Beschreibung:

Bound vol. (8.5 x 6 in.), full brown calf with gilt border. 288pp. The Medal of Honor was granted for the first time during the Civil War and although it was awarded more often in that conflict than ever again, it still represents the highest honor an American soldier can attain. Col. Edward B. Williston was among the few who have earned the Medal of Honor, receiving his long after the fact in 1892 in recognition of his “distinguished gallantry” at Trevilian Station on June 12, 1864. If his own account of events is true -- as it appears to be -- Williston could have been awarded similar honors on at least four occasions. Born in Norwich, Vt., on July 15, 1837, Williston received a military education at Norwich University, graduating with the class of 1856. Appointed as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 2nd US Artillery on Aug. 5, 1861, he earned promotion to 1st Lieut. in Sept. and to Captain on March 5, 1865, but throughout the war, he won the special admiration of his superiors both for his initiative as an officer and for his sheer bravery under the direst of circumstances. He certainly had many occasions to demonstrate his martial prowess. As part of the regulars at the heart of the Army of the Potomac, the 2nd Artillery was engaged in a stunning number of battles, including 2nd Bull Run, South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Maryes Heights, Salem Church, Gettysburg, Raccoon Ford, Madison Court House, White Sulphur Springs, Mine Run, Todds Tavern, Spotsylvania Court House, Yellow Tavern, Cold Harbor, Trevilian Station, Berryville, Cedarville, Opequan Creek, Locke’s Ford, Winchester, Front Royal, and Luray. Williston noted that his unit received 1,036 horses during the war and lost 371 in battle or on the march, and he records that he “expended” a very exact 2,318 rounds. This rather unusual volume of Williston’s is something of a cross between a journal, a memoir, and a scrapbook, and was probably assembled in the late 1890s when Williston was nearing retirement. The volume begins with an autobiography and summary of Williston’s military service during the Civil War and afterward in far flung places from California to Alaska, South Carolina, and Texas, as well as the armories at Troy and Springfield (pp.3-35). After the autobiography, Williston transcribed eighteen pages of his poetry, including the Wail of an Artillery Lieutenant, written at Fort Riley, Kans., March 1892: When I was a boy, I happened to see / A military company, that seemed to me / The most beautiful thing I ever had seen / But remember I was young and awfully green / So green was I that I now fail to see / Why the cows then refrained from eating me. It seems that being a great soldier is no guarantee of great poetical talent, but the insertion of several items cut from illustrated newspapers and other sources into the journal (pp.93-118), suggests that Williston did, indeed, reach print as a poet. The heart of the journal, however, lies in its last two sections, a series of testimonials and endorsements for Williston (all copied in Williston’s hand) and a surprising set of tipped-in photographs depicting his Civil War comrades, nearly all from photos taken at the time. The testimonials are not simply glad-handing tributes from willing friends, but many contain details of Williston’s cool-headed exploits. Williston states that he was the first artillery officer ever awarded the Medal of Honor, that he had his cap blown off his head by a shell, leaving him partially deaf for several years; that he had part of his coat blown off at Antietam by a shell and a piece of shrapnel lodged in his boot; that at Salem Church his boots were hit seven times by musket balls without drawing blood; that he watched a rebel sharpshooter at Antietam aim and fire at him twice, being unwilling to move so that his comrades would not think him a coward. Even his ride was tough: Williston notes that his horse Pony was struck by seven musket balls during the war. The testimonial letters