July
1, 1863, 8:00pm Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
"An
arduous day’s march, and the commencement of real fighting,
characterized the day. The civilians seem bewildered and terrified,
yet fascinated by the novelty and style of the soldiers."
July
7, 1863, 2:00pm Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. NEW!
"The Governor called upon 5,000 additional volunteers, including home guard, to assist in quelling the Rebellion, both in the South and here at home."
July
8, 1863, 9:00pm Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. NEW!
"Here and there, a widow in black regalia passes me on the street, a poignant reminder of the grim finger of War and its touch on the local hearth."
September 4, 1863, Washington City, District of Columbia. NEW!
"General Meade’s recent victory at Gettysburg has buoyed the morale of the Army, inspiring ceaselessly buzzing rumors of an early end to the War, transforming Capitol Hill and the various Division headquarters into veritable hornets’ nests of excitement."
November
6, 1863, Bohemian Bgde. Headquarters
(Harris Mansion), Chattanooga, Tennessee.
"An
Ohio picket was given the lash yesterday for being caught
trading with his Johnnie counterparts, exchanging his hardtack
for their chaw. He is said to have uttered a witticism prior
to his punishment to the effect of 'That Georgia juice was
well worth the Provost's caress.' "
November
30, 1863, 4:30pm Army Rail
Depot, Nashville, Tennessee.
"A
manly shout, audible to all of us on Orchard Knob, arose from
the blue ranks, and the colors fluttered up the hill, with
brave hands lifting the flag when a Rebel aim on the color
guard found its mark."
Monday,
April 25, 1864, 8:00pm Near
Culpeper Court House, Virginia In the field with the Army
of the Potomac.
"I
left Washington this morning with General Burnside’s
IX Army Corps, 30,000 strong, which took six hours to march
in columns past President Lincoln and General Burnside himself
as they stood on the Willard balcony with heads uncovered
in salute."
"It
was quite a sight to behold, with the great serpent of blue
snaking its way through the shallow waters amidst the whistles
and cursing of the teamsters, the creak of the wagons and
whinnies of the horses, and the endless clickety-clack of
carbine against saddle and tin cup against cartridge belt."
Sunday,
May 15, 1864, 7:00 p.m. Gen. Barlow’s
HQ, 1st Div., II Corps, near Spotsylvania Courthouse,
Virginia.
"Before
I could organize my thoughts on what to do next, a volley
of musketry erupted from the left, and a bullet caught the
head of the Rebel horseman whose saddle I shared, spattering
his blood and brains across the left side of my face and
hurling us both to the ground."
June
19, 1864 Petersburg, Virginia.
"The
soldiery amuse themselves in their off-duty hours (which
are few and far between, given the nature of the contest
here) with such diversions as rat fighting (placing two
unfortunate rodent captives in a carved off barrel and throwing
a piece of meat between them), boxing, base, and hoisting
their caps on bayonets to catch the Minie balls of the Rebel
sharpshooters."
September 5, 1864, Near Petersburg, Virginia. NEW!
"An entire battery of regular army artillery surrenders to the Rebels, and I rush to the left with the pell-mell of Union soldiers who collapse into the left front."
September 25, 1864, Near Petersburg, Virginia, 5pm. NEW!
"A major movement along the Confederate left this morning – our boys advanced in two battalions and encountered a brigade of Virginians under a General McLaren, ensconced in a cornfield, behind a low stone wall."
September 26, 1864, City Point, Virginia, 9:15am. NEW!
"Reinforcements continue to arrive from Washington; a fresh brigade from Pennsylvania and a “paper box” artillery regiment from Rhode Island marched into camp this morning, fresh from the steamer flotilla."
October 17, 1864, City Point, Virginia, 8:30am. NEW!
"All races of Americans have rightfully claimed a part of this glorious national enterprise, as all share in the bounties of a Federal victory – and the disappointments of a defeat."
November 6, 1864, Near Burgess Mill, West of Petersburg, Virginia, 9am. NEW!
"The Confederates are entrenched along a four to five-mile front of earthworks, which are clearly visible from this position, on a slight rise to the north of us."
April
17, 1865 Appomattox Court House,
Virginia.
"The
work of rebuilding our bruised and shattered nation will
not be an easy one, particularly in the wake of President
Lincoln’s murder, which occurred at
Ford’s Theatre in Washington two nights ago. This
intelligence was nearly impossible to bear, after the sacrifice
of so much blood and treasure to accomplish his fondest
dreams, viz., the restoration of the Union and freedom for
the slave."
Mr.
Davis and the Confederate Battalion Commander, Captain Tom Atkins.
