"When This Cruel War Is Over . . ." The Civil War Letters and Diary of William J. McCollum, Company F, 123rd New York Volunteer Infantry - Charles S. Vavrina

From Chancellorsville to Gettysburg, Chattanooga to Atlanta, and Savannah to Bentonville, sergeant William McCollum recounts the life of a Union infantry soldier marching with generals Hooker and Sherman. He first saw action at the Orange Turnpike in Chancellorsville, was involved in recapturing Culp's Hill at Gettysburg, was pinned down in the open field at Resaca, was a picket running from Hood's assault at Kolb's farm, and faced Stewart's surprise attack at Peach Tree Creek - all were among the moments of terror William experienced. He fought disease, scarcities of food and clothing, brutal cold, scorching heat, relentless rain, endless mud, and losing comrades all the while maintaining a positive tone in letters home so as not to worry family and friends. The 123rd New York Volunteer Infantry was the only regiment raised solely from Washington County, NY. Of the 960 men who cheerfully boarded the train bound for war, only 474 would return. 

William John McCollum was just 22 when he enlisted in the123rd New York Volunteer Infantry. From August 1862 through June 1865 he wrote 89 letters (that we know of) to his older brother James Alexander McCollum, whom he called Alex, Argyle, Washington County, New York. The letters cover William's military training, engagements at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, duty stations in Alabama and Tennessee, Sherman's Atlanta Campaign, the Siege of Atlanta, Sherman's March to the Sea and the Carolina Campaign. In 1865, he added daily entries to a diary until his return home on June 11th of that year. These letters and diary entries, along with three letters from a cousin and six letters from two officers who were friends of the family, were saved by his brother, Alex and given to William sometime after his return home. The letters speak not only to military life, but to concerns for his family back home on the farm bringing in crops and paying the bills. Several nuances of war are cited like family members visiting their sons and/or retrieving their deceased, an apprehended deserter's destiny, and the desire for greater communication from home. McCollum mentions the fate of countless friends and acquaintances both at war and on the home front in Washington and surrounding New York counties. Accompanying the letters are chapter introductions providing an overview of the times, places, people, and battlefield brigade and regimental movements that enhance the readers experience. First person accounts from the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, colleagues' letters and memoirs supplement the narrative. The text is also enriched with period photographs and prints and 13 battle maps created specifically to address the position of 123rd NY during the conflict.