History of the Fifty-Third Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, During the War of the Rebellion, 1861 to 1865 - Together With More Than Thirty Personal Sketches of Officers and Men #266616

Several attempts have been made since the war to write a correct history of the 53rd Ohio Veteran Volunteer Infantry.<br><br>The lamented Captain James R. Percy, of Co. F, who was killed in front of Atlanta, August 18th, 1864, kept a careful daily account, expecting should the god of battles spare him to return to Ohio, to write the history. He was eminently qualified and equipped for the work, and would doubtless, have given us a literary gem.<br><br>Next to follow was Judge R. H. Brewster, Co. C, of Pomeroy, Ohio, who was ably assisted by Major E. C. Dawes. Judge Brewster, by his large-heartedness in caring for those who were sick with smallpox, contracted the dread disease and died.<br><br>Major Dawes was then appointed historian, and responded soon thereafter to the roll-call of the Divine Master.<br><br>Following the death of the Major, the work was assigned to the writer, who will, to the best of his ability, trace the history of the regiment from its organization to the date of its final discharge.<br><br>The aim of the writer, the object of the history, is to recount the services, the sacrifices, and the hardships endured by this particular Ohio regiment. It has been the desire of the writer to give a full, concise, and impartial history, showing no favoritism, but actuated by the sentiment of Mr. Lincoln, "with, charity for all, and malice toward none."