Mr. Sickles Goes to Washington
In February 1864, the Joint Congressional Committee on the Conduct of the War called upon Dan Sickles who was eager to cooperate. During his testimony, the one-legged general presented his biased account of the events of July 2, 1863.
from Report of the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War, 1865.
“The Confederates Were Now Our Prisoners”: Grant At Appomattox
As Ulysses S. Grant faced his destiny with fate, suffering from the effects of throat cancer, he recalls the surrender at Appomattox through the eyes of a dying man.
from Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant, 1885
“The Whole Confederate Army Was Assembled”
Any study of the Sickles-Meade saga must begin with the account of Brigadier General Henry Jackson Hunt, who served as chief of artillery in the Army of the Potomac. Hunt was uniquely positioned and unbiased to describe the events that would remain contested for the next couple decades.
from “The Second Day at Gettysburg,” Battles and Leaders, V. 3
“THE CONFEDERATES WERE NOW OUR PRISONERS”: GRANT AT APPOMATTOX
As Ulysses S. Grant faced his destiny with fate, suffering from the effects of throat cancer, he recalls the surrender at Appomattox through the eyes of a dying man.
from Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant, 1885
“I ACCEPT THESE TERMS”: LEE AT APPOMATTOX
Walter Taylor, Robert E. Lee's aide, recounts Lee's surrender at Appomattox Courthouse. His account of the demeanor of lee and grant established the surrender narrative.
from An Aide-de-Camp of Lee, 1927
A PRIVATE GETS SCHOOLED FROM A VETERAN
Private Frank Wilkeson, the son of war correspondent Samuel Wilkeson Jr., was just sixteen years old when he enlisted in a New York artillery battery. At the start of the 1864 campaign season, a veteran gunner offered the young soldier some valuable advice from his years of experience.
Recollections of a Private Solider in the Army of the Potomac, 1887
“Personal Hints to Volunteers”
In the early days of the Civil War, recruits were offered plenty of advice. In 1861, numerous handbooks were published at a low price - some advice was well meaning, others were naive and sentimental in preparing young recruits for nineteenth-century combat.
The Military Handbook and Soldiers Manual, 1861
A Sanitary Commissioner Meets the Rebs
In a telling narrative, James Gall of the United States Sanitary Commission had the unique opportunity to observe the Confederate army just days before the Battle of Gettysburg. Mr. Gall, advancing in whatever direction contact between the two armies was likely, happened upon units of General Ewell's corps stationed in York, Pennsylvania. He arrived at nine o'clock in the morning on Sunday, June 28, 1863, to discover the Confederate army at rest, breaking camp near the old Fair Grounds.
James Gall, U.S. Sanitary Commissioner
“I Don’t Ever Want to See Any More War”: A Civilian Account of the First Battle of Bull Run
Jim Redmon, a civilian who lived near the Henry House hill, was interviewed by The Washington Post in 1911 about the events that engulfed his home in July 1861. In a poignant interview, the 87-year-old black man recalled watching the first battle of the Civil War.
Washington Post, July 21, 1911
Suggestions From and Old Soldier…
In the early days of the Civil War, recruits were offered plenty of advice. A Mexican War veteran wrote an anonymous letter to the New York Times, providing "suggestions from an old soldier."
New York Times, April 24, 1861
A.L. Long recalls a conversation with Robert E. Lee
Lee’s Military Secretary, A.L. Long, claims his chief anticipated that the battle would be fought near Gettysburg.
By A.L. Long (1886)