June 16, 1863
This letter is from Mark to Roe, who is still in the hospital. It sounds like Roe is on the mend though Mark reminds him not to rush his recovery because if he falls sick again, he’ll have a much harder time getting well the second time around. The weather must have been pretty uncomfortable at the time as Mark mentions the heat a few different times throughout the letter. Indeed, on average Tennessee summers are hot and rainy. I found some data online about June weather in Nashville, TN. While Abbott is currently in Murfreesboro at the time of this letter, it’s reasonable to assume that the weather is pretty similar. In recent times, the daily temperatures fluctuate from 82 degrees Fahrenheit to 88 degrees. It is typically humid as well during this month, with humidity ranging from 47%-91%. Mark does say that they have been able to find some shade, though it apparently did not offer too much relief as he tells Roe, “as I write sitting here in the shade the sweat is just fairly running right out of me.” It is true that perhaps the weather averages have fluctuated a bit in the past 150 years but today’s averages still give a rough estimate of what weather was like during the Civil War. It would’ve been miserable to drill and fight in high temperatures and humidity. According to the Civil War Trust, a Union soldier’s uniform consisted of trousers, some sort of dress coat or jacket, a hat with a visor, a wool flannel shirt, underwear, and socks. Now, I don’t know about you, but I certainly would not want to wear flannel on a humid day. I’m sure that some of the soldiers took off layers as they went but that would mean one more thing for them to carry. Really, with the combination of the uniforms and weather, travel in June (and probably the summer months in general) surely was very uncomfortable. Works Cited: The Civil War Trust: Saving America’s Civil War Battlefields. “Two Week Curriculum for Teaching the Civil War, Bluebellies and Butternuts: Civil War Uniforms.” http://www.civilwar.org/education/pdfs/civil-war-curriculum-uniforms.pdf (accessed March 10, 2014). WeatherSpark. “Average Weather in June for Nashville, Tennessee, USA.” http://weatherspark.com/averages/29787/6/Nashville-Tennessee-United-States (accessed March 10, 2014).
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November 22, 1863 Today’s letter is written by Isaac Mark to his sister Becca. He begins by telling her that he promises to fulfill her request and write a long letter to her. Most of it is personal anecdotes from home, such as their brother Hiram hoping Mark could get a furlough to come home for Christmas. I chose to focus on a brief mention of General Hooker, who was one of the leaders of the Union forces. Though Abbott only talks about him for a few lines, his comments are pretty great, so I thought it would be interesting to look up some information about Hooker. Towards the end of the letter, Abbott comments that a leading general was at his fort, so naturally he went to look. I included the entirety of Abbott’s comments about encountering Hooker, since I don’t think paraphrasing in this case would do his thoughts justice: “Yesterday old Gen’l Hooker and Stuff were up here at our fort and I went out and stood in the rain about an hour waiting for him to come out so that I could get a squint at him. He came out finally and tell you he is a rare beauty…he is an older man than I had thought he was for his whiskers were as white as wool. But he is a keen looking old fellow and he has given the Rebs good reason to hate the looks of him as much as I did.” Here’s a fun fact: Hooker really wasn’t that old- he was actually only forty-nine. But to a twenty-one year old Abbott, it’s realistic that he would look pretty ancient! This is perhaps one of my favorite quotes from Abbott’s letters. It’s honest, fun, and it isn’t common to read about Civil War leaders from a soldier’s perspective. Typically, you only get the highlights of their military careers. Obviously, that information is still important. I decided to look up Hooker’s Civil War career to learn a bit more about the man Abbott stood out in the rain to see. Hooker started his time in the Civil War leading a segment of General McClellan’s Army of the Potomac. Eventually, he would be promoted to commander of this Army in the earlier part of 1863, following Lincoln’s dismissal of both McClellan and his successor, Major General Ambrose Burnside. During his tenure as leader of the Army of the Potomac, “Hooker improved conditions for the soldiers including food, medical care, and leave.” However, he encountered disagreements and tensions amongst his fellow leaders and following a major loss at the Battle of Chancellorsville, tendered his resignation. This event brings us to why he was in Abbott’s next of the woods. Following his resignation, he transferred, in mid-1863, to the Western Theater and the Army of the Cumberland. This is where Abbott spends his time during the war. In fact, the Civil War Trust notes that Hooker found success at both the Battle of Chattanooga and the Battle of Lookout Mountain. These are battles in which Abbott’s regiment took part! This letter is another great example of why Abbott’s letters are a wonderful addition to Civil War scholarship. His personal views about a fairly prominent general are fun to read and offer up a more real, personal interpretation, rather than the typical cut and dry descriptions found in other sources. Abbott’s thoughts can be perfectly paired with textbooks to give a more thorough understanding of the war. Works Cited: The Civil War Trust: Saving America’s Civil War Battlefields. “Joseph Hooker.” http://www.civilwar.org /education/history/biographies/joseph-hooker.html (accessed March 5, 2014). September 30, 1863 Today’s letter is full of interesting and important information regarding the beginning of a critical stage of the war. I’ve given some basic historical context and tied it back to Abbott but I would encourage you to read the letter in its entirety to get the full scope! The regiment received marching orders on the 10th and proceeded to start making its way through the mountains. The uneven and oftentimes steep terrain did not make for pleasant travel conditions. At some point, Abbott is sent in a different direction with other regimental cooks to stay with the wagons, though he expresses that he “would have liked much better to go with the regiment.” Eventually, Abbott does rejoin his regiment, where he is pleased to see that Roe is back with the army. At this point, the 68th regiment, along with quite a few others, are located in Chattanooga. Abbott himself wasn’t present for this battle, as he was still separated from the rest of the group. Therefore, the account he gives is what was given to him once he rejoined the regiment. The battle that followed is significant because later on in the same fall, a variety of battles would occur in this area. Based on what Abbott says, it would seem like his regiment participated in the Battle of Chickamauga. The timeframe is correct as are the circumstances of the battle. The National Park Service’s Regiment Details about Indiana’s 68th Regiment verifies that it was indeed at Chickamauga. The Battle of Chickamauga took place from September 18-20, 1863. The overarching goal was to prevent the Confederacy from holding Chattanooga, which was an important city during the war. To better the Union’s chances of success, General Rosecrans brought together a variety of regiments that had been scattered around Tennessee. This explains why Abbott’s regiment was given orders to head to the area. The battle itself turned out to be a Confederate victory, as they occupied the area around Chattanooga, thus cutting off Union supply lines. However, both sides suffered major losses. The Union saw a total of 16,170 (out of an initial 60,000) men wounded, killed, or missing, while the Confederates lost 18,454 out of 65,000. Abbott says that in his regiment, 17 were killed, 105 wounded, and 14 missing. Abbott then notes that Rosecrans got all of his men safely into Chattanooga following the battle where they began strengthening its defenses. He remarks that “we now have a splendid line of works entirely around the city. And now if they want to try their hand on us again we will have the advantage of fortifications.” The Confederates then decided to besiege the city and blocked river, route, and railroad routes, thus keeping Union supplies from reaching the city. This became known as the Siege of Chattanooga and would last for a couple of months. It’s only later in the various battles for Chattanooga that the siege ends. Abbott actually makes a rather prophetic statement about the city: “…and now if they choose to have a battle of Chattanooga recorded in the history of this war they will have to fight us in the fortifications behind our own breastworks while they take the open field!” He of course had no idea that a Battle of Chattanooga would in fact occur! Works Cited: The National Park Service. “Regimental Details: Union Indiana Volunteers. http://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search-regiments-detail.htm?regiment_id=UIN0068RI (accessed March 5, 2014). The Civil War Trust: Saving America’s Civil War Battlefields. ”Chickamauga.” http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/chickamauga.html?tab=facts (accessed March 5, 2014). Photo Credit: The Civil War Trust: Saving America’s Civil War Battlefields. “Maps of Chickamauga, Georgia (1863): Chickamauga Battlefield [Sept. 19-20, 1863). http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/chickamauga/chickamauga-maps/chickamaugamcelroy.html (accessed March 5, 2014). May 28, 1863 Abbott again wrote two letters today. The first was written to two of his sisters. Overall, it has a very light-hearted tone and, while the content is not really at all about military life, it is a pretty insightful letter. He mentions that Roe is being moved to a different city to continue his recovery, something which Abbott is grateful for. Abbott went to visit Roe and found out he was being transferred to another hospital. This was probably for the best as many hospitals had to deal with the issue of overcrowding, such as Douglas Hospital in Washington D.C., which had to erect tents outside “to accommodate the overflow of the wounded.” He tells the girls that Roe “was better in some respects than when I saw him before, but he had lost the use of his feet so that he couldn’t stand up at all!” Abbott doesn’t sound overly concerned about this, as it’s the only time it is mentioned in the letter but that can’t have been a pleasant experience for Roe. Indeed, hospital stays in general during the war didn’t seem to be the most ideal of circumstances. Naturally, medicine wasn’t how it is in today’s world. Little was known about surgical techniques and sterilization methods, for example. Infection was a major issue as doctors didn’t yet understand how germs spread, thus accidentally distributing diseases amongst other wounded soldiers. Indeed, “during the Civil War, the experience and training of doctors wasn’t well regulated.” Number one, I’m sure that would have been a hard thing to keep track of in the chaos of battle. Number two, perhaps it wasn’t necessarily a priority that the doctor had extensive training. During battles, maybe it was best to have someone who had any medical knowledge. In fact, both the Union and Confederate armies “were willing to take anyone who considered himself a physician.” They must have been pretty desperate to resort to less-trained people. According to the Civil War Trust, a majority of doctors carried with them a military surgery manual written by Dr. Samuel Gress. Clearly, those with solid medical expertise were few and far between. He also jokes with Lydia about her coming to the camp and baking gooseberry pies. It still is enjoyable to witness these little sibling interactions. He also reminds them to make sure that they are making “the most of everything” even though he and Roe are not there with them. This is a nice reminder for the family. It was hard for them to deal with the brothers being engaged in the war but they still needed to live their lives and enjoy life while they could. Abbott made sure they knew that they shouldn’t feel guilty. Works Cited: The Civil War Trust, Saving America’s Civil War Battlefields. “Two Week Curriculum for Teaching the Civil War.” http://www.civilwar.org/education/pdfs/civil-was-curriculum-medicine.pdf (accessed February 19, 2014). Photo Credit: The Civil War Trust, Saving America's Civil War Battlefields."Civil War Medicine Modern Medicine's Civil War Legacy." http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/civil-war-medicine/civil-war-medicine.html (accessed February 19, 2014). November 21, 1863 Today’s letter was written by Roe to his friends and family back home. Most of it concerns specific information regarding various people and events from home. However, one part that I thought was pretty neat was that Roe mentions Fort Snelling, so we have a nice little Minnesota connection! Evidently, Roe and Mark’s brother, Hiram, is stationed at Fort Snelling. The only additional information we get is that he is well and Roe believes it is better that he is there and not out in the field. I figured it would be interesting to look up Fort Snelling’s role in the Civil War regarding Union soldiers. It’s a place I’ve driven by but never actually visited. Did you know that Minnesota was the first state to offer troops to fight for the Union? When the war broke out in April 1861, Minnesota’s governor, Alexander Ramsey, had been in Washington D.C. On the spot, he told President Lincoln that he would make sure Minnesota formed a regiment of 1,000 volunteer soldiers. It’s pretty cool that Minnesota was the first to commit troops to the war. Due to the need to train these new recruits, “Minnesota re-opened Fort Snelling to serve as a rendezvous and training center for the volunteer soldiers.” Throughout the war, troops would be taught army basics and spent large portions of their time marching and drilling. This is similar to what Isaac Mark Abbott describes in his letters. He often remarks that a majority of his time is spent practicing various methods, which includes drilling and parade marches. By the end of the war, almost 25,000 soldiers went to Fort Snelling before continuing to fight the Confederacy. Along with serving as the starting point for many troops, Fort Snelling also was the “mustering-out point” for the men who were heading back to civilian life. Even though Fort Snelling wasn’t located in the areas most directly associated with the Civil War and its various battles, it still played a crucial role in the war. Overall, the fort produced “eleven infantry regiments, two companies of sharpshooters, several unites of artillery and cavalry, and several dozen sailors.” It definitely provided support to the Union efforts as many of these regiments found themselves in some of the war’s decisive most battles, including Gettysburg, Shiloh, and Vicksburg. Works Cited: Minnesota Historical Society. “Historic Fort Snelling: The Civil War (1861-1865).” http://www.historicfortsnelling.org/history/military-history/civil-war (accessed February 12, 2014). Photo Credit: Minnesota Historical Society. “Historic Fort Snelling.” http://www.historicfortsnelling.org (accessed February 12, 2014). March 30, 1863 Mark’s letter, addressed to his sisters, is fairly lighthearted. He boasts of his culinary expertise and also thanks them for sending him a long letter. He states that “it always does me good to receive such long letters from anyone for it shows that they are interested in my welfare and willing to do me a favor.” Just by reading the letter, one can tell how grateful he was that they took the time to sit down and write him a lengthy note about their lives. In his mind, this was their way of showing affection. Indeed, it must have been disheartening for soldiers when they would write a few pages to family and only receive a few lines back in response. Sending and receiving letters was a very significant part of the Civil War. It wasn’t just Mark who loved hearing from his family! For example, with the typical day in camp being devoid of any excitement, “the arrival of newspapers or mail from home- whether letters or a care package-…was always a cause for celebration.” It was exciting and uplifting for the soldiers to receive something from home, helping them to remember the good times and also be updated on the family. Furthermore, soldiers “needed the occasional word from home to know that they were not forgotten.” In an age where Skype and the internet were still over a century from being invented, letter-writing was really the only efficient way to keep in touch with people. However, the postal service encountered difficulties during the war. When soldiers were at their main camp for longer periods of time, it was fairly easy to track them down and deliver their letters. When a regiment was on the move for a while, it became far more challenging to successfully deliver the letters to the soldiers. This is something Mark experiences at different points during the war. In a letter home, he’ll comment that he had sent two or three letters recently and not received any response. His experience with the sometimes unreliable postal service during the war definitely mirrors other soldiers’ experiences, such as Newton Scott, who told his childhood friend that he had sent her “about a dozen letters…and received but two or three letters.” Clearly, letters were an integral part of the average Civil War soldier’s life. Works Cited: Burke, Kathryn, National Postal Museum. “Letter Writing in America.” http://postalmuseum.si.edu/letterwriting/lw04.html (accessed December 4, 2013). Helm, Gary, The Civil War Trust. “Life of the Civil War Soldier in Camp: Disease, Hunger, Death and Boredom.” http://www.civilwar.org/hallowed-ground-magazine/winter-2013/life-of-the-civil-war-soldier-camp.html (accessed December 4, 2013). Photo Credit: The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. "I take up my pen: Letters from the Civil War." https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/american-civil-war/interactives/i-take-my-pen-letters-from-civil-war (accessed February 7, 2014). November 1, 1863 According to Abbott, “there has been some pretty hard fighting done here since we moved our camp and there is cannonading going on nearly every day!” Abbott’s regiment is camped out in Chattanooga, TN, which later in the month would see a few significant battles. One was the Battle of Lookout Mountain, occurring on November 24, 1863. Abbott, while not knowing that a battle would happen there in three weeks’ time, makes reference to this site. He informs his family that the Confederates had set up a battery at the very top of Lookout Mountain and they were continuously “pounding away at us nearly all the time…” Clearly, even weeks before the actual battle, little skirmishes were breaking out in this area. Nicknamed the “battle above the clouds,” the Battle of Lookout Mountain itself was one of the key battles in securing Chattanooga for the Union, along with Missionary Ridge. The Union capture of the mountain helped to break apart the Confederate siege of Chattanooga. For a few months leading up to this point, Confederate troops had set up camps on Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge just outside of the city. The Union forces scaled the mountain, taking advantage of fog to cover their advance. The Confederates had roughly 1,200 men facing 12,000 Union soldiers, as they had assumed their position on the mountain would give them a significant advantage. However, this was not the case, as they ended up leaving their camp later that day. With the Union victory at Missionary Ridge the next day, these Union victories proved to be extremely beneficial to the Union army as it gained access to the Deep South, making way for General Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign later in the war. Like I said before, this letter was written about three weeks before the Battle of Lookout Mountain. I thought it was cool that Abbott mentioned there was already some early signs of battle almost a month in advance and decided it wouldn’t hurt to summarize the battle anyway. It’s not one that I had ever heard of since, while it was still important, it isn’t one of the large-scale battles mentioned in your average history class. Works Cited: The History Channel: This Day in History. ”Union Troops Prevail at the Battle of Lookout Mountain.” http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/-battle-of-lookout-mountain (accessed January 31, 2014). The Civil War Trust: Saving America’s Civil War Battlefields. “Chattanooga.” http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/chattanooga.html?tab=facts (accessed January 31, 2014). Photo Credit: "Battle of Lookout Mountain." wikipedia.org - The image is an 1889 lithograph of the battle August 13, 1863 Abbott writes to Roe and laments the fact that Roe hasn’t been receiving his letters as of late. Today’s letter is the fifth one Abbott has sent to his brother since July 4. He gives a quick overview of what he wrote about in his previous letters, since Roe evidently has not been able to read any of them. One of the fights he mentions participating in was the Battle of Hoover’s Gap. The Battle of Hoover’s Gap started on June 24, 1863. The leading Union officer was Major General George H. Thomas and his Confederate counterpart was Major General Alexander P. Stewart. According to the Civil War Trust website, Hoover’s Gap was the “decisive engagement of the Tullahoma Campaign.” Indeed, “The Battle of Hoover’s Gap secured the Union wedge between the Confederate forces and the city of Chattanooga, compelling the Southerners to fall back to and eventually abandon the city.” A fun fact about this battle is that it was one of the first times the “Spencer” rifle was used in battle. These guns could fire twenty rounds/minute compared to the typical muskets, which fired two or three rounds per minute. Having reliable weaponry clearly was a major advantage in battle, as General Thomas himself commented that he hadn’t expected “to get this Gap for three days.” The number of casualties is unknown though it is considered a Union victory. Clearly, this was one of the more important battles that Abbott took part in. However, he doesn’t elaborate at all on the battle, merely stating that he was there. This seems to be a fairly typical tendency of Abbott’s. He’ll mention a battle in a rather offhand fashion and later on, that battle will turn out to have been really significant. Though it is true that we have the advantage of hindsight, so we know as we read about the battles he mentions which turn out to be big deals. Obviously, Abbott would have had no idea at the time that he was in a major conflict. That’s one of the many reasons why this collection is so important. We’re really getting the chance to look at the Civil War as it progressed and was happening, rather than looking at it from a contemporary perspective. Works Cited: Heritage Preservation Services, CWSAC Battle Summaries. “Hoover’s Gap.” http://www.cr.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/tn017.htm (accessed January 10, 2014). The Civil War Trust: Saving America’s Civil War Battlefields. ”The Battle of Hoover’s Gap: The Road to Chickamauga.” http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/chickamauga/chickamauga-history/the-battle-of-hoovers-gap.html (accessed January 10, 2014). May 11, 1863 On this date, Isaac Mark Abbott wrote home telling his family that Roe has been fairly sick for a few days and that he was heading to the hospital later that day. He assured them, however, that they shouldn’t worry as he was confident that Roe was not dangerously ill. He also talks about how he has developed into a decent cook, especially as he has been cooking for forty-two men. PBS published an interesting article about soldiers cooking during the Civil War. Apparently, the biggest issue regarding cooking was the fact that the men had little to no experience in terms of preparing food. This is why I think it’s neat that Abbott was so proud of himself for learning how to cook. He was super pumped that he was able to make meals not only for himself but for his fellow soldiers as well. In an era in which men typically did not do domestic chores, it’s interesting to see how men had to adapt and learn these different skills. Abbott struggled to find things to write about, as he reported that nothing new had happened there. He does mention that the camp received word that day that Richmond had fallen, leading to celebration in the regiments. He stated, “I hope the report is true for I always thought that whenever we got Richmond the Southern Confederacy would soon play out!” This is again an example of the optimism that seemed to have been felt when a victory appeared imminent. Since this letter was written in 1863, just under two years were left of the war, so clearly Richmond didn’t succumb to Union forces at this time. Works Cited Avey, Tori. Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), "The History Kitchen: Civil War Cooking: What the Union Soldiers Ate." Last modified September 21, 2012. Accessed November 12, 2013. http://www.pbs.org/food/the-history-kitchen/civil-war-cooking-what-the-union-soldiers-ate/. (Information and photo credit) December 24, 1863
This letter focuses solely on quite a lengthy battle/set of skirmishes with the Confederates. It had been quite awhile since Abbott last wrote his family, so he had a lot to say today. It appears safe to say that the series of battles that Abbott describes were the Chattanooga campaign, which consisted of battles at places like Chattanooga, Missionary Ridge, and Lookout Mountain. It’s hard to say if this is exactly what Abbott’s regiment was engaged in since Abbott doesn’t mention many dates in this letter, but the places mentioned and the time-frame are consistent with Chattanooga. Abbott uses a variety of battle terms throughout this letter, so I thought it would be pertinent to define some of them, since they’ll more than likely be used later in the collection. One such term is “battery,” which I took to mean a collection of artillery that is set up, such as cannons, guns etc. Indeed, according to dictionary.com, a battery is “two or more pieces of artillery used for combined action; a tactical unit of artillery, usually consisting of six guns together with the artillerymen, equipment, etc.” Artillery is “mounted projectile-firing guns” that are either “mobile or stationary,” and are different from smaller arms. This gives a nice visual of what Civil War battles consisted of in terms of weaponry. At one point, Mark talks about advancing on the Confederate lines and then having to stop and literally lay down to avoid being hit by the constant shelling from the other side. Miraculously, no one near Abbott was injured, though shells landed close enough to spray dirt over them. This definitely was a highly dangerous and while no one near Abbott was hurt he does reveal that during the battle, Roe was shot. Abbott received permission to find him and sit with him, discovering that Roe was in quite a bit of pain but thankfully not killed. Abbott says he sat with Roe until after midnight, when he helped him into an ambulance. This is one of the more personal incidents that has affected Abbott thus far in the war. It doesn’t get much more personal when your brother is shot. However, in this letter, we don’t learn of Roe’s fate. Abbott tells his family that he has not heard from Roe since he put him in the ambulance, which was at least before December 3. Yet, Mark emphasizes that he is, despite everything, in good health and happily reassures the family that he is “still above ground.” Again, here is evidence of Abbott’s enduring positivity. It’s interesting to read about how battles were conducted during this time period. Almost all of them were given specific names, a trend that, for Americans, stemmed back to the Revolutionary War and extended to at least World War II. The nature of battles has changed immensely in modern times. Take, for example, the Iraq War. 100 years from now, students are not going to learn about specific battles that took place during the war because that simply is not how battles work anymore. That is very different from today, when we can name the significant battles of the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. With the increase in technology, the way in which soldiers engage in warfare is always changing significantly. Abbott describes the Union regiments lining up and getting themselves organized with the Confederate troops clearly visible. During this time, soldiers were fighting more hand-to-hand combat. They had to personally engage the enemy, as there were no such things as tanks or machine guns. Really, the two different sides would line up opposite one another and have at it. This is unheard of today, especially since, for example, the recent wars the U.S. has been involved in over the past decade haven’t been against foreign armies- they’ve been more engaged with non-state actors, such as terrorist groups. Works Cited: Dictionary.com, LLC, "Dictionary.com." Accessed January 8, 2014. http://dictionary.reference.com/. |
AuthorTessa Wakefield, student intern at the Concordia College Archives, assembled these blog entries in 2013-2014 for the Isaac Mark Abbott Civil War Letters Collection. The posts summarize the content of the letters, interpret Abbott's experiences and place them in the larger context of the Civil War. Archives
March 2014
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