My First Campaign

A candid, day‑by‑day account from a private in the Twelfth Rhode Island Volunteers, this narrative opens with the soldier’s enlistment and the hurried march from camp to Washington in the autumn of 1862. The author records the cramped train rides, storm‑tossed steamships, and the curious sights of bustling ports and the striking landscape of Staten Island. Through these early movements, the tone is both observant and earnest, offering listeners a vivid sense of the logistical challenges that greeted new recruits.

Beyond the travel, the diary quickly settles into life inside the regiment—drill, camaraderie, and the uneasy anticipation of combat. The writer notes the personalities of company officers, the routine of camp duties, and the stark contrast between the hopeful optimism of volunteers and the harsh realities of supply shortages and disease. Listeners will hear the raw, unvarnished voice of a soldier who records both the small, human moments and the looming uncertainties of a campaign that would test his endurance.