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.

List of IllustrationsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Had to Be2. Becoming a Soldier3. Bull Run Shatters Perceptions4. Defending the Capital5. Recruitment Duty6. Pushing toward Richmond7. Lee Pushes Back8. The War Moves North9. Regrouping in Maryland10. Back in Virginia11. Stuck in the Mud12. Counting the Days13. Final Battering before Home14. Farewell to the 27th New York VolunteersAfterwordNotesBibliographyIndex