Amy J. Truesdell 
From Binghamton to the Battlefield [EPUB ebook] 
The Civil War Letters of Rollin B. Truesdell

From Binghamton to the Battlefield draws the reader alongside Rollin B. Truesdell, a prolific letter-writer and an early enlistee in the 27th NY Volunteers, an infantry regiment that was one of the first to form and that was in the thick of some of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. Rollin vividly described his day-to-day life as a soldier in such clashes as Gaines’ Mill, Crampton’s Gap, and Antietam, and in the camps where soldiers were tormented by disease as well as the slow passage of time. Rollin’s letters shine a light on the unbreakable bonds of comradeship borne of shared war experience even as he clearly ached for home and family. Through his own words and additional supporting context about the military and political environment within which Rollin soldiered, this book chronicles events from the day Rollin mustered into service as an eager recruit until the day he returned home a war-weary, battle-tested veteran disillusioned by the unseemly political machinations of war, yet steadfast in his commitment to victory for the North.

Table of Content

List of Illustrations

Acknowledgments

Introduction



1. Had to Be



2. Becoming a Soldier



3. Bull Run Shatters Perceptions



4. Defending the Capital



5. Recruitment Duty



6. Pushing toward Richmond



7. Lee Pushes Back



8. The War Moves North



9. Regrouping in Maryland



10. Back in Virginia



11. Stuck in the Mud



12. Counting the Days



13. Final Battering before Home



14. Farewell to the 27th New York Volunteers



Afterword

Notes

Bibliography

Index

About the author

Amy J. Truesdell is a writer and consultant. She is a former lead foreign affairs officer with the United States Department of State.