author
William H. (William Henry) Hodgkins
1840–1905
A Civil War officer, public servant, and firsthand chronicler of his era, he left behind vivid writing shaped by battlefield experience and civic life in Massachusetts. His work offers readers a direct, personal window into the war and the years that followed.
1 Audiobook
History of the Thirty-sixth Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers. 1862-1865
by Henry S. (Henry Sweetser) Burrage, William H. (William Henry) Hodgkins, Edmund W. Noyes, S. Alonzo Ranlett, Alonzo A. White
About the author
Born on June 9, 1840, William Henry Hodgkins was an American soldier, writer, and politician with deep ties to Massachusetts. He served in the 36th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War and rose through the ranks to captain, experiences that later informed his historical writing and personal war diary.
Hodgkins is remembered by readers today for works connected to the Civil War, including The Battle of Fort Stedman (Petersburg, Virginia) March 25, 1865 and the diary later published as Journal of War: A Civil War Diary of the Life of William H. Hodgkins. These writings stand out for their firsthand perspective, giving modern audiences an immediate sense of military life and memory.
After the war, he remained active in public life and went on to serve in local and state government, including as mayor of Somerville, Massachusetts and as a member of the Massachusetts State Senate. He died on September 24, 1905, leaving a legacy that bridges personal testimony, military history, and civic service.