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LT: December 15, 1864 Theodore Lyman

SOPO Editor’s Note: Theodore Lyman received a 30 day leave of absence from Meade in mid-December 1864 with the understanding that he would return for the spring campaign in 1865.  As a result, he was away from the Siege of Petersburg until early March 1865.  The Lyman letters you’ve grown accustomed to here over the last several months will cease until March 2015, where Lyman will again take up writing about the Army of the Potomac and its struggles at the Siege of Petersburg.  Keep an eye out for other letters and diary entries until March, all going live 150 years to the day after they were originally penned.1,2

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Source/Notes:

  1. Editor’s Note: Theodore Lyman was General George G. Meade’s aide-de-camp from the fall of 1863 through Lee’s surrender at Appomattox.  An intelligent and outspoken individual, Lyman’s letters to his wife provide great insight into the happenings at Meade’s headquarters.  These letters, taken from the now public domain book Meade’s Headquarters, 1863-1865; Letters of Colonel Theodore Lyman from the Wilderness to Appomattox and written by Lyman to his wife, appear here at the Siege of Petersburg Online exactly 150 years to the day after they are written.  Since this site is concerned solely with the Siege of Petersburg, the letters start on June 12, 1864 and end on April 3, 1865.  See the bottom of this and every other letter for a list of all the letters which have appeared to date.
  2. Agassiz, George R. Meade’s Headquarters, 1863-1865; Letters of Colonel Theodore Lyman from the Wilderness to Appomattox. Boston: The Atlantic Monthly Press, 1922, pp. 303-304
{ 2 comments… add one }
  • Janet Chase December 15, 2014, 9:09 am

    Well, I’m going to miss reading his letters – so informative and witty – but I’m sure his leave at home was much appreciated by him and his wife.

  • bschulte December 15, 2014, 10:42 am

    Don’t worry Janet, Lyman got back in time for the final assaults. He definitely leaves a hole in my coverage though!

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