Thirty years after the Civil War, the 121st New York Volunteers (Upton's Regulars) finally published a history of their regiment. Its stated author was a man who had not served directly with the 121st but had based the book on a memoir written by a survivor who had enlisted at age 15. That boy, Dewitt Clinton Beckwith, published his memoir thirty years after the war in an obscure upstate New York newspaper, The Hekrimer Democrat. For years, the "origin story" lay hidden in plain sight, until editor Salvatore Cilella discovered it while researching for a regimental history. The original 53 weekly installments, edited and annotated here, richly detail the horrors and folly of war. They reveal the slow maturation of a boy thrust into almost four years of war. Beckwith was present at nearly all the historic Eastern Theater engagements from Antietam to Appomattox, including an abortive stint with the 91st New York in Florida in 1861. He describes his various Tom Sawyer-like adventures with the VI Corps of the Army of the Potomac, dealing with death, disease, loss and ultimate elation at Lee's surrender, tempered only by Abraham Lincoln's death.
The harsh realities of Civil War life as seen through the eyes of the hard-fighting upstate New York regiment (the 121st New York State Volunteer Infantry Regiment). Combs letters, diaries, and memoirs to let the soldiers recount the war in their own words, following them from enlistment through combat, and back to civilian life.
Examines the pivotal role New York State played in the Civil War. An Irrepressible Conflict documents the pivotal role New York State played in our nations bloodiest and most enduring conflict. As the wealthiest and most populous state in the Union, the Empire State led all others in supplying men, money, and material to the causes of unity and freedom. New Yorks experience provides significant insight into the reasons why the war was fought and the meaning that the Civil War holds today. A companion to the award-winning exhibition of the same name, displayed at the New York State Museum from September 2012 to March 2014, An Irrepressible Conflict includes reproductions of objects from the collections of the New York State Museum, Library, and Archives, as well as more than twenty-five different institutions across the state. Among the many significant objects are a Lincoln life mask from 1860 from the New-York Historical Society; the earliest photograph of Frederick Douglass (a rare 8? x 10? daguerreotype image, courtesy of the Onondaga Historical Association); the only known portrait of Dred Scott, also from New-York Historical Society; and a bronze medal given to the defenders of Fort Sumter by the City of New York from the museums own collection. The title is inspired by an 1858 quote from then US Senator William H. Seward, who also served as governor of New York (183942) and Secretary of State (186169). Seward disagreed with those who believed that the prospect of war between the North and South was the work of fanatical agitators. He understood that the roots of conflict went far deeper, writing, It is an irrepressible conflict, between opposing and enduring forces, and it means that the United States must and will, sooner or later, become either entirely a slave-holding nation or entirely a free-labor nation. Praise for the exhibition: Winner, Award of Merit from the American Association of State and Local History The exhibition reveals New York not only as indispensable to the Union (and to its ultimate victory) but also as essential to the continued pursuit of justice among the formerly enslaved and their descendants. It admirably realizes its objective: To establish New Yorks significance in the Civil War and its lasting battle for freedom. Wall Street Journal adroitly interweaves a rich trove of paintings and engravings, artifacts, photographs, and documents, many borrowed from institutions throughout the state, with a lucid interpretive script to make a convincing case for the Empire States pivotal role in the conflict The exhibition is well conceived intellectually, written in an engaging, mercifully concise style and designed with visitors of all ages in mind. Journal of American History
The 96th Pennsylvania Volunteers infantry regiment was formed in 1861--its ranks filled by nearly 1,200 Irish and German immigrants from Schuylkill County responding to Lincoln's call for troops. The men saw action for three years with the Army of the Potomac's VI Corps, participating in engagements at Gaines' Mill, Crampton's Gap, Salem Church and Spotsylvania. Drawing on letters, diaries, memoirs and other accounts, this comprehensive history documents their combat service from the point of view of the rank-and-file soldier, along with their views on the war, slavery, emancipation and politics.
Most Civil War generals were graduates of West Point, and many of them helped transform the U.S. Army from what was little better than an armed mob that performed poorly during the War of 1812 into the competent fighting force that won the Mexican War. Wa
This history of the Jeff Davis artillery should appeal to general readers with an interest in Civil War studies, American history and military history.
