From the Potomac to the Etowah: The Letters of Rev. Alonzo Hall Quint to The Congregationalist; Volume 1 - 1861 & 1862

From the Potomac to the Etowah is a compilation of annotated letters written to The Congregationalist newspaper in Boston during the American Civil War by Alonzo Hall Quint, Chaplain of the 2nd Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment. The 2nd Massachusetts is a regiment about which much has been written due in part to their being one of a handful of regiments that fought in both theaters of the American Civil War, as well as its ranks containing a large proportion of officers from the well-heeled Bostonian families. As the regimental chaplain, Quint was uniquely placed to observe both the prosecution of the war by the officers, the daily life of the soldiers and the effects of national and local events and policy on the morale of the soldiers. Quint joined the regiment during their formation at Camp Andrew at Brooks Farm in Roxbury, Massachusetts and while he slept and ate with the first sons of Boston, such as Wilder Dwight, Robert Gould Shaw and Francis Crowninshield, as the chaplain, he interacted on a daily basis with the enlisted me, regardless of their faith. Chaplain Quint served with the regiment from their first engagement at Kernstown, Virginia, through their transfer to the Army of the Cumberland after the battle of Gettysburg, and until the battle of Resaca Georgia, part of Sherman’s campaign to take Atlanta. The author has carefully annotated all 84 letters providing in depth information regarding the men and women that the 2nd Massachusetts Infantry and their Chaplain knew and met, the places they visited and the events in which they participated.