Franklin Aretas Haskell

Born in Vermont in 1828, Franklin Aretas Haskell later studied and worked in Wisconsin before serving in the Union Army during the Civil War. He spent much of the war as a trusted aide to General John Gibbon, following Gibbon through a series of increasingly important commands.

Haskell is remembered above all for his remarkable narrative of Gettysburg, written soon after the battle. The account is prized for its clarity, detail, and intensity, and it remains one of the standout eyewitness descriptions of the fighting from the Union side.

He eventually became colonel of the 36th Wisconsin Infantry. In 1864, at just 35 years old, he was killed at Cold Harbor, leaving behind a reputation for bravery in the field and a lasting literary record of one of the Civil War's defining battles.