Full Description
Captain George N. Bliss of the First Rhode Island Cavalry survived some 27 actions during the Civil War. Midway through the war, he served nine months at a conscript training camp in Connecticut, where he sat on several courts-martial. In September 1864, in a skirmish at Waynesboro, Virginia, he single-handedly charged into the 4th Virginia "Black Horse" Cavalry. Badly injured and taken prisoner, he was consigned to the notorious Libby Prison in Richmond.
A colorful correspondent, Bliss set out in detail his experiences in letters to a close friend and sent dispatches to a Providence newspaper. His candid writings are rich with details of the war and his own opinions. The editors describe how, following the war, Bliss sought out the Confederates who had almost killed him and formed friendships with them that lasted for decades.
Contents
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Preface
Editorial Note
Introduction
One. "Chaos still reigns" (March-May 1862)
Two. "Don't tell father I have been shot at" (May-July 1862)
Three. "If we are not all generals neither are we all fools" (August-December 1862)
Four. "Our day ought to be near at hand" (January-May
1863)
Five. "Our regt has just been cleaned up" (June-August 1863)
Six. "[I] report today at New Haven Conn." (August 1863-
April 1864)
Seven. "I am ordered to rejoin my regiment" (May-
August 1864)
Eight. "Chasing the rebels ... is a very exciting amusement"
(August-September 1864)
Nine. "Is there a mason here, I am a mason" (September
1864-February 1865)
Ten. "Out of the horrible pit, out of the miry clay" (February-May 1865)
Eleven. Postwar Life in East Providence, 1865-1928
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index
