This narrative, signed at West Cummington, Mass., in March 1883, was composed from the diary Bicknell kept during his service and provides details of his tactics and skill as a sharpshooter. Bicknell describes serving with Captain John Saunders; daily camp life; skirmishes in various parts of Virginia and Maryland, including Ball's Bluff and Edwards Ferry, Va.; the siege of Yorktown, Va.; the battles of Fredericksburg, Malvern Hill, and Chancellorsville, Va.; and his discharge following the battle of Gettysburg, Pa. The narrative also includes copies of letters to Bicknell in 1863 from former sharpshooters assigned to separate regiments. It was written on 116 pages of a bound notebook that is extremely fragile and patched. Sometime in the present century, a typed copy of the manuscript was created, which is also included on this reel. Both the original and the typescript are held by the Massachusetts Historical Society.

This journal was kept by an unknown member of the company, probably a private soldier. It is clearly a copy, perhaps taken from pocket diaries kept by various soldiers in the field. For many years it was assumed that this journal was written by Captain Lewis E. Wentworth, commander of the company, but internal evidence indicates it was the work of some enlisted man serving in Wentworth's company. Entries describe daily camp life in various parts of Virginia and Pennsylvania, as well as fighting, including the battle of Malvern Hill, Va., July 1862, and other topics. Included with the journal is a transcribed copy of a letter written by Sergeant Nathan W. Haynes following the amputation of his leg, Dec. 1863. The ink in some portions of the diary has faded, so duplicate exposures of those pages appear on this reel.

The Bartlett correspondence consists of letters written by Bartlett to siblings Martha, Annie Keyes, and Samuel Ripley Bartlett. Letters relating to service with the 44th Infantry describe training at Camp Meigs in Readville, Boston, Mass., and camp life, as well as guard and picket duty at Camp Stevenson, New Bern, N.C., Aug. 1862-May 1863. Letters relating to service with the 5th Cavalry describe guarding Confederate prisoners at Point Lookout, Md., the promotion of Lt. Colonel Charles Francis Adams to colonel of the regiment, the siege of Petersburg, Va., and military duties in Brazos Santiago, Tex., May 1864-Oct. 1865. The correspondence also includes a letter written by Bartlett family friend Ralph Waldo Emerson to Reverend Barzillai Frost about ordering books, 3 Jul. 1839; a letter written by Nathaniel Hawthorne to an unknown recipient regarding the health of his daughter Rose, 18 Mar. 1863; a letter by Albert Matthews to a descendant of Bartlett regarding a meeting at the Colonial Society, 2 Jan. 1923; and other items. The reel includes duplicate exposures of badly faded items.

This ledger contains a detailed, almost daily account of Bassett's army life. Pages 1-41 contain household accounts for the years 1875-1876, so Bassett most likely copied his diary into the ledger sometime after his service, perhaps from a series of pocket diaries. The text of the diary can be found on pages 42-232. Entries describe camp life, including drills, inspections, and dress parades; Burnside's expedition to North Carolina, 1862; the battle of Cold Harbor, 1864; other campaigns and skirmishes in North Carolina and Virginia; and Union songs heard at reunions, 1880-1883. Also included are Bassett's discharge certificate, 20 Oct. 1864, and letters sent and received while Bassett lived in Connecticut, 1865-1886, discussing memories of Civil War service. Pages 233-243 of the ledger are blank. Pages 244-253 contain a company roster, as well as lists of men who were promoted, discharged, furloughed, wounded, or killed.

This journal, compiled from his earlier diaries, was written by Cleveland in 1897, more than 30 years after his service with the 7th Light Artillery. Entries from his original journals, written between 1 Jan. 1864 and 21 Nov. 1865, were copied by Cleveland and expanded from his memory of events. Events described in the journal include: Cleveland's voyage from Ohio to Boston to enlist; the regiment's voyages to New Orleans and Houston, Tex.; and daily activities with the regiment, including training drills, guard duty, news of fellow troops, and fighting in the area. The journal also contains a photograph of Cleveland taken in 1892; a list of officers and privates of the 7th Battery; and a few captured Confederate documents, including a letter from Brigadier General Gideon J. Pillow to Colonel George William Brent, a letter from W.B. Bate to Colonel George G. Garner, and a copy of General Order No. 12, concerning Sabbath observance, signed by General Braxton Bragg.

This correspondence includes both incoming and outgoing letters describing Warner's activities from his enlistment and mustering-in at Camp Wool, Worcester, Mass., July 1862, to his discharge in June 1865. The letters, written regularly from Virginia, provide detailed information on camp life--drills, forced marches, construction of shelters, rations, leisure activities, and observations of military commanders of the 34th Regiment, such as Colonel George D. Wells, Lt. Colonel William S. Lincoln, and Major George Crook. The correspondence also describes various military engagements, including the battles of New Market, Piedmont, Winchester, Fisher's Hill, Cedar Creek, and Petersburg. Correspondents include Milo A. Bartlett, Samuel A. Bartlett, and William H. Tucker. The reel also contains some post-war materials relating to the 34th Regiment, dated 1870 and 1905.

The majority of these letters were written by Baxter to his brother James F. G. Baxter, with a few written to friends. The letters describe camp life in Maryland and North Carolina. Also included in the correspondence are several letters to James F. G. Baxter from James L. Colby and Julius M. Lathrop, detailing George Baxter's death at Tranter's Creek; two letters from John H. B. Kent of the 44th Massachusetts Infantry, describing his duties in the Civil War; and letters, 1849-1850, from S. D. Cunningham in California to Thompson Baxter, discussing his experiences in the gold rush. The reel also contains a few unsigned sketches, probably by George Baxter.

The Linscott's correspondence includes descriptions of the routine of camp life, furloughs, marches, and Linscott's participation in the Wilderness campaign and the siege of Petersburg, as well as the battles of Gravelly Run, Hatcher's Run, and the Weldon Railroad operations. Among his correspondents are Emma Jane Linscott and Mary H. Ryder. The reel also contains an 1865 muster roll for the regiment. Duplicate exposures have been made of letters that have faded and letters written in soft pencil.

The Bearse correspondence contains letters sent by Bearse to his family describing campaigns in Florida, including the battle of Olustee, Feb. 1864; the battle of the Wilderness in Virginia, Mar. 1864; and camp duties at various places in Virginia.

The Howland correspondence consists of letters from Howland to his mother describing his daily life and activities, including descriptions of General Jackson's troops at the second battle of Bull Run, 1862; the battle of Fredericksburg, 1862; the battle of Chancellorsville, 1863; the battle of Gettysburg, 1863; the battle of Lookout Mountain near Chattanooga, Tenn., 1863-1864; the Atlanta Campaign, 1864; and Sherman's March to the Sea, 1864. Duplicate exposures have been made of pages that are faded or stained.

Beal's correspondence contains 95 letters detailing his Civil War service. Letters describe the routine of camp life and the movement, morale, and discipline of troops, as well as the first and second battles of Bull Run, the battles of Antietam, Chancellorsville, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, South Mountain, and the siege of Petersburg. Duplicate exposures have been made of letters written in pencil or faded ink.

Emerson's correspondence describes camp life; the activities of Emerson's cousin Nathaniel P. Emerson, who joined his regiment, and of his brother John S. Emerson, a surgeon with the 9th New Hampshire Regiment; Emerson's participation in the battle of Fredericksburg; and Abraham Lincoln's visit in April 1863. Most of the letters are addressed to Emerson's mother, his father N. F. Emerson, his brother, and his sister Elizabeth E. Bell. The correspondence also includes a few letters Emerson wrote from Harvard College before the war, 1857-1861, and a few from Warren H. Cudworth, chaplain of the 1st Regiment, after his death.

The Trafton papers consist of muster rolls, requisitions, returns, orders, vouchers, communiques, and other official military documents relating to command of a company. The papers also contain extensive post-war correspondence, 1880-1891, relating to political appointments in Washington, D.C., particularly letters written on Trafton's behalf for the position of Army paymaster. Correspondents include Senator William E. Chandler, Senator Henry Laurens Dawes, and General Charles Devens. The papers are divided into two parts; the second part consists of oversize documents.

This correspondence consists of Fowle's letters to his friend and future wife Eliza Caldwell, of Woburn, between July 1863 and March 1865. Fowle writes of his regiment's movements and military involvements, mostly in Virginia. The letters also contain descriptions of Fowle's medical care and hospitalization after he was wounded in February 1865. Duplicate exposures of badly faded items are included.

This correspondence contains letters written by Brigham describing his service as captain's clerk aboard the Pocahontas, June-Sep. 1861, including patrol duty near Alexandria, Va.; a skirmish with the ship George Pope off Acquia Creek in July 1861; and a marine exploit into Port Tobacco, Md., to capture a Confederate spy. This reel also contains the correspondence of Erastus F. Brigham of Brooklyn, N.Y., and his family, including a letter describing conditions during the Indian Wars in Florida, 1835-1838; receipts and Maryland tax notices kept by Lott Mason, 1798-1811; and Brigham family genealogical notes. Correspondence between November 6, 1861, and August 18, 1863, is missing.

The Edes correspondence contains Edward Louis Edes's letters to his mother Mary, his father Richard, his sisters Elizabeth and Sophie, his brother Robert, his uncle Alexander Pope, and his cousin Charlotte Pope. Edes writes about camp life, the provisioning of soldiers, and campaigns in which he participated, including the second battle of Bull Run, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and the Atlanta Campaign. Correspondence after Edes's death concerns his medical treatment and burial. Also included are letters of condolence from his officers and fellow soldiers. Robert Edes's letters to his family relate to his work as a naval doctor. Some contain descriptions of Louisville, Ky., Port Royal, S.C., and the Red River expedition of 1864, as well as Robert Edes's criticism of Nathaniel Banks's military leadership.

Wellington's diary, kept from 12 Sep. 1862 to 21 July 1863, and his letters, written to his family from various locations in the field, span the entire nine-month service of his regiment. Wellington describes camp life, military routines, and expeditions from his regiment's post at Newbern, N.C. Typescript only.

This diary was kept by Ricker from 1 Jan. 1863 to 4 Sep. 1863. Entries describe camp life and picket duties in the Washington area; Ricker's lameness due to a bad hip; his hospitalization at the Harwood General Hospital for typhoid fever and his hip; transfer to the Lovell General Hospital in Portsmouth Grove, R.I., via the hospital ship Daniel Webster; time spent there; and his return to Boston and Lawrence following discharge due to illness in May 1863. Included with the diary are a few miscellaneous papers related to Ricker's military career, 1863-1884. Duplicate exposures of faded and blurred items have been made.

Eastman's letters home were written from Camp Adams and Quincy, Mass., Baltimore, Md., Fortress Monroe, Va., and New Orleans and Baton Rouge, La. The correspondence includes descriptions of freedmen; camp life; comments on the course of the war, especially local engagements; and opinions and criticisms of senior officers such as George B. McClellan and Nathaniel P. Banks. Duplicate exposures have been made of letters that have become faded and difficult to read.

Whitney's correspondence includes descriptions of military life and operations at Opelousas, Barre's Landing, Bayou Boeuf, Thibodeauxville, Donaldsonville, and Baton Rouge, La., the campaign up the Teche, and the assault on Port Hudson, La., in 1863. Duplicate exposures of some items are included.

This reel consists of Storrow's letters home between October 12, 1862, and March 12, 1865, followed by four diaries: 1) a journal of a voyage to Fayal, Azores, 31 May-21 July 1862; 2) a pocket diary, 31 Jan.-19 Apr. 1863; 3) a field diary, 26 Sep. 1864-26 Feb. 1865; and 4) a field diary, 16 Jan.-11 Mar. 1865. Diaries include notes on fortifications and procedures. The reel also contains the papers of Storrow's father, Charles S. Storrow, a Lawrence, Mass., engineer, 1828-1888.

The Dame papers contain letters from Dame to his wife, Nancy Isabel (Arnold) Dame, written from Fortress Monroe, Va., Bayou St. John and Gentilly, La., and Pensacola, Fla., and describing the course of the war, attitudes of Southerners, conditions of blacks, and Dame's activities in the field, particularly the battle at Fort Blakely, Mobile, Ala., 1865. The correspondence also includes letters from Dame's wife, family friends, and Edmund Dascomb, his roommate while a student at Tufts College, Medford, Mass. Dame's diaries date from 1 June 1863 to 30 June 1864 while Dame was stationed in New Orleans, La. Entries describe daily life in camp, local history, culture and geography, news of the war and fellow troops, and his hospitalization and treatment for a fever (probably malaria). Excluded from this microfilm are letters between 1839 and 1861 unrelated to Dame's military career, as well as six personal items between 1876 and 1904. Duplicate microfilm exposures have been made for badly faded items.

The bulk of Whelden's papers consists of correspondence, accounts, orders, requisitions, muster rolls, vouchers, telegrams, and other documents relating to his military career. Some of the subjects represented in these papers are: recruiting activities instigated in 1861 by General Benjamin F. Butler for the Western Bay State Regiment, including a dispute with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts over financial responsibility; Whelden's command of Ft. Pike, La., during the occupation of New Orleans, 1862; guerrilla activities in the Pearl River area; smuggling activities; and appeals for aid from inhabitants. After 1862, papers relating to Whelden's tenure as provost marshal in Norfolk, Va., include: security and local intelligence documents, accounts of expenses for secret service and the capture of deserters, and accounts for maintenance and supplies. The Whelden papers also contain a 1754 account of the building of Ft. Pontoosuck, Mass., a few scattered personal letters, and a number of printed broadsides, as well as material relating to Whelden's militia service and his post-war career.

The research material contained in these four volumes was collected by Captain Luis F. Emilio, commander of E Company, to be used in his history of the regiment. The records consist of handwritten excerpts from field diaries, journals, newspapers, government documents, official correspondence, letters from former members of the regiment, and other sources between 26 Jan. 1863 and 5 Sep. 1865, and document the experiences of the 54th Regiment from recruitment to mustering-out ceremonies. The papers also contain information on Robert Gould Shaw, a well as an unbound scrapbook of letters, orders, clippings, and other memorabilia related to the 54th Regiment and Emilio's involvement with the Association of Officers of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteers, 1863-1915.

Most of the Bowers letters were addressed to Lydia Bowers, wife and mother of the two soldiers. The bulk of the correspondence was written between 1861 and 1863 and describes camp life and routine, as well as military action in places such as Cold Harbor, Chancellorsville, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Petersburg, Spottsylvania, the Wilderness, and Antietam. The letters of father and son are interfiled, and duplicate exposures have been made of faded items and items lacking in contrast.

This reel contains Barnard's personal and military papers. Personal correspondence includes letters from his father George Middleton, his uncle James Munson, and his sister Sarah Livingston Barnard, while Barnard was living in Jamaica Plain, Mass., 1848, and later working as an import merchant in Buenos Aires, 1859-1860, as well as Barnard's correspondence with his father, mother Susan Livingston, and brother Inman Barnard during the Civil War, 1861-1864. Letters sent during the Civil War describe encampment at Hall's Hill outside Washington, D.C., Sep. 1861; the siege of Yorktown, Va., March 1862; the second battle of Bull Run in Virginia, 30 Aug. 1862; the battle of the Wilderness in Virginia, 5 May 1864; and many other campaigns and skirmishes. Barnard's military papers include equipment and ammunition returns and papers from a court martial, 4 Dec. 1862. The collection also contains a letter received by Barnard from a former soldier under his command, 23 Nov. 1891. Excluded from this microfilm are two very large muster rolls for C Company of the 18th Regiment and the 5th Corps, 1863-1864.

The bulk of the Prescott papers consists of Prescott's incoming and outgoing correspondence with friends and family members. The largest body of letters are from Prescott to his wife Sarah (Sallie) B. Edes, in which he describes daily military routine, camp life, drills, morale, troop movements, military strategy, and plans for the regiment's future action. Prescott's letters, written from Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Fort Warren in Boston Harbor where the 32nd was first garrisoned, also describe battles and action, including the first battle of Bull Run (5th Mass.) and the battles of Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, and Spotsylvania (32nd Mass.). Correspondents include John S. Keyes. The microfilm also contains official correspondence, some biographical and genealogical material, and a small amount of printed matter, including a report of Prescott's court martial. The material dated after June 19, 1864, relates to the settlement of his estate, military claims, and his posthumous brigadier generalship. Sometime in the early 20th century, typed transcripts of select letters were created, which are included on this microfilm with the original manuscript letters.

The Gordon papers have been divided into seven sections, filmed in this order: 1) general correspondence, 1842-1861 and 1872-1885; 2) military records, 1861-1865; 3) Benjamin F. Butler investigation, 1864-1865; 4) diaries, 1848-1885; 5) lectures and notes; 6) printed and miscellaneous material; and 7) oversize. The military records and diaries constitute the bulk of the material.

Gordon's correspondence describes his 1847 military service with General Winfield Scott during the Mexican War at the battles of Vera Cruz, Jalapa, Pueblo, Contreras, and Churubusco. In addition, there are letters, notes, maps, and other documents detailing Gordon's Civil War service, 1861-1865, including the battles of Winchester, Cedar Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, and the defense of Charleston Harbor, S.C. Additional letters were written between the end of the Civil War and Gordon's death. Among the correspondents are John A. Andrew, Nathaniel P. Banks, Benjamin F. Butler, Benjamin R. Curtis, Wilder Dwight, Ralph Waldo Emerson, John Lothrop Motley, Alfred H. Terry, and Henry Wilson.

The military records date from the Civil War and include special and general orders. The records of the Butler investigation consist of documents and correspondence relating to the 1864-1865 investigation of General Benjamin F. Butler, who was accused of trading with the Confederacy during the Civil War. Included with this material are general orders of the Army of the James, which Butler commanded. This section is not arranged chronologically, but numerically according to numbers assigned by Gordon. An index at the beginning of the section indicates subjects and the numbers assigned to them.

Gordon kept line-a-day diaries from 1848 to 1885, which are particularly full for 1862-1864. The lectures and notes section contains transcripts of various lectures on military subjects that were given by Gordon after the war. The printed and miscellaneous material consists of maps, printed matter on the Mexican War, and other documents.