Loyal Till Death

The 13th New York Artillery Battery served from October 1861-July 1865 in the Union army during the Civil War. This unit participated in some famous battles (Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Atlanta) as well as numerous smaller engagements. Masses of papers generated by this unit offer candid comments on those battles as well as daily camp life and the personalities of many of the officers and men. This book comprises orders, reports, memos, personal letters, etc., received and issued by the officers of the unit during this time. It is organized in the form of a "unit diary" and could be considered what the battery would have written if it could. Some of the most beautifully crafted letters by any soldier in the Civil War were written by William Wheeler, who served as captain of the 13th until his death in June of 1864. Until now, these letters were available only in a privately published collection printed in 1875. Few libraries have that volume, and many of the best historians of the Civil War have never seen the letters or even heard of Wheeler. Appendices round out this comprehensive work, providing information on unit service, officers, battles, a brief historical sketch of the unit, inscriptions on war monuments, and the eulogy for William Wheeler. A bibliography and index are also included.