Contents

Preface

Introduction

Edmund DeWitt Patterson: Journal, January 20, 1863

Picket Duty and Snowballs: Virginia, January 1863

Theodore A. Dodge: Journal, January 21–24, 1863

The Mud March: Virginia, January 1863

Henry Adams to Charles Francis Adams Jr., January 23, 1863

Emancipation and Public Opinion: London, January 1863

George G. Meade to Margaret Meade, January 23, 26, and 28, 1863

A Change in Command: Virginia, January 1863

Abraham Lincoln to Joseph Hooker, January 26, 1863

Advising a New Commander: Washington, D.C., January 1863

John A. Andrew to Francis Shaw, January 30, 1863

Raising a Black Regiment: Massachusetts, January 1863

William Parker Cutler: Diary, February 2 and 9, 1863

Debating Black Soldiers: Washington, D.C., February 1863

George Templeton Strong: Diary, February 3–5, 1863

“These be dark blue days”: New York, February 1863

Oliver W. Norton to Edwin Norton, February 6, 1863

“The soldier’s pest”: Virginia, February 1863

Robert E. Lee to Mary Lee, February 8, 1863

Short Rations: Virginia, February 1863

Robert Gould Shaw to Annie Haggerty, February 8, 1863

Accepting a Colonelcy: Virginia, February 1863

Richard Cobden to Charles Sumner, February 13, 1863

Emancipation and Intervention: London, February 1863

Isaac Funk: Speech in the Illinois State Senate, February 14, 1863

“These traitors right here”: Springfield, February 1863

Taylor Peirce to Catharine Peirce, February 16, 1863

“His wife crying over him”: Missouri, February 1863

William T. Sherman to Thomas Ewing Sr., February 17, 1863, and to John Sherman, February 18, 1863

The Menace of the Press: Louisiana, February 1863

Clement L. Vallandigham: Speech in Congress, February 23, 1863

Opposing Conscription: Washington, D.C., February 1863

Samuel W. Fiske to the Springfield Republican, February 25, 1863

“Vile and traitorous resolutions”: Virginia, February 1863

Charles C. Jones Jr. to Charles C. Jones Sr. and Mary Jones, March 3, 1863

Defending Fort McAllister: Georgia, March 1863

Charles C. Jones Sr. to Charles C. Jones Jr., March 4, 1863

“Fight more manfully than ever”: Georgia, March 1863

Harriet Jacobs to Lydia Maria Child, March 18, 1863

Black Refugees: Virginia, March 1863

William Henry Harrison Clayton to Nide and Rachel Pugh, March 26, 1863

Unionist Refugees: Missouri, March 1863

Henry W. Halleck to Ulysses S. Grant, March 31, 1863

Withdrawing Slaves from the Enemy: Washington, D.C., March 1863

Frederick Law Olmsted to John Olmsted, April 1, 1863

The Army before Vicksburg: Louisiana, March 1863

Frederick Douglass: Why Should a Colored Man Enlist?, April 1863

“A war for Emancipation”: April 1863

Jefferson Davis to William M. Brooks, April 2, 1863

Defending General Pemberton: Virginia, April 1863

John B. Jones: Diary, April 2–4, 1863

The Richmond Bread Riot: Virginia, April 1863

Whitelaw Reid to the Cincinnati Gazette, April 4, 1863

The Necessity of Fighting: April 1863

Charles S. Wainwright: Diary, April 5–12, 1863

Lincoln Reviews the Army: Virginia, April 1863

Francis Lieber: No Party Now, But All for Our Country, April 11, 1863

Loyalty to the Nation: New York, April 1863

Catharine Peirce to Taylor Peirce, April 12, 1863

Home and Family News: Iowa, April 1863

James A. Connolly to Mary Dunn Connolly, April 20, 1863

“Fighting goes like fortunes”: Tennessee, April 1863

Ulysses S. Grant to Jesse Root Grant, April 21, 1863

“I am doing my best”: Louisiana, April 1863

David Hunter to Jefferson Davis, April 23, 1863

Threatening Retaliation: South Carolina, April 1863

Kate Stone: Journal, April 25, 1863

“A night and day of terror”: Louisiana, March–April 1863

Wilbur Fisk to The Green Mountain Freeman, April 26, 1863

Waiting to March: Virginia, April 1863

John Hampden Chamberlayne to Martha Burwell Chamberlayne, April 30, 1863

“Rain, mud, & night”: Virginia, April 1863

Sarah Morgan: Diary, April 30, 1863

Expelling “enemies”: Louisiana, April 1863

Samuel Pickens: Diary, May 1–3, 1863

Battle of Chancellorsville: Virginia, May 1863

Jedediah Hotchkiss: Journal, May 2–6, 1863

“Disorder reigned supreme”: Virginia, May 1863

Taylor Peirce to Catharine Peirce, May 4, 1863

Battle of Port Gibson: Mississippi, May 1863

Catherine Edmondston: Diary, May 5–7, 9, and 11–12, 1863

“The nation’s idol”: North Carolina, May 1863

Charles F. Morse to His Family, May 7, 1863

“The great Joe Hooker”: Virginia, May 1863

Samuel W. Fiske to the Springfield Republican, May 9 and 11, 1863

“Disgraceful and disastrous defeat”: Virginia, May 1863

Charles B. Wilder: Testimony before the American Freedmen’s Inquiry Commission, May 9, 1863

Escaping Slavery: Virginia, May 1863

Thomas Wentworth Higginson: Journal, May 10, 1863

Commanding a Black Regiment: South Carolina, May 1863

Edward O. Guerrant: Diary, May 15, 1863

Mourning Stonewall Jackson: Kentucky, May 1863

George Richard Browder: Diary, May 17–26, 1863

Swearing Allegiance: Kentucky, May 1863

Harper’s Weekly: The Arrest of Vallandigham, May 30, 1863

“The people can be trusted”: New York, May 1863

Oliver W. Norton to Elizabeth Norton Poss, June 8, 1863

Meeting “Secesh” Civilians: Virginia, June 1863

Robert Gould Shaw to Annie Haggerty Shaw, June 9–13, 1863

The Burning of Darien: Georgia, June 1863

William Winters to Harriet Winters, June 9, 1863

Siege of Vicksburg: Mississippi, June 1863

Matthew M. Miller to His Aunt, June 10, 1863

Battle of Milliken’s Bend: Louisiana, June 1863

Robert E. Lee to Jefferson Davis, June 10, 1863

“Dividing and weakening” the North: Virginia, June 1863

William T. Sherman to John T. Swayne, June 11, 1863

“The hand of destruction”: Mississippi, June 1863

Henry C. Whelan to Mary Whelan, June 11, 1863

Battle of Brandy Station: Virginia, June 1863

Abraham Lincoln to Erastus Corning and Others, June 12, 1863

The Constitution in Wartime: Washington, D.C., June 1863

William Henry Harrison Clayton to Amos and Grace Clayton, June 18, 1863, and to George Washington Clayton and John Quincy Adams Clayton, June 28, 1863

The Vicksburg Siege Continues: Mississippi, June 1863

Charles B. Haydon: Journal, June 20, 1863

“A soldier never knows”: Mississippi, June 1863

William T. Sherman to Ellen Ewing Sherman, June 27, 1863

“They have sowed the wind”: Mississippi, June 1863

Edmund DeWitt Patterson: Journal, June 24–30, 1863

Invading the North: Maryland and Pennsylvania, June 1863

Lafayette McLaws to Emily McLaws, June 28, 1863

“A very different race”: Pennsylvania, June 1863

Alpheus S. Williams to Irene and Mary Williams, June 29, 1863

Changing Commanders: Maryland, June 1863

Samuel W. Fiske to the Springfield Republican, June 30, 1863

“This business of war”: Maryland, June 1863

Arthur James Lyon Fremantle: Diary, July 1–4, 1863

Battle of Gettysburg: Pennsylvania, July 1863

Samuel Pickens: Diary, July 1–3, 1863

“What terrible work”: Pennsylvania, July 1863

Francis Adams Donaldson: Narrative of Gettysburg, July 2–3, 1863

“This trial of the nerves”: Pennsylvania, July 1863

Elizabeth Blair Lee to Samuel Phillips Lee, July 3 and 4–5, 1863

News of Gettysburg: Washington, D.C., July 1863

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain to George B. Herendeen, July 6, 1863

Defending Little Round Top: Pennsylvania, July 1863

Henry Livermore Abbott to Josiah Gardner Abbott, July 6, 1863

Defeating Pickett’s Charge: Pennsylvania, July 1863

Lafayette McLaws to Emily McLaws, July 7, 1863

“A series of terrible engagements”: Pennsylvania, July 1863

Cornelia Hancock to Her Cousin, July 7, 1863, and to Ellen Hancock Child, July 8, 1863

A Nurse at Gettysburg: Pennsylvania, July 1863

Catharine Peirce to Taylor Peirce, July 5, 1863

Celebrating the Fourth: Iowa, July 1863

William Henry Harrison Clayton to Amos and Grace Clayton, July 5, 1863

Vicksburg Surrenders: Mississippi, July 1863

William T. Sherman to Ellen Ewing Sherman, July 5, 1863

“The event of the war”: Mississippi, July 1863

William Winters to Harriet Winters, July 6, 1863

A “forlorn and forsaken” place: Mississippi, July 1863

Benjamin B. French: Journal, July 8, 1863

“The glorious result”: Washington, D.C., July 1863

Catherine Edmondston: Diary, July 8–11, 1863

War News and Rumors: North Carolina, July 1863

George Hamilton Perkins to Susan G. Perkins, July 29, 1863

Fighting on the Mississippi: Louisiana, July 1863

Charles B. Haydon: Journal, July 11, 1863

“I must die very soon”: Mississippi, July 1863

John Hay: Diary, July 11–15, 1863

“The Prest was deeply grieved”: Washington, D.C., July 1863

Abraham Lincoln to Ulysses S. Grant, July 13, 1863

Acknowledging a Victory: Washington, D.C., July 1863

Abraham Lincoln to George G. Meade, July 14, 1863

“Your golden opportunity is gone”: Washington, D.C., July 1863

Samuel Pickens: Diary, July 14, 1863

Crossing the Potomac: Maryland and West Virginia, July 1863

George Templeton Strong: Diary, July 13–17, 1863

The Draft Riots: New York, July 1863

Emma Holmes: Diary, July 16–19, 1863

Battle of Charleston Harbor: South Carolina, July 1863

Walter H. Taylor to Richard Taylor, July 17, 1863

“We crippled them severely”: Virginia, July 1863

James Henry Gooding to the New Bedford Mercury, July 20, 1863

Battle of Fort Wagner: South Carolina, July 1863

Lewis Douglass to Amelia Loguen, July 20, 1863

“Not a man flinched”: South Carolina, July 1863

Charlotte Forten: Journal, July 20–24, 1863

Mourning Colonel Shaw: South Carolina, July 1863

Maria Lydig Daly: Diary, July 23, 1863

“Four days of great anxiety”: New York, July 1863

Herman Melville: The House-top

“The Atheist roar of riot”: New York, July 1863

Henry Adams to Charles Francis Adams Jr., July 23, 1863

News of Victory: London, July 1863

George G. Meade to Henry W. Halleck, July 31, 1863

Justifying a Decision: Virginia, July 1863

Robert E. Lee to Jefferson Davis, July 31, 1863

“I am alone to blame”: Virginia, July 1863

Hannah Johnson to Abraham Lincoln, July 31, 1863

“What is right”: New York, July 1863

Frederick Douglass to George L. Stearns, August 1, 1863

Refusing to Recruit: New York, August 1863

Frederick Douglass: The Commander-in-Chief and His Black Soldiers, August 1863

Demanding Retaliation: New York, August 1863

Walt Whitman to Lewis Kirk Brown, August 1, 11, and 15, 1863

Visiting the Wounded: Washington, D.C., August 1863

George E. Stephens to the Weekly Anglo-African, August 7, 1863

Demanding Equal Pay: South Carolina, August 1863

Robert E. Lee to Jefferson Davis, August 8, 1863

An Offer to Resign: Virginia, August 1863

Jefferson Davis to Robert E. Lee, August 11, 1863

Refusing a Resignation: Virginia, August 1863

Wilbur Fisk to The Green Mountain Freeman, August 10, 1863

Pillaging Wood: Virginia, August 1863

Frederick Douglass to George L. Stearns, August 12, 1863

Meeting the President: Washington, D.C., August 1863

William H. Neblett to Elizabeth Scott Neblett, August 18, 1863

Demoralization at Galveston: Texas, August 1863

Richard Cordley: Narrative of the Lawrence Massacre

“Such a scene of horror”: Kansas, August 1863

Ulysses S. Grant to Abraham Lincoln, August 23, 1863

The Impact of Black Troops: Illinois, August 1863

Jonathan Worth to Jesse G. Henshaw, August 24, 1863

Peace Meetings: North Carolina, August 1863

John M. Schofield to Thomas Ewing Jr., August 25, 1863

“The most radical remedy”: Missouri, August 1863

Abraham Lincoln to James C. Conkling, August 26, 1863

Emancipation and Black Soldiers: Washington, D.C., August 1863

Ulysses S. Grant to Elihu B. Washburne, August 30, 1863

“Slavery is already dead”: Mississippi, August 1863

Charles Francis Adams to Lord Russell, September 5, 1863

The Laird Rams: London, September 1863

Charles C. Jones Jr. to Mary Jones, September 6 and 9, 1863

The Siege of Charleston: South Carolina, September 1863

Raphael Semmes: Journal, September 16–24, 1863

The Raider Alabama: Cape Colony, September 1863

William T. Sherman to Henry W. Halleck, September 17, 1863

Reconstruction: Mississippi, September 1863

William W. Heartsill: Journal, September 17–28, 1863

Battle of Chickamauga: Georgia, September 1863

John S. Jackman: Diary, September 18–21, 1863

“Lying so thick over the field”: Georgia, September 1863

Kate Cumming: Journal, September 28–October 1, 1863

“The nameless dead”: Georgia, September-October 1863

Jefferson Davis: Speech at Missionary Ridge, October 10, 1863

Tennessee, October 1863

Oliver W. Norton to Elizabeth Norton Poss, October 15, 1863

Becoming an Officer: Washington, D.C., October 1863

Jefferson Davis: Speech at Wilmington, November 5, 1863

North Carolina, November 1863

Walter H. Taylor to Bettie Saunders, November 15, 1863

“We have no fears”: Virginia, November 1863

Cornelia Hancock to an Unknown Correspondent, November 15, 1863

Contraband Hospital: Washington, D.C., November 1863

John Hay: Diary, November 18–19, 1863

A Trip to Gettysburg: Pennsylvania, November 1863

Abraham Lincoln: Address at Gettysburg, November 19, 1863

Pennsylvania, November 1863

Petition from the Colored Citizens of Beaufort, November 20, 1863

Protesting Impressment: North Carolina, November 1863

William Wrenshall Smith: Journal, November 13–25, 1863

Battle of Chattanooga: Tennessee, November 1863

Montgomery C. Meigs: Journal, November 23–25, 1863

“Wild with excitement”: Tennessee, November 1863

James A. Connolly to Mary Dunn Connolly, November 26 and December 7, 1863

“The grandest sight I ever saw”: Tennessee and Georgia, November 1863

Theodore Lyman: Journal, November 26–December 2, 1863

The Mine Run Campaign: Virginia, November–December 1863

Wilbur Fisk to The Green Mountain Freeman, November 29 and December 8, 1863

A Soldier at Mine Run: Virginia, November–December 1863

George G. Meade to Margaret Meade, December 2 and 7, 1863

“My conscience is clear”: Virginia, December 1863

Frederick Douglass: Our Work Is Not Done, December 4, 1863

“Every free man a voter”: Pennsylvania, December 1863

Abraham Lincoln: Annual Message to Congress, December 8, 1863

Washington, D.C., December 1863

Abraham Lincoln: Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction, December 8, 1863

Washington, D.C., December 1863

George Templeton Strong: Diary, December 11–13, 1863

Subduing the South: New York, December 1863

Catherine Edmondston: Diary, December 11, 1863

“One misfortune follows another”: North Carolina, December 1863

Mary Chesnut: Diary, January 1, 1864

“God help my country”: Virginia, January 1864

Judith W. McGuire: Diary, January 1, 1864

“And yet we must go on”: Virginia, January 1864

Patrick R. Cleburne: Memorandum on Emancipation and Enlisting Black Soldiers, January 2, 1864

Sacrificing Slavery: Georgia, January 1864

William T. Sherman to Roswell M. Sawyer, January 31, 1864

“They have appealed to War”: Mississippi, January 1864

Lois Bryan Adams to the Detroit Advertiser and Tribune, February 8 and 23, 1864

Meeting “Father Abraham”: Washington, D.C., February 1864

Francis J. Higginson to John A. Dahlgren, February 18, 1864

Sinking of the Housatonic: South Carolina, February 1864

James H. Tomb: Notes on the H. L. Hunley, January 1865

A Submarine Torpedo Boat: South Carolina, October 1863–February 1864

Judith W. McGuire: Diary, February 28, 1864

A Soldier’s Widow: Virginia, February 1864

John Paris: Sermon Preached at Kinston, February 28, 1864

Hanging Deserters: North Carolina, February 1864

Oliver W. Norton to Elizabeth Norton Poss, February 29, 1864

Battle of Olustee: Florida, February 1864

John B. Jones: Diary, March 1–2 and 5, 1864

The Kilpatrick-Dahlgren Raid: Virginia, March 1864

Ulysses S. Grant to William T. Sherman, March 4, 1864

Summoned to Washington: Tennessee, March 1864

William T. Sherman to Ulysses S. Grant, March 10, 1864

“Come out West”: Tennessee, March 1864

Chronology

Biographical Notes

Note on the Texts

Notes

Index