Marek 1860s, 39th MA, Civil War Diary of Freeman Colby, Henniker, Massachusetts, SOURCE=HHS

Colby 14: Dash for the Train

1862: Jonas and Freeman go AWOL to visit Henniker one last time before shipping out...

Marek 1860s, Civil War, Civil War Diary of Esther Hill Hawks, education, Esther Hill Hawks, Manchester

Hawks INTRO: “I Answered Accordingly”

1862: An unexpected letter at tea time on Saturday evening kicks off the adventure of a lifetime...

Marek 1860s, 39th MA, Civil War, Civil War Diary of Freeman Colby, Massachusetts, Reference Links, SOURCE=HHS

Colby 13: Devoted to Drilling

1862: This seems almost idyllic... until you consider the horrors these men will soon face.

Marek 1860s, 39th MA, Civil War, Civil War Diary of Freeman Colby, Massachusetts, SOURCE=HHS

Colby 12: Close to Home

1862: Those lucky boys from Woburn get to visit home any time they want ...

Marek 1860s, 39th MA, Civil War, Civil War Diary of Freeman Colby, Massachusetts, SOURCE=HHS

Colby 11: Captain’s Promise

1862: Is Captain Richardson playing favorites in the furlough department?

Marek 1860s, 39th MA, Civil War, Civil War Diary of Freeman Colby, Massachusetts, SOURCE=HHS

Colby 10: Stuff for Sale

1862: Camp “venders” settle in to make money off the boys in blue…

Marek 1860s, 39th MA, Civil War, Civil War Diary of Freeman Colby, Henniker, Massachusetts, SOURCE=HHS

Colby 9: Camp Life

1862: Camp routine of the 39th Massachusetts Company K...

Marek 1860s, 39th MA, Civil War, Civil War Diary of Freeman Colby, Henniker, Massachusetts, Reference Links, SOURCE=HHS

Colby 8: Company K

1862: Three NH lads muster with the Woburn men...

Marek 1860s, 39th MA, Civil War, Civil War Diary of Freeman Colby, dentistry, food, Henniker, Massachusetts, SOURCE=HHS

Colby 6: A Critical Inspection of the Teeth

1862: The 39th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment has high standards for its recruits…

Marek 1860s, 39th MA, Civil War, Civil War Diary of Freeman Colby, Massachusetts, Reference Links, SOURCE=HHS

Colby 5: We Enlisted

1862: The Colby brothers sign up with a Massachusetts regiment…

Marek 1860s, Civil War, Civil War Diary of Freeman Colby, food, Henniker, Massachusetts, Reference Links, SOURCE=HHS

Colby 3: Woburn

1861-2: Colby finds work at an unfamiliar Massachusetts town…

Marek 1860s, Civil War, Civil War Diary of Freeman Colby, education, food, Henniker, SOURCE=HHS

Colby 1: When the War Broke Out

1861: Freeman Colby (of Henniker) needs a break from the rigors of teaching… so he enlists to fight in the Civil War!

Marek 1860s, charity, Civil War, harvest, Newport, politics, religion, Sarah Josepha Hale

Sarah Josepha Hale on Thanksgiving (1864)

Hale reflects on the national holiday she helped create in the midst of Civil War. (Note her "peculiarly" 19th century conceptions of politics, gender, charity, & religion.) << BEFORE: Ms. Hale writes an influential letter to President Lincoln ... FURTHER READING: More editorials by Ms. Hale (editress of "Godey's Lady's Book")

Marek 1860s, Civil War, Civil War Letters of Joseph Rogers, pigs, SOURCE=WHS+Warren, Warner, weather

We Go Without Mittens Very Well (Rogers, Nov. 20 1862, #2)

Rogers recounts recent experiences & dispenses domestic advice for the home front ...

Marek 11th NH, 1860s, Civil War, Civil War Letters of Joseph Rogers, Reference Links, SOURCE=WHS+Warren, Warner

Dear Sister (Rogers, Nov. 20 1862, #1)

In this early Civil War letter, Warner native Joseph S. Rogers stares across the waters at a looming battle...

Marek 1860s, Civil War, Newport, politics, Sarah Josepha Hale, SOURCE=Library of Congress

Letter to Lincoln (1863)

Newport native Sarah Josepha Hale appeals to President Lincoln in the midst of the Civil War, and instigates an official national holiday! << BEFORE: Thanksgiving, 1862 NEXT: Hale's 1864 Thanksgiving editorial >> I've heavily excerpted the original letter to make this comics-format version.  For further reading, see these notes & links: Hale's letter of Sept. 28, … Continue reading Letter to Lincoln (1863)

Marek 1860s, Civil War, John Adams Dix, SOURCE=Library of Congress, SOURCE=NH.gov

Dix’s Letter to New Orleans (1861)

As the union begins to crumble, Treasury Secretary Dix orders a revenue cutter in New Orleans back North; the captain refuses, and Dix sends this telegram to his agent in the South: At a time when the outgoing Buchanan administration was doing little to avert the ongoing crisis of Southern secession, Dix's order electrified both sides … Continue reading Dix’s Letter to New Orleans (1861)

Marek 1860s, Boscawen, Civil War, Concord, John Adams Dix, NH State House, portraits

Gen. John Adams Dix (State House)

A nine-foot-tall portrait of NH native John A. Dix, who, as President Buchanan's Secretary of the Treasury, set "the hearts of the people everywhere ablaze"... NEXT:  The famous "Shoot Him On the Spot" memo >> John Adams Dix (born in Boscawen, 1798) issued what the NY Herald called "the first command to shed blood that … Continue reading Gen. John Adams Dix (State House)

Marek 1860s, 2nd NH, Civil War, Harriet Patience Dame, medicine

Dodging Shells (Fair Oaks)

The dangers of mealtime missiles at the Battle of Fair Oaks! << BEFORE: Under Fire at 2nd Bull Run Now we'll hear from Nurse Dame herself: This tale takes place during McClellan's 1862 Peninsula Campaign.  Union soldiers called the battle "Fair Oaks," while confederate soldiers referred to it as "Seven Pines."  Each name commemorates the area of the … Continue reading Dodging Shells (Fair Oaks)

Marek 1860s, 2nd NH, Civil War, Harriet Patience Dame

“I Have Seen Her Under Fire” (2nd Bull Run)

An apocalyptic vision of a NH nurse on the battlefield... << BEFORE: Civil War Nurse Another soldier's memory of Harriet Patience Dame's civil war service: NEXT: Dodging shells >> LINK: More H. P. Dame accounts @ NH-Heritage.com 2nd Battle of Bull Run 28 August 1862 29 August 1862 30 August 1862

Marek 1860s, 2nd NH, Civil War, Harriet Patience Dame, medicine

Civil War Nurse

The 2nd NH's commanding officer recalls Nurse Dame: << BEFORE: Dame's portrait at the NH State House NEXT: "I have seen her under fire..." >> Dame has been called "Perhaps Concord’s most valuable contribution to the Civil War."  Her Civil War service spanned the war, from its earliest days in 1861 until the end in 1865.  She … Continue reading Civil War Nurse