The Sword and Gun: A History of the 37th Wis. Volunteer Infantry

Written in 1865 by a survivor, this is the urgent, intimate account of the 37th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, men who enlisted in the war's final year knowing exactly what awaited them. The author, himself a member of the regiment, traces their path from formation in 1864 through the grinding siege warfare around Petersburg to eventual disbandment. This is not distant history but testimony from men with ink barely dry on their discharge papers. The narrative captures both the tactical details of military engagements and the raw, unrehearsed human experience: the terror, the black humor, the friendships forged in conditions no one back home could imagine. It stands as one of the most immediate Civil War regimental histories in existence, a document written by those who lived it rather than those who studied it.