History of the Thirty-sixth Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers. 1862-1865

William H. (William Henry) Hodgkins

1840–1905

A Civil War soldier whose diary later became a book, he also built a public life in Massachusetts as a state senator and mayor of Somerville. His story bridges the everyday reality of war with the work of local government in the decades that followed.

Remembered today mainly for helping preserve the story of a Civil War regiment, this little-known writer contributed to a detailed firsthand history of the Thirty-sixth Massachusetts Volunteers. His surviving record is sparse, which makes his work itself the clearest link to his life and perspective.

Best remembered as one of the contributors to a detailed history of the 36th Massachusetts Volunteers, this writer is associated with a firsthand Civil War regimental chronicle that has stayed in circulation for modern readers.

Best known today as one of the contributors to a detailed history of the Thirty-sixth Massachusetts Volunteers, this writer helped preserve the shared memory of a Union regiment after the Civil War. His surviving record is modest, but his work remains a useful window into soldiers’ experiences and regimental remembrance.