The Life of a Union Army Sharpshooter: The Diaries and Letters of John T. Farnham
John T. Farnham, a sharpshooter in the Union Army, wrote a substantial diary entry nearly every day during his three-year enlistment, sent over 50 long articles to his hometown newspaper, and mailed some 600 letters home. He described training, battles, skirmishes, encampments, furloughs, marches, hospital life, and clerkships at the Iron Brigade headquarters and the War Department. He met Lincoln and acquired a blood-stained cuff taken from his assassinated body. He befriended freed slaves, teaching them to read and write and built them a school. He campaigned for Lincoln’s re-election. He subscribed to three newspapers and several magazines and devoured 22 books. He attended 23 plays and six concerts during his service. He was gregarious and popular, naming in his diaries 108 friends in the service and 156 at home. Frail and sickly, he died of tuberculosis four years after his discharge. He paints a detailed portrait of the lives of ordinary soldiers in the Union Army, their food, living conditions, relations among officers and men, ordeals, triumphs, and tragedies.

Nominated for the Gilder Lehrman Prize
1121804974
The Life of a Union Army Sharpshooter: The Diaries and Letters of John T. Farnham
John T. Farnham, a sharpshooter in the Union Army, wrote a substantial diary entry nearly every day during his three-year enlistment, sent over 50 long articles to his hometown newspaper, and mailed some 600 letters home. He described training, battles, skirmishes, encampments, furloughs, marches, hospital life, and clerkships at the Iron Brigade headquarters and the War Department. He met Lincoln and acquired a blood-stained cuff taken from his assassinated body. He befriended freed slaves, teaching them to read and write and built them a school. He campaigned for Lincoln’s re-election. He subscribed to three newspapers and several magazines and devoured 22 books. He attended 23 plays and six concerts during his service. He was gregarious and popular, naming in his diaries 108 friends in the service and 156 at home. Frail and sickly, he died of tuberculosis four years after his discharge. He paints a detailed portrait of the lives of ordinary soldiers in the Union Army, their food, living conditions, relations among officers and men, ordeals, triumphs, and tragedies.

Nominated for the Gilder Lehrman Prize
39.95 In Stock
The Life of a Union Army Sharpshooter: The Diaries and Letters of John T. Farnham

The Life of a Union Army Sharpshooter: The Diaries and Letters of John T. Farnham

by William G. Andrews
The Life of a Union Army Sharpshooter: The Diaries and Letters of John T. Farnham

The Life of a Union Army Sharpshooter: The Diaries and Letters of John T. Farnham

by William G. Andrews

Hardcover

$39.95 
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Overview

John T. Farnham, a sharpshooter in the Union Army, wrote a substantial diary entry nearly every day during his three-year enlistment, sent over 50 long articles to his hometown newspaper, and mailed some 600 letters home. He described training, battles, skirmishes, encampments, furloughs, marches, hospital life, and clerkships at the Iron Brigade headquarters and the War Department. He met Lincoln and acquired a blood-stained cuff taken from his assassinated body. He befriended freed slaves, teaching them to read and write and built them a school. He campaigned for Lincoln’s re-election. He subscribed to three newspapers and several magazines and devoured 22 books. He attended 23 plays and six concerts during his service. He was gregarious and popular, naming in his diaries 108 friends in the service and 156 at home. Frail and sickly, he died of tuberculosis four years after his discharge. He paints a detailed portrait of the lives of ordinary soldiers in the Union Army, their food, living conditions, relations among officers and men, ordeals, triumphs, and tragedies.

Nominated for the Gilder Lehrman Prize

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781625450777
Publisher: Fonthill Media
Publication date: 05/05/2016
Pages: 288
Product dimensions: 6.10(w) x 9.20(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

William G. Andrews is a retired college professor and local historian. He published many books and articles in 41 years as a political scientist. He is active in civic affairs, including service as deputy mayor of the village, founding president of the Brockport Community Museum and founding vice president of the Greater Brockport Development Corp. He has traveled extensively and lived in France and Norway. He is a widower with six children and thirteen grandchildren.

Table of Contents

Preface 7

Acknowledgements 8

A Note Relating to the Transcription 9

Introduction 11

Biographical Note on John T. Farnham 11

The Background to this Publication 15

Farnham's Military Unit 16

Volume I January 1861-February 1864 23

Volume II March 1864-May 1864 207

Later Letters to the Brockport Republic June and July 1864 245

Volume III October 1864-June 1865 255

Endnotes 319

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