You may recognize the name Elisha Hunt Rhodes if you have seen the Ken Burns PBS series The Civil War.  He kept a detailed journal during the war and wrote many letters home detailing what he was experiencing and how he felt about decisions made by commanding officers.  These writings were published by his great-grandson Robert Hunt Rhodes in 1985.   “All for the Union, The Civil War Diary and Letters of Elisha Hunt Rhodes” was featured prominently in the PBS series.

Rhodes enlisted in the 2nd Rhode Island at the age of nineteen in July of 1861 and was mustered out with the regiment when it was disbanded in July 1865.  The regiment was originally in the IV Corps and was transferred to the VI Corps in October 1862 at about the same time as the 139th PA.    Both regiments remained in the VI Corps for the remainder of the war and so were in generally the same places at the same time.  I will be highlighting some of Rhodes’ descriptions from time to time to help the reader get a feel for what the 139th was experiencing.¹⁾All for the Union Introduction and Unit History Page of the Second Rhode Island Volunteer Infantry accessed here.