Two Vermont Brothers in the American Civil War

Much has been written about the tactics, uniforms, generals, and battles of the American Civil War, but little light is shed on the more mundane aspects of everyday life for the farmer soldiers of Vermont. Most of these men had never left their own townships, let alone travel by train to another part of the country. Most of these "men" were actually boys who would not even have the right to vote, had they been born in modern times. By looking closely at what these soldiers wrote down, historians today can gain a closer look at their everyday lives and feelings.

The concept of the written diary is lost to many people in the modern world. The invention of the laptop computer has forever changed the ways people write down their lives. Things like the weather, crop quality, daily gossip, and money proliferate through the pages of the civil war era. These mundane topics followed those men who chose to bring diaries into the battlefield. Although there is still an abundance of seemingly glossy facts, there is a depth in many of the entries that makes these long dead heroes seem human.

By delving into the diaries of the Emery brothers, a new chapter of Vermont Civil War history is being written. The diary of Philo Emery follows him through his entire civil war experience, day by day, and describes the everyday life of a farmer-soldier of the Vermont Second Regiment. The feelings of Philo are echoed closely by his brother Edson, as he writes down his experiences as a sergeant. The two brothers are never far from each other, but experience different lives as the war progresses. The diaries make constant references to battles, places, and most importantly: people. Utilizing the University of Vermont's Special Collections, letters and memoirs of other soldiers who served with the brothers can be used to flesh out their experiences. This essay hopes to capture the heroism and tragedy of the diaries of the Emery brothers.