Vermonters in the Civil War
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 1861-1865. 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) are included; each adds a certain experience and point of view to the whole.
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.
Showing 821 - 830 of 1339 Records
Joseph Rutherford to [Hannah Rutherford]
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- Creator: Rutherford, Joseph Chase, 1818-1902.
- Date Created: 1862-12-06
- Description: Rutherford writes a description of Thanksgiving dinner in camp prepared with the help of the officers' wives, a reference to John Piper his "orderly", of soldiers plans to steal a gun from a neighboring farmer in order to get some turkeys and chickens for the holiday meal, of their arrest, the unpleasant weather, of Rutherford being jaundice and of his black boy Moses being sick and likely to die.
- Parent Collections: Vermonters in the Civil War, Joseph Chase Rutherford Correspondence
Joseph Rutherford to [Hannah Rutherford]
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- Creator: Rutherford, Joseph Chase, 1818-1902.
- Date Created: 1862-12-29
- Description: Topics include Christmas at Camp Jewett, southern hospitality, the enemy crossing the river to Harrisons Island, and the holding of a council of war.
- Parent Collections: Vermonters in the Civil War, Joseph Chase Rutherford Correspondence
Joseph Rutherford to [Hannah Rutherford]
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- Creator: Rutherford, Joseph Chase, 1818-1902.
- Date Created: 1863-04-22
- Description: Topics include a violent confrontation with a very drunken soldier resulting in kicks exchanged, a storm, the expectation for the regiment not to march as originally thought, his favorable impression of Dr. Childe's wife, Rutherford's longing to be with his family, and the expectation of going to Washington the next day to hopefully receive pay.
- Parent Collections: Vermonters in the Civil War, Joseph Chase Rutherford Correspondence
Joseph Rutherford to [Hannah Rutherford]
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- Creator: Rutherford, Joseph Chase, 1818-1902.
- Date Created: 1863-06-21
- Description: Two letters dated June 21st and 23rd with topics including a description of hearing an exchange of fire where the Union army was engaged in battle with the Confederates and the Union beating the Rebels, a visit to Campbell Hospital in Washington, D.C., meeting and chatting with Mrs. Jane Grey Cannon Swisshelm (American journalist, publisher, abolitionist, women's rights advocate who during the war devoted her time to nursing the wounded and was called Mother by the men), his praise of her, and how to deal with Mr. Coburn at home who has not paid his debt.
- Parent Collections: Vermonters in the Civil War, Joseph Chase Rutherford Correspondence
Joseph Rutherford to [Hannah Rutherford]
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- Creator: Rutherford, Joseph Chase, 1818-1902.
- Date Created: 1863-09-23
- Description: Topics include prepared to move out with 8 days rations but does not know to where, may be sent to Washington with the sick, letters to Rutherford's children that include Jacob, Kittie, Maria and Jovis.
- Parent Collections: Vermonters in the Civil War, Joseph Chase Rutherford Correspondence
Joseph Rutherford to [Hannah Rutherford]
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- Creator: Rutherford, Joseph Chase, 1818-1902.
- Date Created: 1863-10-01
- Description: Topics include reflections, his 45th birthday today, a reference to their first born son & if he was living how he would have liked to have the son with him, looking at photographs of his wife & of opening a letter with a lock of hair in it, Col. Jewett having talked with Gov. Holbrook about Rutherford & him being worthy of a promotion, and his marked opinion of not wanting a woman as a camp follower as a laundress or as a seamstress as Mrs. Fields is wishing to go with the army.
- Parent Collections: Vermonters in the Civil War, Joseph Chase Rutherford Correspondence
Joseph Rutherford to [Hannah Rutherford]
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- Creator: Rutherford, Joseph Chase, 1818-1902.
- Date Created: 1863-10-09
- Description: Topics include the railroad (Iron horse) in Rutherford’s hometown (Newport, Vt.?), cautioning keeping the children away from the railroad cars, daughter Helen and a Mrs. Bachelder are sick, pleasantly surprised over the low cost of the water well dug at home, the importance of receiving letters from home often, of a grand review of the troops and the prospect of a fight as the Confederate officer J.E.B. Stuart is to the rear & a part of the division has been sent to stop his advance.
- Parent Collections: Vermonters in the Civil War, Joseph Chase Rutherford Correspondence
Joseph Rutherford to [Hannah Rutherford]
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- Creator: Rutherford, Joseph Chase, 1818-1902.
- Date Created: 1863-12-13
- Description: Topics include a his experiences on November 27th in the Battle of Mine Run that took place near Locust Grove (Orange County, Virginia), meager food for Thanksgiving meal, marching to the forest known as the "Wilderness", the way in which the wounded were cared for, praise for Capt. Steele and the service all the men did for their country.
- Parent Collections: Vermonters in the Civil War, Joseph Chase Rutherford Correspondence
Joseph Rutherford to [Hannah Rutherford]
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- Creator: Rutherford, Joseph Chase, 1818-1902.
- Date Created: 1864-03-02
- Description: Dr. Almon Clark returns to camp & will lighten Rutherford's work load & help improve his health, dining with Vermont Governor J. Gregory Smith, telling of troop movements & destinations, improving weather, sending money home with instructions to spend it on necessities as military pay is unpredictable, and an enclosing picture of the camp.
- Parent Collections: Vermonters in the Civil War, Joseph Chase Rutherford Correspondence
Joseph Rutherford to [Hannah Rutherford]
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- Creator: Rutherford, Joseph Chase, 1818-1902.
- Date Created: 1864-04-05
- Description: Topics include relief that the children are well, Hannah attending a Sugar party, discussion about military pay, gift of a maple cake from a sick soldier he attended, of a news article written by Rutherford entitled "Relation between Citizen and Soldier.
- Parent Collections: Vermonters in the Civil War, Joseph Chase Rutherford Correspondence