Vermont Volunteer Militia. While in Burlington, Vermont, he enlisted and then travelled south through Brattleboro, New Haven, Jersey City, Philidelphia, and Baltimore before arriving in Washington, D.C. Barlow's diary includes entries from his journey as well as his time spent at: Camp Seward; Hunting Creek Bridge; Camp Vermont; Fairfax, Virginia; W.R. Shoals; Rappahannock Station; Bristow Station; Union Mills; Wolf Run Shoals; as well as his return journey to Vermont. Barlow died on December 31, 1935 in Hudson, Wisconsin.

John Lester Barstow Correspondence
John L. Barstow’s letters, most written to his wife Laura, describe camp life at Ship Island, New Orleans, and various locations in the Louisiana countryside, and include comments on the attitudes and conduct of white and black civilians, as well as the leadership of Generals Nathaniel P. Banks, Benjamin F. Butler, and William B. Franklin. Barstow served as brigadier general of Provisional Forces in St. Albans, Vermont, after he left the Eighth Vermont in June 1864. He was elected Governor of Vermont in 1882.

John W. Campbell Correspondence
John Wood Campbell was born on October 16, 1823, in Rochester, Vermont, the son of Horace and Sally Campbell. John worked as both a mason and a farmer. He married Philinda Hubbard, the daughter of Abel and Susannah Hubbard, on Feburary 15, 1848. They had six children. Philinda Campbell died on July 26, 1878 and John W. died September 1, 1898, both in Rochester, Vermont. The correspondence consists of a letter from John W. Campbell at Camp Griffin, Va. to his family. It is addressed to his wife, Philinda Campbell.

John Wolcott Phelps Correspondence
John Wolcott Phelps was born in Guilford, Vermont and graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1836. On May 2, 1861, Phelps was appointed Colonel of the 1st Vermont Infantry and was mustered into U.S. service on May 8. He was promoted to brigadier general on May 27, 1861. General Phelps was stationed at Camp Parapet in Carrollton, seven miles from New Orleans. Many fugitive slaves arrived at the camp seeking refuge. Phelps sought to create three regiments of black soldiers, but his commanding officer, General Butler, ordered that they be made laborers. Unwilling to employ the Africans as mere laborers, General Phelps offered his resignation on August 21, 1862. General Butler refused to accept it. Later that August, General Phelps returned his commission to President Abraham Lincoln. Phelps went on to become the candidate for the American Party/Anti-Masonic Party for president in 1880. The collection includes 17 letters from family friend Gov. Frederick Holbrook and his son William C. Holbrook, major and later colonel of the 7th Vermont. Gov. Holbrook wrote about the recruitment of the 7th Vermont, the appointments of Colonel George T. Roberts, William Holbrook, and other officers, the character of Vermont soldiers, and his attempts to influence federal war policy. Both of the Holbrooks corresponded with Phelps about General Butler's censure of the 7th Vermont after the battle of Baton Rouge. Gov. Erastus Fairbanks wrote on similar topics, and about allegations of misconduct by surgeons in the 1st Vermont. Other correspondents include Senators Justin S. Morrill and George F. Edmunds, Congressman Frederick E. Woodbridge, and Capt. E.V.N. Hitchcock on the condition of the 7th Vermont at Santa Rosa Island in March 1863, Major Harry N. Worthen concerning sick soldiers of the 1st Vermont at Fort Monroe, and Capt. Charles W. Seaton of the 1st U.S. Sharpshooters, concerning the promotion of William Ripley to Lieutenant Colonel of that regiment.

Benjamin F. Parmenter Correspondence
Benjamin F. Parmenter of Mt. Holly, Vt., enlisted May 7, 1861 in the 2nd Vermont Regiment, Co. I. He deserted in September 1862, but returned and was discharged in January 1863 for disability. Parmenter's letters are written to one of his brothers. Parmenter's letters describe the first battle of Bull Run, his low opinions of his regiment's officers, and his growing disillusionment with the Army and its treatment of soldiers.

Joseph Chase Rutherford Correspondence
An 1849 graduate of Woodstock Medical College, Joseph Chase Rutherford practiced medicine in Blackstone, Massachussetts and Orleans County, Vermont. He was an examining surgeon of recruits early in the war, and he also invented a method of invisible writing that was used by the federal government during the war. Rutherford was commissioned from Newport on August 8th, 1862 and made an assistant surgeon of the 10th Vermont. He was promoted to surgeon of the 17th Vermont on March 6th, 1865. While operating on a soldier after the battle of Orange Grove, he developed an infection in his thumb that partially disabled him for the rest of his life. He returned home to his practice in Newport after the war.

Dr. Joseph C. Rutherford wrote faithfully to his wife Hannah from the time of his appointment as assistant surgeon of the Tenth Vermont Infantry in August 1862 to his mustering out as surgeon of the Seventeenth Vermont Infantry in July 1865. He informed her of his medical duties, his relations with the soldiers and officers, and news about soldiers from the Newport, Vermont area. Rutherford's letters convey a strong sense of pride in his work, but increasing frustration over his failure to win promotion, particularly after the severe battles of 1864. He finally received a commission as surgeon of the Seventeenth Vermont in March 1865. Rutherford described the battle of Orange Grove (Nov. 27, 1863) and Sheridan's Shenandoah campaign, but only one letter (May 17, 1864) survives from the nearly continuous fighting of May and June, 1864. Many of the letters contain advice to Mrs. Rutherford on financial matters and the treatment of their children's illnesses. Rutherford also expressed strong opinions about copperheads, traitors, and Southerners. The collection includes three letters from Edward Belville (d. 1864) of Derby, Vermont, a private in the Eighth Vermont Infantry. One of these (July 16, 1863) gives an account of the assault on Port Hudson, in which Belville was wounded.

Joseph L. Perkins Correspondence
Joseph L. Perkins was a University of Vermont student when he enlisted in Barre on May 2, 1861. He was private in Company H. of the 1st Vermont Infantry. Perkins married Abbie J. Peck on November 8, 1862 and returned to the University of Vermont where he graduated from the Medical College in 1867. He later became a dentist with a practice in St. Johnsbury. In his letter, Perkins reflects on the Constitution as well as women's equality with men.

Joseph Spafford Correspondence
Joseph Spafford served in the 4th and 16th Vermont Infantry Regiments. His letters are written to his mother and to his sister, M. Jane Spafford, in Upper Falls, Vt. (a village in Weathersfield), as well as to a friend, Homer White, in New York City. In his letters, Joseph Spafford writes of camp life including information about men from Weathersfield and surrounding towns. In a letter dated January 2, 1862 and marked confidential, Spafford writes very frankly about officers and the politics of promotion. He also writes of an opium user with the initial C. In other letters he describes troop movements, and gives information on sickness in the Regiment. He also writes of having his picture taken and of receiving newspapers and other items from home. In one of his letters while in the 16th Regiment, he describes how some soldiers collect souvenirs from battlefields, including human remains.

Justus F. Gale Correspondence
Justus F. Gale was born in 1837 to Jonas (1800-1874) and Abigail Albee Gale (1810-1869). He enlisted in Co. A of the 8th Regiment of Vermont Volunteers September 23, 1861 and died in Louisiana September 19, 1863 of chronic diarrhea. Gale's early letters describe his trip from Hyde Park, Vt through Stowe and Montpelier and finally down to Brattleboro. His later letters were written to his family from various posts in Louisiana until his death in 1863.

Lyman S. Williams Correspondence
Lyman S. Williams was born in Burlington, Vermont in December, 1839, the son of Warren and Caroline (Pennock) Williams. The family moved to Essex, Vermont before 1850. Lyman S. enlisted as on September 26, 1861 as a Corporal in Company I, Sixth Vermont Infantry Regiment and was mustered in on October 15, 1861. He rose through the ranks and was commissioned captain of Co. I of the 6th Vermont Regiment on November 12, 1864. He was mustered out June 26, 1865. He married Mary Mirandi Gorton of Essex, Vermont and in 1867 moved to Estherville, Iowa. He died there on June 29, 1905. The letters from Lyman S. Williams of the 6th Vermont Regiment are addressed to his father, Warren Williams, his mother, Caroline Williams, and his sister, Lois L. Williams. They discuss camp life, he election of officers, and the journey to Camp Griffen.

Orlando S. Turner Correspondence
Orlando S. Turner was born in November, 1839 in Duxbury, Vermont - the son of Joseph and Louisa (Cameron) Turner. He enlisted in Moretown as a Private in Co. D, 2nd Vermont Regiment, on May 7, 1861 and was promoted to Corporal on October 21, 1861. Turner re-enlisted on January 31, 1864 and was subsequently promoted to Sergeant on July 19, 1864 and then to 1st Sergeant on February 7, 1865. On June 7, 1865, he was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant and on July 15, 1865 was mustered out of service with the rank of 1st Sergeant. His correspondence consists of two letters written in July of 1861 describing Union troops in Washington D.C. and the Battle of Bull Run.

Roswell Farnham Correspondence
An 1849 graduate of the University of Vermont, Farnham taught school in lower Canada and northern Vermont while studying law. He was admitted to the Orange County Bar in 1857 and began a private practice. Farnham was commissioned from Bradford on May 1, 1861 as a 2nd lietenant in Co.D, 1st Vt. Infantry and mustered out August 15, 1861. He was later commissioned as a lieutenant colonel of the 12 Vt. on September 19, 1862. After returning to Vermont, Farnham was elected to the Vermont State Senate in 1868 and elected governor in 1880. The collection includes letters to family and friends during Farnham's service in the First and Twelfth Vermont Infantry regiments. The letters contain detailed descriptions of regimental activities, including a narrative of the Battle of Big Bethel, camp life at Wolf Run Shoals in Virginia, and the hard march to Gettysburg in June 1863. Some sketches and maps are included. Also included are four letters from Sergeant (later First Lieutenant) Ezekiel T. Johnson (Tenth Vermont Infantry) of Windsor, Vermont, three written from Camp Washburn, Brattleboro, where his regiment was mustered into U.S. service, and one (June 13, 1863) from White's Ford, Maryland, giving an account of a cavalry skirmish. A letter (May 31, 1863) to Mrs. Mary Farnham from Private Nelson J. Rogers (Twelfth Vermont Infantry) describes regimental activities and the Confederate attack on a train near the camp of the Twelfth Vermont.

Solomon G. Heaton Correspondence
Solomon G. Heaton enlisted from Brighton on April 22, 1861 as a private in Company D, 3rd Vermont Regiment. He reenlisted on December 21, 1863. Heaton was wounded at Spotsylvania on May 12, 1864 and was mortally wounded on Cold Harbor on June 3rd, 1864. He died three days later on June 6th. Eleven letters from Private Heaton to his parents in Island Pond, Vermont. Heaton wrote about day-to-day activities and the poor treatment he received from some of the officers. On one occasion, he wrote, his division was paraded to witness the branding of two deserters.

Valentine G. Barney Correspondence
Valentine G. Barney of Swanton, Vt., was commissioned sergeant on May 2, 1861 in Co. A of the 1st Vermont Regiment. He was mustered out August 15, 1861. He was then commissioned captain of the 9th Vermont Regiment, Co. A, June 14, 1862; and lieutenant colonel of the 9th Vermont Regiment, on May 24, 1863. He was mustered out June 13, 1865. In his correspondence, Barney describes the capture of Belle Boyd, Camp Sigel, the surrender at Harper's Ferry, parole camps Tyler and Douglas at Chicago, Confederate prisoners at Camp Douglas, the Army of the James, and the occupation of Richmond. Barney was in the 9th Vermont Regiment and led the first troops to enter Richmond.

Wheelock Graves Veazey Correspondence
Wheelock Graves Veazey was born in Brentwood, New Hampshire on December 5, 1835 and attended Phillips Exeter Academy, Dartmouth College, and Albany Law School before being admitted to the Vermont Bar in December 1860. He then began a law practice in Springfield, Vermont. When the Civil War began, Veazey enlisted as a private in Company A of the 3rd Vermont Infantry. He eventually attained the rank of lieutenant colonel before helping to form the 16th Vermont Infantry in 1862. As colonel of the 16th Vermont Infantry, he commanded soldiers in the Battle of Gettysburg. Wheelock Graves Veazey later received the Medal of Honor for his actions at Gettysburg. Upon returning to Vermont, Veazey resumed his law career and was eventually elected Reporter of the Decisions of the Supreme Court of Vermont. He was then elected to the Vermont State Senate in 1872 and was appointed a Registrar in Bankruptcy. Veazey served as a delegate-at-large to the Republican National Convention in 1876, and the Legislature elected him a judge of the Vermont Supreme Court in 1879. Veazey died on March 22, 1898 at the age of 62. Veazey's letters include descriptions of his regiment, their marches, a put-down riot, and other officers and regiments. Also included are sentiments to his wife, his ethical thoughts on the war, and predictions about upcoming events and battles.

William C. Holbrook Correspondence
The son of Vermont Governor Frederick Holbrook, William C. Holbrook left his job as a clerk in Boston at the outbreak of the war to help raise a regiment of infantry. He was commissioned first lieutenant in Company F, 4th Vermont Infantry, but left the regiment for a promotion to Major in the 7th Vermont Infantry in January, 1862. Holbrook was commissioned colonel of the 7th after the death of Col. George T. Roberts in August 1862. He resigned from the 7th in June, 1865. After the war’s end, he studied law at Hrvard, graduating in 1869, and became a lawyer in New York City. He won an appointment as judge of the Court of Special Session in 1895. Holbrook's letters follow the 7th from Vermont to the Gulf Department, where the regiment served under General Benjamin Butler. Most of the letters were written to Gov. Holbrook during the summer of 1862, and contain recommendations for promotions and comments on the conduct of the war. The major topic is General Butler's condemnation of the 7th after the battle of Baton Rouge on August 5, 1862. Holbrook demanded and received a court of inquiry on the affair, and the regiment was largely exonerated, though it remained under a cloud of censure ever after. Included is a letter from Governor J. Gregory Smith (who succeeded Governor Holbrook) concerning a proposal to brigade the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th Vermont regiments. Also, two letters from Lieutenant Colonel Volney Fullam concerning replacements for officers killed or incapacitated, and a letter from former Brigadier General John W. Phelps (Oct. 3, 1862) on the necessity of war to resolve the slavery issue.

William Wirt Henry Correspondence
William Wirt Henry was born on November 21, 1831, in Waterbury, Vermont, the eldest child of James Madison Henry (1809-1863) and Matilda Gale Henry (1811-1888). William Wirt Henry was educated in the schools of Waterbury and spent one term at People's Academy in Morrisville. William taught school for one winter (1849-50) in Wolcott, Vermont, and then caught "gold fever" and moved to California to seek his fortune. He returned to Vermont in 1857 and joined his father's druggist business, J. M. Henry & Sons. In 1861 he sold his interest in the business and enlisted as a first lieutenant in Co. D of the Second Vermont Volunteers. He resigned November 5, 1861, and then reenlisted as a major in the Tenth Vermont Infantry. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in November 1862 and to colonel in June 1864. He resigned December 17, 1864, and was made brevet brigadier general on March 7, 1865. He was wounded in the battles of Cold Harbor and Cedar Creek. After he returned from war, William Wirt Henry rejoined the family business, then known as John F. Henry & Co., manufacturer of patent medicines. William served in the Vermont Senate from Washington County in 1865-1868, and from Chittenden County in 1888-1889. He was mayor of Burlington from 1887 to 1889. He served for seven years as U.S Marshall for the District of Vermont and was a U.S. Immigration Inspector. From 1897 until 1907 he was the American Consul in Quebec. William W. Henry died August 31, 1915, at the age of 83. He is buried at Lake View Cemetery in Burlington, Vermont. Henry's correspondence contains letters between Henry and his wife and family. The letters address family concerns, his health, casualties from friendly fire, kindness fro Col. Stannard, and an artillery review by General McClellan.