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.

List

Gallery

Information

Showing 1 - 10 of 18 Records

Relevance Title (A-Z) Title (Z-A) Year (0-9) Year (9-0)
10 25 50 100
Active filters
Subject Topic Merge: Pillage.   Remove all  

18 text
Miniature of Valentine G. Barney to Maria Barney
Valentine G. Barney to Maria Barney
Image nop
    • Creator: Barney, Valentine G., 1834-1889.
    • Date Created: 1863-07-27
    • Description: A description of the regiment's difficult expedition to commandeer & capture guerrilla fighters, horses & weapons. Negroes pressed into service as guides. Mentions can't get horses so must confiscate them. Women cried when horses taken. Took a trip to a local ten acre peach orchard, eating many & taking some to camp. Requests white handkerchiefs.
    • Parent Collections: Vermonters in the Civil War, Valentine G. Barney Correspondence
    Miniature of Justus F. Gale to Sister
    Justus F. Gale to Sister
    Image nop
      • Creator: Gale, Justus F., 1837-1863.
      • Date Created: 1862-07-18
      • Description: Topics include the good health of Justus Gale, the food available at Algiers including confiscated beef from the locals, standing guard for 12 hour shifts, killing alligators, writes of some of his comrades, the sickness of Sargent 2nd Class.Chas. C. Martin with inflammation of the bowels, the capture of Richmond and Vicksburg, mentions Confederate Gen. G. T. Beauregard, receiving a copy of the Green Mountain Freeman and refers to his religious faith.
      • Parent Collections: Vermonters in the Civil War, Justus F. Gale Correspondence
      Miniature of Valentine G. Barney to Maria Barney
      Valentine G. Barney to Maria Barney
      Image nop
        • Creator: Barney, Valentine G., 1834-1889.
        • Date Created: 1862-08-13
        • Description: Topics include the death of two men from the Burlington company, news of the Battle at Culpeper, Capt BeBee of Burlington ill and sent home, and the death of Captain Brooks by the Rebels, confiscating doors from a building inside one of Johnson's abandoned forts to be used as a floor in Barney's tent and a drawing of Barney's encampment.
        • Parent Collections: Vermonters in the Civil War, Valentine G. Barney Correspondence
        Miniature of William Wirt Henry to Mary Jane Henry
        William Wirt Henry to Mary Jane Henry
        Image nop
          • Creator: Henry, William Wirt, 1831-1915.
          • Date Created: 1861-10-16
          • Description: Writes of feeling better from eating to many chestnuts, took Hibbards Pills, rustling cattle, pickets meeting up with Rebels with some, mentions friends and family life, misses his wife and young daughter Mollie.
          • Parent Collections: Vermonters in the Civil War, William Wirt Henry Correspondence
          Miniature of Valentine G. Barney to Maria Barney
          Valentine G. Barney to Maria Barney
          Image nop
            • Creator: Barney, Valentine G., 1834-1889.
            • Date Created: 1861-05-26
            • Description: Topics include the arrival of the Troy Regiment and the New York Zouaves, runaway slaves, a false alarm set off by the Troy Regiment, Mass 4th Regiment being arrested for pillage and plundering, requests for postage stamps and photographs of his family
            • Parent Collections: Vermonters in the Civil War, Valentine G. Barney Correspondence
            Miniature of Ransom W. Towle to Family and Friends
            Ransom W. Towle to Family and Friends
            Image nop
              • Creator: Towle, Ransom W., d. 1864.
              • Date Created: 1862-01-29
              • Description: Towle writes to parents and friends from Camp Griffin in Virginia about foraging for wood by tearing down fences, desolation of the countryside due to the war, Southerners pretending Union sympathies so as to not be driven from their homes, of the mud, and of making a pipe for smoking from the root of a Laurel tree.
              • Parent Collections: Vermonters in the Civil War, Ransom W. Towle Correspondence
              Miniature of Joseph Rutherford to [Hannah Rutherford]
              Joseph Rutherford to [Hannah Rutherford]
              Image nop
                • Creator: Rutherford, Joseph Chase, 1818-1902.
                • Date Created: 1863-07-19
                • Description: Writing from in the field up in the mountains near Snickers Gap, Virginia topics include marching to catch Gen. Robert E. Lee, pillage of livestock for food by some of the soldiers that include chickens and hogs from nearby farms as well as having fresh blackberries, sleeping on the wet ground, spending time looking at photographs of loved ones and poking fun at themselves in harsh living conditions.
                • Parent Collections: Vermonters in the Civil War, Joseph Chase Rutherford Correspondence
                Miniature of Lyman Barton to Melissa Barton
                Lyman Barton to Melissa Barton
                Image nop
                  • Creator: Barton, Lyman, 1839-1936.
                  • Date Created: 1863-08-02
                  • Description: Lyman writes about wishing to receive more letters from his sister, as he is lonely in camp, even though it sounds like he is enjoying himself. He points out the battles printed on the bottom of the writing paper he is using, saying that he was in the last four of them. The letter continues with a detailed description of the movements of his Brigade. He also mentions ‚Äúconfiscating‚Äù a beef, writing that soldiers don‚Äôt steal, only confiscate and the only difficulty was getting the beef into the camp.
                  • Parent Collections: Vermonters in the Civil War, Barton Family Correspondence
                  Miniature of [Henry Harrison Wilder] to Mother
                  [Henry Harrison Wilder] to Mother
                  Image nop
                    • Creator: Wilder, Henry Harrison.
                    • Date Created: 1861-12-11
                    • Description: Henry writes from Camp Griffin, Va of the regiment's scouting expedition, of Capt. Stowell's company, of obtaining two hogs from a pen, of the fact that the captain is not very liked and that Lt. Hamilton is well liked by the company. Cautions his mother against being bothered about hear say.
                    • Parent Collections: Vermonters in the Civil War, Henry Harrison Wilder Correspondence
                    Miniature of Report of property found in the several companies of the 1st Vermont Regiment…
                    Report of property found in the several companies of the 1st Vermont Regiment…
                    Image nop
                      • Creator: Farnham, Roswell, 1827-1903.
                      • Date Created: 1861-06-24
                      • Description: List compiled by Farnham of items found or stolen from citizens by soldiers during a campaign.
                      • Parent Collections: Vermonters in the Civil War, Roswell Farnham Correspondence