Ça doit être fascinant de tenir dans ses mains les lettres écrites par un de ses ancêtres. Je n’en ai pas, mais je sais que Charles Bilodeau a écrit plusieurs lettres et même tenu un journal durant la guerre de Sécession.
Ce journal ou ces lettres ont été de plus transcrits par un de ses descendants. Je possède depuis 2013 une copie PDF, mais je la partagerai ici un jour seulement avec son autorisation, juste pour le plaisir de partager.
J’ai retrouvé le nom de Charles Bilodeau dans une liste sur un site Internet…
http://www.pa-roots.com/pacw/infantry/52nd/52ndcoc.html
Billodo, Charles |
Private |
October 17, 1861 |
Mustered out, November 5, 1864, expiration of term |
Une liste pour se souvenir dans quel régiment il était avec ses frères d’armes.
Ici c’est l’histoire de ce régiment…
http://www.civilwararchive.com/Unreghst/unpainf3.htm#52nd
En voici un court extrait…
52nd Regiment Infantry
Organized at Harrisburg November 5, 1861. Left State for Washington, D.C., November 8. Attached to 1st Brigade, Casey’s Division, Army Potomac, to March, 1862. 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, 4th Army Corps, Army Potomac, to June, 1862. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 4th Army Corps, to December, 1862. Naglee’s Brigade, Dept. of North Carolina, to January, 1863. 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 18th Army Corps, Dept. North Carolina, to February, 1863. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 18th Army Corps, Dept. of the South, to April, 1863. District of Beaufort, S. C., 10th Corps, Dept. of the South, to July, 1863. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, Morris Island, S.C., 10th Corps, July, 1863. Davis’ Brigade, Folly Island, S.C., 10th Corps, to August, 1863. 5th Brigade, Morris Island, S.C., 10th Corps, to November, 1863. 2nd Brigade, Morris Island, S.C., 10th Corps, to April, 1864. District of Hilton Head, S.C., Dept. South, to June, 1864. Morris Island, S.C., Northern District, Dept. of the South, to October, 1864. 1st Separate Brigade, Morris Island, S.C., Dept. South, to March, 1865. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division. 23rd Army Corps, Dept. North Carolina, to July, 1865.
SERVICE.–Duty in the Defenses of Washington, D.C., until March, 1862. Advance on Manassas, Va.. March 10-15. Moved to the Virginia Peninsula March 28. Siege of Yorktown April 5-May 4. Battle of Williamsburg May 5. Bottom’s Bridge May 19-20. Operations about Bottom’s Bridge May 20-23. Reconnaissance to Seven Pines May 24-27. Skirmishes at Seven Pines, Savage Station and Chickahominy May 24. Battle of Fair Oaks (Seven Pines) May 31-June 1. At Bottom’s Bridge June 13-26. Seven days before Richmond June 25-July 1. Bottom’s Bridge June 28-29. White Oak Swamp Bridge June 30. Malvern Hill July 1. At Harrison’s Landing until August 15. Moved to Yorktown August 16-20, and duty there until December 31. Expedition to Gloucester, Matthews, King and Queen and Middlesex Counties December 11-15. Ordered to Beaufort, N. C., December 31. At Carolina City until January 28. Moved to Port Royal, S.C., January 28-31. At St. Helena Island, S.C., February 10-April 4. Operations against Charleston April 4-15. Duty at Beaufort, S. C., until July 6. Moved to Folly Island
July 6. Expedition to James Island, S.C., July 9-16. Secessionville July 16. Operations on Morris and Folly Islands, S.C., against Forts Wagner and Gregg, Morris Island, and Fort Sumter and Charleston July 18-September 7. Capture of Forts Wagner and Gregg September 7. Operations against Charleston until April, 1864. Regiment reenlisted December 31, 1863. Duty at Hilton Head, S.C., until June, 1864. Reconnaissance to Dafuskie Island May 11. Moved to Morris Island, S.C., and operations against Charleston until February, 1865. Assault on Fort Johnson and Battery Simpkins, James Island, July 3, 1864. Occupation of Charleston February 18. Duty in Charleston Harbor until April 18. Ordered to North Carolina and duty at Salisbury until July. Mustered out July 12, 1865.
Regiment lost during service 1 Officer and 43 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 2 Officers and 173 Enlisted men by disease. Total 219.
Bon disons que j’ai tout copié-collé…
La guerre de Sécession hante toujours nos voisins du Sud juste à voir les événements qui se déroulent sous nos yeux…
À suivre…
Shows the retreat of Franklin’s corps at the Battle of Fair Oaks, 29 June 1862. From the original source description in Harper’s Magazine, on page 523 of the 16 August 1862 issue: We continue in this number our series of illustrations of the Army of the Potomac, from sketches by Mr. Alfred R. Waud. Mr. Waud writes respecting the illustrations on pages 516 and 517: THE RIGHT WING FALLING BACK. « This was a scene to be remembered. It occurred at two A.M. on Sunday, 29th June. The clearing was filled with wagon-trains, shown up by the glare of fires lighted for the destruction of such stores as it was impossible to convey with the army. Among these the artillery and infantry steadily moved to take up positions for their defense. By the dull glow of the fires guns in position came into sight formed across the field; and occasionally, when a box of cartridges or other inflammable material would explode, the whole scene would be illuminated brightly in all its detail: artillery moving; guns in battery, with the tired cannoniers sleeping around them; wagon-trains forming for a move; soldiers burning stores, con amore, that ‘Johnny Reb’ might not profit by them; stragglers and sick working their weary way along, and much more, making a scene of the most dramatic character. »