Letters from Regiments that Tell Their Own Story
Each link on this page will take you to a series of letters written to the editor of The Gallipolis Journal from soldiers in specific regiments. These regiments were singled out because there was a large number of letters from each. These letters were all written at different times and by different soldiers within that specific regiment and so a narrative emerges, telling the story about the weeks and months of boredom and inactivity interspersed with the sudden excitement, tragedy and horror of the battlefield. The story of the war unfolds, unfiltered by the explanations and opinions of subsequent authors and historians.
87th Ohio Volunteer Infantry & 2nd Ohio Volunteer Heavy Artillery
4th West Virginia Volunteer Infantry