Yours Affectionately, Osgood: Colonel Osgood Vose Tracy's Letters Home from the Civil War, 1862-1865

by Sarah Tracy Burrows (Editor), Ryan W. Keating (Editor)

Overview

An abolitionist Civil War soldier and prisoner of war reflects on life during wartime

More than 3 million men served in the American Civil War. In Yours Affectionately, Osgood, editors Sarah Tracy Burrows and Ryan W. Keating have assembled a collection of letters from one of those soldiers—Osgood Vose Tracy of the 122nd New York Infantry. Sarah Tracy Burrows, a descendant of Col. Osgood Tracy, has compiled this expansive collection from her family’s private papers. Paired with illuminating discussion and historical context from noted Civil War historian Ryan W. Keating, Tracy’s letters home follow his journey as a soldier and prisoner of war from his enlistment in August 1862 through the end of the war in May 1865, as Tracy then readjusted to civilian life.

The letters in Yours Affectionately, Osgood, primarily written to his mother, provide a uniquely detailed perspective of everyday life in the Army of the Potomac, adding considerably to the existing literature on the experiences of citizen soldiers in America’s Civil War. A well-educated young man, Tracy offers his opinion on pressing social and political issues of the time, including his definite abolitionist sentiments; ruminates on the Union war effort and its campaigns; and demonstrates his deep commitment to family, as well as his sweetheart, Nellie Sedgwick, back home. Tracy’s letters constitute an incredibly rare primary source volume that will be both fascinating and foundational in the scholarly community and for more general interest readers of the history of the Civil War.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781606354407
Publisher:	Kent State University Press
Publication date:	06/21/2022
Series:	Interpreting the Civil War: Texts and Contexts
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.25(h) x 1.25(d)

About the Author

Sarah Tracy Burrows is a graduate of Hobart and William Smith Colleges with a BA in English and history. She worked for CFO Publishing Corporation in Boston, Massachusetts, and is currently a trustee and chair of steering for the Jacob Leisler Institute for the Study of Early New York History, named for her 8x great-grandfather.

Ryan W. Keating is professor of history and director of the Office of Student Research at California State University San Bernardino, where he teaches and researches on the Civil War era. He is the author of two books, Shades of Green: Irish Regiments, American Soldiers, and Local Communities in the Civil War Era and The Greatest Trials I Ever Had: The Civil War Letters of Margaret and Thomas Cahill.

Read an Excerpt

An abolitionist Civil War soldier and prisoner of war reflects on life during wartime

More than 3 million men served in the American Civil War. In Yours Affectionately, Osgood, editors Sarah Tracy Burrows and Ryan W. Keating have assembled a collection of letters from one of those soldiers—Osgood Vose Tracy of the 122nd New York Infantry. Sarah Tracy Burrows, a descendant of Col. Osgood Tracy, has compiled this expansive collection from her family’s private papers. Paired with illuminating discussion and historical context from noted Civil War historian Ryan W. Keating, Tracy’s letters home follow his journey as a soldier and prisoner of war from his enlistment in August 1862 through the end of the war in May 1865, as Tracy then readjusted to civilian life.

The letters in Yours Affectionately, Osgood, primarily written to his mother, provide a uniquely detailed perspective of everyday life in the Army of the Potomac, adding considerably to the existing literature on the experiences of citizen soldiers in America’s Civil War. A well-educated young man, Tracy offers his opinion on pressing social and political issues of the time, including his definite abolitionist sentiments; ruminates on the Union war effort and its campaigns; and demonstrates his deep commitment to family, as well as his sweetheart, Nellie Sedgwick, back home. Tracy’s letters constitute an incredibly rare primary source volume that will be both fascinating and foundational in the scholarly community and for more general interest readers of the history of the Civil War.

Table of Contents

Preface Sarah Tracy Burrows ix

Acknowledgments xiii

Introduction xv

1 To War, "Baptism of Fire": September-October 1862 1

2 The Grand Advance: November-December 1862 37

3 Long Winter, Short Furlough: December 21, 1862-March 6, 1863 57

4 "Waiting for the Fight": March 21-June 1863 93

5 "The Rebels Are Certainly Playing a Bold Game": Gettysburg, July-October 1863 119

6 "Fall Campaigns": November-December 1863 157

7 "Winter Guard Duty": Sandusky, Ohio, January-April 1864 175

8 "Capture and Escape": Battle of the Wilderness, April-June 1864 183

9 Back on the Campaign Trail: July-December 1864 207

10 The War Draws to a Close; January-May 1865 215

11 Postwar: June 1865-1909 237

Index 257

Editorial Reviews

"Burrows and Keating have done well to contextualize Tracy’s wartime experiences and preserve his own voice. This is an interesting collection for those interested in soldiers and the home front, efforts at commemoration, and the history of central New York." —Civil War Monitor

“These wartime letters from a Union army officer to his mother, interspersed with his later accounts of the battle of Gettysburg and his capture at the battle of the Wilderness and subsequent escape, describe a range of soldier experiences: camp life, marches and battles, bonding with comrades, the highs and lows of morale, and homesickness. The reader will emerge with a broadened understanding and appreciation for the service and sacrifices of Civil War soldiers.” —James M. McPherson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Battle Cry of Freedom

“From bad food and boredom to the horrors of Gettysburg and his escape from a Confederate prison, Osgood Tracy's missives bring the reader into the beating heart of the bloody conflict that defined our nation.” —Eleanor Herman, New York Times best-selling historian

“Tracy’s letters provide excellent content from which even experts will glean information and insight to the experiences of Civil War soldiers through the unique perspective of a staff officer.” —Patrick A. Schroeder, Historian, Appomattox Court House National Historical Park

From the Publisher