Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Illustrations
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction: Civil War Voices and Views
- MEDICAL AND SURGICAL MEMOIRS
- ACCOUNTS OF NURSING
- MEDICAL FACILITIES AND PATHOLOGY
- PHOTOGRAPHY
- AMPUTATIONS AND PROSTHETIC LIMBS
- IN THE FIELD OF BATTLE
- Diary: October 29, 1862: The Civil War Diary and Letters of Sergeant Henry W. Tisdale
- The Battle of Shiloh: Aftermath: ‘The Battle of Shiloh’ from Annals of the War
- The Battle of Ellyson's Mills: A Confederate Surgeon's Letters to His Wife Spencer Glasgow Welch
- Aftermath of Battle, Cedar Mountain, Virginia: ‘Personal Recollections of the War’
- After the Battle of Winchester: A Virginia Yankee in the Civil War
- The Negro as a Soldier
- Army Life in a Black Regiment
- POST-WAR NARRATIVES
- Contributors
- Select Bibliography
- Index
- Plates
Diary: October 29, 1862: The Civil War Diary and Letters of Sergeant Henry W. Tisdale
from IN THE FIELD OF BATTLE
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Illustrations
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction: Civil War Voices and Views
- MEDICAL AND SURGICAL MEMOIRS
- ACCOUNTS OF NURSING
- MEDICAL FACILITIES AND PATHOLOGY
- PHOTOGRAPHY
- AMPUTATIONS AND PROSTHETIC LIMBS
- IN THE FIELD OF BATTLE
- Diary: October 29, 1862: The Civil War Diary and Letters of Sergeant Henry W. Tisdale
- The Battle of Shiloh: Aftermath: ‘The Battle of Shiloh’ from Annals of the War
- The Battle of Ellyson's Mills: A Confederate Surgeon's Letters to His Wife Spencer Glasgow Welch
- Aftermath of Battle, Cedar Mountain, Virginia: ‘Personal Recollections of the War’
- After the Battle of Winchester: A Virginia Yankee in the Civil War
- The Negro as a Soldier
- Army Life in a Black Regiment
- POST-WAR NARRATIVES
- Contributors
- Select Bibliography
- Index
- Plates
Summary
Henry Tisdale (1837–1922) enlisted in the 35th regiment of the Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, saw extensive action, and was captured by the Rebels 1864–65. His diary is transcribed by family members. Taken from Mark F. Farrell, ed., The Civil War Diary and Letters of Sergeant Henry W. Tisdale (2001), at http://civilwardiary.net © 2001. Excerpted with permission.
Some six weeks have passed away since writing. They have been eventful ones to me, full of God's providential goodness and mercy. A good deal of the time I have been unable to write and the remaining time I have been indisposed to it. At near 4 PM September 14th our brigade was ordered to the front, a rough march of some 4 miles brought us to the scene of conflict, climbing steep hills, some almost mountains crossing rough fields through corn fields and some of the way at double quick. On our way meeting many wounded being carried to the rear and as we neared the battleground here and there a dead body was to be seen. At little after 5 PM were upon the ground where the booming of artillery the screaming of shot and shell and rattling of musketry told us we were mid the stern realities of actual battle. The sight of the wounded sent a kind of chill over me but in the main feelings of curiosity and wonder at the scene about me took hold of my mind. Were drawn up in the line of battle in a cornfield and then advanced through a sort of wooden field to a thick wood where we met the rebels or a few scattering ones for their main body was on the retreat. In entering the wood came upon a large number of rebel dead lying in a ravine, presenting a sad and sickening sight. They were making an advance upon our lines, but when crossing the ravine, were met by a volley from the 17th Michigan which so thinned their ranks that on that part of their line they made a precipitate retreat. Just after we entered the wood was wounded by a rifle ball passing through my left leg just opposite the thighbone.
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- Life and LimbPerspectives on the American Civil War, pp. 151 - 153Publisher: Liverpool University PressPrint publication year: 2015