Hardtack Books

On April 4, 1865, Abraham Lincoln visited the recently abandoned capital of the Confederacy with his son, Tad. A navy captain assigned to protect the president’s party provided a detailed account of the historical event.

from “With Lincoln from Washington to Richmond in 1865,” appearing in Appleton’s, 1907.

A pioneer in the development of ether volunteers his services during the Overland Campaign, 1864

from an unpublished account appearing in the Journal of American Medical Association, 1907

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

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

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

Two weeks after the Battle of Fredericksburg, a correspondent from the New York Tribune visited the former antebellum estate known as the "Lacy House." He provided a sobering account of the devastation inflicted upon on the manor, which was being used as a hospital for the wounded. .

New York Tribune, January 1, 1863

It is estimated that as many as five hundred military executions occurred during the American Civil War. The following account of the execution of Private John Lanagham from the 46th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry is not unusual and may even be considered one of the most deserving of cases.

What makes Lanagham’s execution unique is that it was conducted as a public spectacle, with newspaper correspondents present to witness the event. Several accounts of the execution were published, including one by a correspondent from the New York Times, who noted Lanagham's stoic demeanor as he faced the hangman's noose.

New York Times, December 26, 1861 and the Berkshire Eagle, January 2, 1862

The Winter of 1862 was an incredibly challenging time for the Army of the Potomac. This period marked the replacement of their favored leader, George B. McClellan, and included the humiliating defeat at the Battle of Fredericksburg. Additionally, many officers left the army, facing the prospect of enduring a harsh winter in quarters along the Rappahannock River. The Christmas holiday of 1862 was the first one spent under difficult field conditions. Several war correspondents were present to remind the Northern public of the deprivations and hardships experienced by soldiers who, for the first time, faced the holidays away from home and loved ones.

New York Tribune, December 27, 1862

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

Ward Hill Lamon was assigned to personally protect President-Elect Lincoln during the perilous period leading up to the inauguration. In a revealing account of the behind-the-scenes efforts to ensure Lincoln's safe passage to the capital, Lamon describes how a group of individuals successfully transported Lincoln through Baltimore without being detected.

Ward Hill Lamon

In a stirring account of the Battle of Fredericksburg, Lt. Colonel David Watson Rowe of the 126th Pennsylvania describes the sheer terror experienced by a nine-month regiment of volunteers during their first battle test.

D. Watson Rowe, 126th Pennsylvania