Highlights Archives
Bloodiest American Battle — Battle of Gettysburg Remembered
The bloodiest battle in American history was fought July 1-3, 1863. When Union and Confederate forces separated after three days of brutal combat, more than 50,000 men had been killed, wounded or taken prisoner and the Confederate invasion of the north had failed.
Capt. Nathaniel Rollins kept a daily diary whose entries for June 30-July 6, 1863, you can read at Turning Points in Wisconsin History. His unit was one of the first to engage the enemy, but on the second day Rollins was taken prisoner. His diary describes his treatment, seeing Gen. Robert E. Lee pass by, and the retreat of the defeated Southern troops. Rollins spent the rest of the war in Confederate custody, and six weeks after his release he penned this 21-page account of his time in Libby Prison and other Confederate camps.
Frank Haskell of Madison left the best account of Gettysburg and was credited with turning the tide of the battle. His conspicuous bravery in plain sight between the lines inspired Union troops to turn back an assault by 15,000 Confederate soldiers, and the South soon retreated.
Shortly after the battle, Haskell wrote a long account for his family. After he was killed in action a few months later, his brother had it printed for distribution to friends. You can read this very rare pamphlet at Turning Points in Wisconsin History. In subsequent years, Haskell's account of Gettysburg was reprinted many times until it became one of the most widely quoted sources of what happened on those fateful days.
Many other Wisconsin residents fought at Gettysburg, including future governor Lucius Fairchild who lost his left arm there. In the following years Fairchild's heroics in battle and veteran status would help him become the first person to be elected governor of Wisconsin for three successive terms. He also became a seasoned European diplomat and led the Grand Army of the Republic.
More memoirs are in our online collection of Local History & Biography articles, and pictures of the battlefield can be viewed at Wisconsin Historical Images.
:: Posted June 28, 2005
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