Transcriber's note:
The table of contents has been added by the transcriber.
PREFACE
ILLUSTRATIONS.
ABBREVIATIONS.
ADDENDA NO 1.
ADDENDA NO. 2.
ADDENDA NO. 3.
ADDENDA NO. 4.
ERRATA AND CORRIGENDA.
LIST OF SOME OF THE LIVING VETERANS
DIED.
INDEX.
Major L. A. Abbott, U. S. A.
THE AUTHOR.
Clinedinst, Washington, D. C.
PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS
AND
Civil War Diary
1864
———
By
MAJOR LEMUEL ABIJAH ABBOTT, U. S. A.
Late Captain 10th Regt. Vt. Vol. Infantry
——————
BURLINGTON:
FREE PRESS PRINTING CO.
PRINTERS, BINDERS, STATIONERS.
1908.
DEDICATION.
TO THE PATRIOTS AND COMRADES
OF ONE OF VERMONT'S MOST GALLANT REGIMENTS,
THE TENTH VERMONT VOLUNTEER INFANTRY.
MAY ITS STATE PRIDE,
FIDELITY, esprit de corps AND SPLENDID RECORD IN
THE CIVIL WAR SERVE AS AN EXAMPLE AND
INSPIRATION TO COMING GENERATIONS.
PREFACE
The following Diary covering the interestingperiod of the Civil War from January 1, toDecember 31, 1864, and a portion of 1865 tothe surrender of General R. E. Lee at AppomattoxCourt House, Va., was kept by the Author at the ageof twenty-two when an officer of the Tenth RegimentVermont Volunteer Infantry, Third and First Brigade,Third Division, Third and Sixth Corps respectively,Army of the Potomac, and is a briefwar history as seen by a young soldier literallyfrom the front line of battle during General U. S.Grant's celebrated campaign from the RapidanRiver to Petersburg, Va., and Gen. P. H. Sheridan'sfamous Shenandoah Valley campaign in the summerand fall of 1864. During this time the Authorpassed from the grades of Second to First Lieutenantand Captain, and commanded in the meantimein different battles five or more companies in hisregiment which afforded an excellent opportunity tomake a fairly interesting general diary of the fightingqualities of his regiment and especially of the companieswhich he commanded during that most interestingperiod of the Civil War when the backbone ofthe Rebellion was broken, which, together with Shermanand Thomas' cooperations led to the surrenderof General R. E. Lee at Appomattox C. H. April 9,1865.
For thirty-eight years the diary remained closed,and indeed had been forgotten by the Author untilhe accidentally ran across it one day in an old chest,whe