Chapter VIII: Conclusion

"You can have ten descriptions of a battle, or plans of a campaign, sooner than one glimpse at the unthought of details of a soldier's life."

The history of Co. F is finished, and is far from satisfactory to the writer. Originally undertaken for the purpose of supplying the Hon. G. G. Benedict, State Military Historian, with material for such a brief record as he could afford room for in his history of the Vermont troops in the war of the rebellion, it has grown far beyond what was intended at the outset, and far beyond what would be proper for him to publish in such a work as he is charged with. It should have been undertaken by some other person than myself; by some one more intimately and longer acquainted with the company in the field: by some one whose personal recollection of the detail of its daily doings is more exact than mine can possibly be; for the history of so small a portion of a great army as a company is, should be a personal history of the men who composed it. The record of a company is mainly made up of the every day scenes and every day gossip about its company kitchen and its company street. With these matters the writer does not profess to be, or to have been, familiar.

The work has, therefore, become more of a description of campaigns and of battles, and more a history of the regiment to which it was attached, I fear, than of the company. Such as it is, however, its preparation has been a labor of love, and it is published with the earnest hope that it may serve at least to keep warm in the hearts of the survivors the memories of those who marched with them in 1861, and whose graves mark every battle field whereon the Army of the Potomac fought.

WM. Y. W. R.

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| Transcriber's Note: |
| |
| Inconsistent hyphenation and spelling in the |
| original document have been preserved. |
| |
| = sign denotes bold type |
| |
| Typographical errors corrected in the text: |
| |
| All instances of Spottsylvania changed |
| to Spotsylvania |
| All instances of Rapahannock changed |
| to Rappahannock |
| Page 3 lands changed to land's |
| Page 4 taget changed to target |
| Page 9 augered changed to augured |
| Page 10 oganized changed to organized |
| Page 13 or changed to on |
| Page 15 blocade changed to blockade |
| Page 20 leggins changed to leggings |
| Page 21 complmentary changed to complimentary |
| Page 31 navagable changed to navigable |
| Page 33 suplemented changed to supplemented |
| Page 34 relieveing changed to relieving |
| Page 40 consumate changed to consummate |
| Page 45 intesely changed to intensely |
| Page 53 canonade changed to cannonade |
| Page 57 hesitatation changed to hesitation |
| Page 59 Seargent changed to Sergeant |
| Page 78 removed word "in" before "converted" |
| Page 81 at changed to an |
| Page 101 Hasting changed to Hastings |
| Page 106 Fredricksburgh changed to Fredericksburgh |
| Page 107 usul changed to usual |
| Page 107 occurence changed to ccurrence |
| Page 120 randon changed to random |
| Page 121 irresistable changed to irresistible |
| Page 142 SPOTTSYLVANIA changed to SPOTSYLVANIA |
| Page 144 amry changed to army |
| Page 148 Hayes changed to Hays |
| Page 149 necessarially changed to necessarily |
| Page 155 levie changed to levy |
| Page 162 veterns changed to veterans |
| Page 164 handfull changed to handful |
| Page 167 tweny changed to twenty |
| Page 171 Totopotomy changed to Totopotomy |
| Page 172 indispensible changed to indispensable |
| Page 174 Totopotamy changed to Totopotomy |
| Page 175 arogant changed to arrogant |
| Page 176 renpered changed to rendered |
| Page 182 SEIGE changed to SIEGE |
| Page 190 Jeausalem changed to Jerusalem |
| Page 202 Wooley changed to Woolly |
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