William G. Putney memoir (typescript), ca. 1896
Using These Materials
- Restrictions:
- The collection is open to research.
Summary
- Creator:
- Putney, William G., 1842-1919
- Abstract:
- The typescript of William Putney's history of Battery I, 2nd Illinois Artillery Regiment, bound and stamped in gold with the title, was presented to the captain of the battery, Charles M. Barnett, as a Christmas gift in 1897. Putney was only the final editor and compiler of the history, which was based on the recollections, letters, and diaries of a number of men in the regiment, with snippets culled from sources as diverse as Sherman's memoirs, reminiscences from soldiers in other regiments, and popular histories.
- Extent:
- 110 pages
- Language:
- English
- Sponsor:
- James S. Schoff Civil War Collection
- Authors:
- Collection processed and finding aid created by Rob S. Cox
Background
- Scope and Content:
-
The typescript of William Putney's history of Battery I, 2nd Illinois Artillery Regiment, bound and stamped in gold with the title, was presented to the captain of the battery, Charles M. Barnett, as a Christmas gift in 1897. Putney was only the final editor and compiler of the history, which was based on the recollections, letters, and diaries of a number of men in the regiment, with snippets culled from sources as diverse as Sherman's memoirs, reminiscences from soldiers in other regiments, and popular histories. The full, and rather complex history of authorship of the volume is discussed in his preface.
In many ways, Putney's narrative is characteristic of the genre of post-war reminiscences, in its selectivity and its tendency to gloss over or reimagine certain events. It is not, however, as thoroughly sanitized as many memoirs, and presents some of the unpleasantries of military service and the war with a surprising freshness. Inclined toward a literary style, Putney balances small, humorous anecdotes, mostly personal in nature, with larger-scale perspectives on the campaigns and conflicts in which the Battery was embroiled. The intrusion of narratives drawn from high ranking officers (such as Gen. Sherman) provides some insight into the average soldier's post-war opinions on what was significant about their experience, but it is the recollections of the minutiae of service, the practical jokes played by soldiers, their everyday coping, that makes Putney's memoir so valuable.
The History of Battery I includes a roster of the battery, with brief notes on the post-war activities of each member. The manuscript maps are probably copies of some printed works rather than recreations from memory. They depict 1) Route of Battery I from 1862 to 1865; 2) military and naval operations about Island No. 10; 3) the last day of the battle of Chickamauga and the route of Battery I; 4) Chattanooga Campaign; 5) the Atlanta Campaign.
- Biographical / Historical:
-
Putney, William G., 1842-1919
Rank: Bugler
Regiment: 2nd Illinois Light Artillery Regiment. Battery I (1861-1865)
Service: 1861 December 31-1865 May 20
The batteries comprising the 2nd Illinois Light Artillery were raised and served more or less independently of one another, predominantly in the western theater. Battery I was among the most active, taking part in the federal invasion of Kentucky and Tennessee, the rear guard actions to secure Kentucky, and the series of campaigns from Chattanooga through the Carolinas Campaign. During their service, the battery took part in engagements at Island No. 10, Corinth, Perryville, Chickamauga, and Chattanooga, as well as numerous engagements during the Atlanta Campaign, Sherman's March to the Sea, and the March through the Carolinas.
The young bugler of Battery I, William G. Putney, was born in Southbridge, Mass., but was working as a farmer in Channahon, Ill., at the time of his enlistment on October 1, 1861. Putney remained at Camp Butler until mustered in to the federal service on December 31, and from that point, he served continuously with the regiment until an eye ailment and hernia forced him to enter hospital at Savannah on January 20, 1865. He received a discharge for disability on May 20, 1865. After the war, Putney returned to Illinois and practiced as a physician in Kendall, Grundy and La Salle counties, continuing his practice in Lincoln, Neb., after June, 1904. He and his wife, Cornelia Elizabeth Boomer, raised a family of two daughters, three sons, and one foster son.
- Acquisition Information:
- 1976. M-1730 .
- Rules or Conventions:
- Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)
Related
- Additional Descriptive Data:
-
Related Materials
The papers of Charles M. Barnett, Captain of Battery I, are also included in the Schoff Collections.
Bibliography
Brown, Thaddeus C.S., Samuel J. Murphy and William G. Putney. Behind the guns; the history of Battery I, 2nd Regiment, Illinois Light Artillery, ed. Clyde C. Walton (Carbondale, Ill., 1965).
Partial Subject Index
Atlanta Campaign, 1864. - 57-76
Atlanta Campaign, 1864--Maps. - Unnumbered pages
Atlanta, Battle of, 1864. - 67-69
Averasboro, Battle of, 1865. - 93-94
Bentonville (N.C.), Battle of, 1865. - 94-95
Buell, Don Carlos, 1818-1898. - 24
Charleston (S.C.) Military Prison. - 104-105
Chattanooga Campaign, 1863. - 47-51
Chattanooga, Battle of, 1863--Maps. - Unnumbered pages
Chickamauga (Ga.) Battlefield. - 46-47
Chickamauga Campaign, 1863. - 39-46
Chickamauga, Battle of, 1863. - 40-46
Chickamauga, Battle of, 1863--Maps. - Unnumbered pages
Civilians--Georgia--Civil War, 1861-1865. - 58, 60
Civilians--Kentucky--Civil War, 1861-1865. - 21, 31
Civilians--Tennessee--Civil War, 1861-1865. - 37
Columbia (S.C.) Military Prison. - 105-107
Corinth Campaign, 1862. - 15
Dead. - 68, 87-88
Enemy--Relations. - 69-70
Escapes. - 103-104, 107
Ezra Chapel (Ga.), Battle of, 1864. - 69
Foraging--Tennessee. - 36, 39
Gambling. - 85
Grand Review (Washington, D.C.), 1865. - 97-98
Granger, Gordon, 1822-1876. - 39
Grant, Ulysses Simpson, 1822-1885. - 39
Guerrillas--Georgia. - 87-88
Hooker, Joseph, 1814-1879. - 65
Horses--Accidents. - 34
Insubordination. - 16-17
Irish-American soldiers. - 66-67
Island No. 10 (Ky.), Battle of, 1862. - 12-13
Island No. 10 (Ky.), Battle of, 1862--Maps. - Unnumbered pages
Jonesboro, Battle of, 1864. - 72-74
Kenesaw Mountain, Battle of, 1864. - 63-64
Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865--Assassination. - 96-97
Macon (Ga.) Military Prison. - 101-103
Maps. - Unnumbered pages
Marches--Georgia. - 71-72
McCook, Daniel, 1834-1864. - 34
Perryville (Ky.), Battle of, 1862. - 23-30
Prisoners of War--Confederate States of America. - 11, 37-38
Refugees--South Carolina. - 92
Resaca, Battle of, 1864. - 58-59
Revenge. - 88
Rome (Ga.)--Description and travel. - 59-60
Savannah (Ga.) Military Prison. - 103-104
Savannah (Ga.)--Description and travel. - 86-87
Scorched-earth policy. - 81
Sharpshooters--Confederate States of America. - 69-70
Sherman's March through the Carolinas. - 89-96
Sherman's March to the Sea. - 77-89
Sherman, William T. (William Tecumseh), 1820-1891. - 65, 70
Soldiers--Alcohol use. - 16-18, 20
Soldiers--Death. - 13
Soldiers--Recreation. - 10-11, 36, 47
Target practice. - 55-57
Torpedoes. - 85, 90-91
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--African Americans. - 18, 21, 85, 92
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Artillery operations. - 22-24, 27-30, 39-46, 55-59, 63-64
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Peace. - 96
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Personal narratives. - passim
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Poetry. - 109
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Prisoners and prisons. - 101-108
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Women. - 58, 60
United States. Army--Leaves and furloughs. - 53-54
United States. Army--Reenlistment. - 52-53
Utoy Creek, Battle of, 1864. - 69-70
- Alternative Form Available:
-
Putney's typescript was published by Southern Illinois University Press in 1965 as Behind the Guns: The History of Battery I, 2nd Regiment, Illinois Light Artillery.
Subjects
Click on terms below to find any related finding aids on this site.
- Subjects:
-
Atlanta Campaign, 1864.
Chattanooga, Battle of, Chattanooga, Tenn., 1863.
Chickamauga, Battle of, Ga., 1863.
Perryville, Battle of, Perryville, Ky., 1862.
Prisoners of War--Confederate States of America.
Sherman's March through the Carolinas.
Sherman's March to the Sea.
Soldiers--Recreation. - Names:
- United States. Army. Illinois Light Artillery Regiment, 2nd. Battery I (1861-1865)
- Places:
-
United States-- History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Regimental histories--Illinois artillery-- 2nd-- Battery I.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Personal narratives.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Artillery operations.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Prisoners and prisons.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--African Americans.
Contents
Using These Materials
- RESTRICTIONS:
-
The collection is open to research.
- USE & PERMISSIONS:
-
Copyright status is unknown.
- PREFERRED CITATION:
-
William G. Putney Memoir (Typescript), James S. Schoff Civil War Collection, William L. Clements Library, The University of Michigan