MANY ROADS TO FREEDOM:
REGIMENTAL HISTORIES AND OFFICIAL RECORDS

According to the Internet Public Library, over 50,000 books and pamphlets have been published on the Civil War since 1861. Many of these items are regimental histories, written by Civil War soldiers or their relatives or friends to document and commemorate the war experience. A regimental history is only one source of information about the activities of any particular unit, but it does offer the unique perspective of one soldier or group of soldiers. In order to more fully research a regiment or unit, it is important to go to other sources, such as official records, recently published histories, personal items such as diaries and letters and web sites which deal with particular units.

Here are regimental histories of some of our local units:

For pdf help, click here

8th Regiment (Cavalry)
Deeds of Daring, or History of the Eighth N.Y. Volunteer Cavalry [pdf, 9.10 MB], by Henry Norton, 1889.

13th Regiment (Rochester Regiment)
A Brief Account of the Thirteenth New York State Volunteer Regiment, 1861-1863 [pdf, 3.66 MB], by Theodore Cazeau, 1925.

27th Regiment (Union Regiment)
History of the 27th Regiment, N.Y.Vols. [pdf, 22.4 MB], compiled by C.B. Fairchild of Company "D", 1888.

33rd Regiment (Ontario Regiment)
The Story of the Thirty-third N.Y.S. Vols.: or Two years Campaigning in Virginia and Maryland [pdf, 28.0 MB], by David W. Judd, 1864.

108th Regiment
A Complete Military History and Record of the 108th Regiment N.Y. Vols. from 1862 to 1894: Together with Roster, Letters, Rebel Oaths of Allegiance, Rebel Passes, Reminiscences... &c. [pdf, 171 MB], by Private Geo. H. Washburn. 1894.

The Civil War Battles of Lt. Col. Francis Edwin Pierce
108th New York Volunteer Infantry
by Marcotte, Bob
Rochester History, Vol. 65 No(s) 2 (Spring 2003)

140th Regiment (Monroe County Regiment)
The Military Memoirs of Captain Henry Cribben of the 140th New York Volunteers [pdf, 6.81 MB], edited by J. Clayton Youker, 1911.

151st Regiment
Chronicles of the One Hundred Fifty-First Regiment New York State Volunteer Infantry [pdf, 30.5 MB], by Helena Howell Adelaide, 1911.


Also, read extracts from Frederick Phisterer's New York in the War of Rebellion [pdf, 9.78 MB], 1912, which has information on our local units.
 

Read a partial list of Civil War dead from Monroe County here [pdf, 131 KB].