This is the rare third printing of the memoirs written by General Thomas W. Hyde, which were originally published in 1894. This edition was published by Haughton, Mifflin & Company / The Riverside Press in 1897. Illustrated with numerous portraits. Boards show quarter brown cloth with green cloth sides. Title is gilt-stamped to spine and front board, with small color flag emblem on front board. Text contains 279 pages. Front endpapers are loose with title page being completely separated, otherwise binding is good. Corners and edges show light wear.

Book tells the story of Thomas W. Hyde of Maine, who rose rapidly through the Union ranks and eventually received the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Antietam. It tells the story of an illustrious army unit and offers rare glimpses into the Northern perspective on the war and its significance in U.S. history. He served on the staffs of several prominent Union officers, including John Sedgwick and Horatio G. Wright, major generals who between them commanded the Sixth Corps in several important campaigns in the Virginia theater. Hyde's unit was also among those who followed General Lee's army into Pennsylvania and fought at Gettysburg. In his correspondence, Hyde writes engagingly about the war, his fellow soldiers, strategy and tactics, and daily life in the Union forces. He elaborates on their motivation for fighting, the strength of their camaraderie, and their unflagging determination to preserve the Union. Hyde was a witty, humorous observer of the war and an astute judge of the characters he encountered.

Thomas Worcester Hyde (January 16, 1841 – December 14, 1899) was a Union Army colonel who subsequently received brevets of brigadier general of volunteers and major general of volunteers in the Civil War, a state senator from Maine, and the founder of Bath Iron Works, one of the major shipyards in the United States.

Born in Florence, Italy, to parents who were natives of Bath, Maine, Hyde graduated from Bowdoin College in 1861 and then from Chicago University. Hyde began his Union Army service on April 2, 1861, as a major in the 7th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment. On February 26, 1863, he became Assistant Inspector General of the Sixth Corps of the Army of the Potomac, which was commanded by Major General William F. "Baldy" Smith. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel on December 1, 1863. In 1864, he became provost marshal general of the Sixth Corps. On September 24, 1864, Hyde transferred to the 1st Maine Veteran Volunteer Infantry Regiment and was promoted to colonel on October 22, 1864. Hyde commanded Brigade 3, Division 2, VI Corps of the Army of the Shenandoah between October 30, 1864, and December 6, 1864, and the same brigade in the Army of the Potomac from December 6, 1864, when the Army of the Shenandoah returned from its detached duty to the Army of the Potomac, until June 28, 1865. Despite this service, Hyde did not receive promotion to full rank brigadier general.

While serving under Major General John Sedgwick early in the war, Hyde was present at several key Civil War battles, including the Second Battle of Bull Run, the Battle of Antietam (for which he later received the Medal of Honor), and the Battle of Gettysburg. He was also present at Confederate General Robert E. Lee's 1865 surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court House, Virginia. Hyde was mustered out of the volunteer army on June 28, 1865.

On January 13, 1866, President Andrew Johnson nominated Hyde for appointment as a brevet brigadier general of volunteers to rank from April 2, 1865, and the U.S. Senate confirmed the appointment on March 12, 1866. On February 17, 1869, President Johnson nominated Hyde for the brevet grade of major general of volunteers, to rank from April 2, 1865, and the U.S. Senate confirmed the appointment on March 3, 1869, one of the last brevet major general awards for Civil War service.

Starting in 1873, Hyde served three terms in the Maine Senate, including two as president. He became mayor of Bath in 1878. In 1884, he founded Bath Iron Works and became general manager of it in 1888. Since it was founded, the shipyard has executed more than 425 shipbuilding contracts, including 245 for the U.S. Navy. In 1894 he was named president of the Boston Elevated Railway Company.

Hyde wrote Following the Greek Cross (1894) and Recollections of the Battle of Gettysburg (1898) Hyde died on November 15, 1899 at Fort Monroe, Virginia, after a short illness. He was buried in Oak Grove Cemetery, Bath, Maine.

Hyde’s Medal of Honor citation that he received on April 8,1891 read, “Led his regiment in an assault on a strong body of the enemy's infantry and kept up the fight until the greater part of his men had been killed or wounded, bringing the remainder safely out of the fight.”    [sl]

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