A PRIVATE GETS SCHOOLED FROM A VETERAN
Eyewitness Accounts Jeffrey Biggs Eyewitness Accounts Jeffrey Biggs

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

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“Personal Hints to Volunteers”
Eyewitness Accounts Jeffrey Biggs Eyewitness Accounts Jeffrey Biggs

“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

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A Sanitary Commissioner Meets the Rebs
Eyewitness Accounts Jeffrey Biggs Eyewitness Accounts Jeffrey Biggs

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

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