Diary of a Yankee Engineer: The Civil

War Diary of John Henry Westervelt

Anita Palladino
Visit to download the full and correct content document:
https://ebookmass.com/product/diary-of-a-yankee-engineer-the-civil-war-diary-of-john
-henry-westervelt-anita-palladino/
More products digital (pdf, epub, mobi) instant
download maybe you interests ...

Diary methods Hyers

https://ebookmass.com/product/diary-methods-hyers/

The Diary of Manu Gandhi: 1943-1944 Tridip Suhrud

https://ebookmass.com/product/the-diary-of-manu-
gandhi-1943-1944-tridip-suhrud/

Patton's Tactician: The War Diary of Lieutenant General

Geoffrey Keyes (American Warrior Series) Geoffrey Keyes

https://ebookmass.com/product/pattons-tactician-the-war-diary-of-
lieutenant-general-geoffrey-keyes-american-warrior-series-
geoffrey-keyes/

King John, Henry III and England’s Lost Civil War John
Paul Davis

https://ebookmass.com/product/king-john-henry-iii-and-englands-
lost-civil-war-john-paul-davis/
Diary of a Psychoanalyst: The Work Books of Masud Khan
(1967-1972) Linda Hopkins

https://ebookmass.com/product/diary-of-a-psychoanalyst-the-work-
books-of-masud-khan-1967-1972-linda-hopkins/

Translation, Disinformation, and Wuhan Diary: Anatomy

of a Transpacific Cyber Campaign Michael Berry

https://ebookmass.com/product/translation-disinformation-and-
wuhan-diary-anatomy-of-a-transpacific-cyber-campaign-michael-
berry/

Armies of deliverance: a new history of the Civil War

Varon

https://ebookmass.com/product/armies-of-deliverance-a-new-
history-of-the-civil-war-varon/

All for the Union: The Saga of One Northern Family

Fighting the Civil War John A. Simpson

https://ebookmass.com/product/all-for-the-union-the-saga-of-one-
northern-family-fighting-the-civil-war-john-a-simpson/

The Money Diary: End Your Money Worries NOW and Take
Control of Your Financial Future Jessica Irvine

https://ebookmass.com/product/the-money-diary-end-your-money-
worries-now-and-take-control-of-your-financial-future-jessica-
irvine/
DIARY OF A YANKEE ENGINEER
Self-portrait of John H. Westervelt. Special Collections archives,
United States Military Academy, West Point.
 DIARY
of a
YANKEE
ENGINEER
The Civil War Story of
JOHN H. WESTERVELT,
Engineer, 1st New York
Volunteer Engineer Corps

edited by
ANITA PALLADINO

Fordham University Press

New York
1997
 Copyright © 1997 by Fordham University Press
All rights reserved
LC 96-42521
ISBN 0-8232-1724-8
ISSN 1089-8719
The North's Civil War, no. 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Westervelt, John H. (John Henry)

Diary of a Yankee engineer : the Civil War story of John H.
Westervelt, engineer, 1st New York Volunteer Engineer Corps I
edited by Anita Palladino.
p. em. -(The North's Civil War, ISSN 1089-8719 ; no. 1)
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 0-8232-1724-8
1. Westervelt, John H. (John Henry}--Diaries. 2. Military
engineers-New York (State)-Rockland County-Diaries.
3. United States. Army. New York Engineer Regiment, 1st
(1861-1865}--Biography. 4. New York (State}--History-Civil
War, 1861-1865-Personal narratives. 5. United States-
History-Civil War, 1861-1865-Personal narratives.
6. Rockland County (N.Y.)-Biography. I. Palladino, Anita.
II. Title. III. Series.
E523.9.W47 1997
973.7'81-dc20 96-42521
CIP

Printed in the United States of America

 This book is dedicated
with love and gratitude to

my step-father, "Poppa Joe" Arcaro, finder of the diary, teller

of tales, and singer of songs who, I'm sure, is even now
enjoying some music and a demijohn of whiskey with John
Henry
and
my mother, Mildred Palladino Arcaro, who shared with me
her love of history and uncomplainingly endured endless
research trips and years of Westervelt obsession.
 Contents
Introduction ix
Acknowledgments xvii
A History of the Diary and Drawings
of John H. Westervelt xix
Chronology xxiii
Diary of a Yankee Engineer
South Carolina 1
Florida 107
Virginia 129
Epilogue 255
Sources 259
Index 263
 Introduction
By the time the first shots were fired at Fort Sumter, two
hundred years had passed since the Westervelt family docked
at New Amsterdam. From two brothers on board the Hoop
were to descend a long line of patriots, religious and political
leaders, and, in 1827, a farmer's son named John Henry
Westervelt. 1
Unlike some of his more renowned relatives, John lived a
relatively obscure life. The little that is known about him
comes, for the most part, through his own words, written in
faded ink and sent in installments to his thirteen-year-old
son, Frazee. This diary, on a series of tattered, yellow pages,
records "such things as may come under my personal observa-
tion"2 during his service >vith the 1st New York Engineer
Corps.
John's accounts do not speak with the authority of a general
and make no pretense of battlefield heroics. Yet, by his intent
to write not for history, but for Frazee, his journal presents a
truer vision of military life than the more often told sagas of
glory. The soldier's life of relentless tedium, the fatiguing fight
against the twin enemies of pestilence and illness, give us
perhaps one of the "truer, if not beautiful" 3 pictures of war.
Early dreams of greatness depart, leaving only the voice of an
ordinary man in an extraordinary time, a man who merely
lived as he thought right, and died in consequence.
The early life of John Westervelt is largely undocumented;
both church and school records for the years involved are
missing, yet his youth was undoubtedly similar to that of
other farm boys in mid-nineteenth-century America. His early
education was probably either at Brick Church or English

1. W. Talman Westervelt, Genealogy of the Westervelt Family (Salem,

Mass.: Higginson Books, 1990),. pp. 1-2.
2. Diary entry of May 8, 1864.
3. Comment written on reverse of his sketch.
X INTRODUCTION

Church school, the two nearest to the family t~1rm in New

Hempstead (Ramapo), Rockland County.
In addition to the "3R's" John was undoubtedly taught the
fourth R-Religion. As long-standing members of the Dutch
Reformed Church (the family plot at Brick Church begins with
Revolutionary War veteran Albert Westervelt, buried in 1829),
the teachings of the Dutch Reformed Church without ques-
tion also played a large part in his boyhood training.
It appears that John left Rockland in the mid-1840s and
moved to New York City. 4 From his knowledge of literature,
mechanics, and draftsmanship it is obvious that his education
was continued beyond elementary school. While it cannot be
stated without reservation, there is a strong possibility that
he obtained his education at the school run by the Society of
Mechanics and Tradesmen at 4 72 Broadway.
The links between John Westervelt and this society are sev-
eral: his third cousin (and later New York City Mayor), Jacob
Aaron Westervelt, was president of the society for a number
of years, beginning in 1845. The Mechanics society was also
the sponsor of the First New York Regiment of Engineers, the
Civil War Regiment in which John enlisted. As the classes
otl'ered there included classical as well as mechanical studies,
the likelihood of .John Westervelt's attendance there cannot
be disregarded.
On April 14, 1850, John married Anna M. Nafis at the Bed-
ford Street Methodist Church, located at the corner of Bedford
and Morton Streets in Greenwich Village. 5 In November of
4. The 1850 Census no longer lists him as a residPnt of Rockland
County.
5. In William Scott Fisher, New York City Methodist Marriages, 1785-
1893 (Camden, Me.: Picton Press, 1994), p. 57. No indication is found of
how or when he broke with the Dutch Reformed religion, although it is
known that Nicholas Onderdonk (born 1828), brother-in-law to John's sister
Antoinette, was a member of the Bedford Street Methodist Church from
1850 until his death in 1910. (Onderdonk Family vertical file at Historical
Society of Rockland, New City, New York.)
The Westervelt genealogy also records that family mPmlwrs Matthew, Pe-
ter, and William \VPsten·elt migrated to Ohio in 1B18 and then• became the
first male members of the earliest :Methodist society, organizPcl in 1819.
(WestPrvillP, Ohio, is named in honor of thPse early sl'ttlPrs). In 1836 Mat-
thew donated the lot 011 which the church was built and later IH'canw one of
the first trustees of BIP!Hlon SPminary, prPdecessor of OttPrlwin l'nin'J'Sity,
which attemptPd to bf'('OmP thP h•ading college of \\'('stern MP!hodism.
 INTRODUCTION xi

1850 their first child, Frazee, was born. He was followed in

1852 by Marie Antoinette (died 1856), John Henry on Septem-
ber 13, 1854, Frank Brown on January 20, 1858, Frederick
on March 24, 1861 (died of infant cholera August 6, 1862),
and Edward C. on November 27, 1866.
Apart from these records, the lives of the family remain
largely unknown. John was a member of the New York City
Volunteer Fire Department, Gulick Hose Company XI, sta-
tioned in Greenwich Village, close to the Westervelt home at
66 Greenwich Avenue. Fire Department Company member-
ship records from the 1850s list John along with friends later
mentioned in his diary: John Halliday, carpenter of Mulligan
Place; tin smith Mitchell Halliday, his brother Robert, a car-
penter, and Charles Uhl, a mason (all Greenwich Avenue
neighbors of the Westervelt family); William Mathews, a stair
builder of Washington Street; and sash and blind makers
James and Peter Ward of First Avenue. Also found in the mem-
bership rolls is John's younger brother Schuyler, a lawyer and
resident of 4th Street in the 9th ward. 6
An additional hint about John (occupation recorded as
"stair builder," denoting a skill level above "carpenter") is
found in a marginal notation in these ledgers: "Suspended 6
months from March 27, 1857 to September 26, 1857."7 Al-
though the reason for this suspension is not given, it is known
that the most probable causes of suspension were "rowdiness"
and fighting, generally between members of different compa-
nies over their relative merits. Despite records indicating that
John resigned from the company on March 8, 1858, he obvi-

Thus, John would not have been the first in his family to exchange Dutch
Reformed membership for Methodism.
6. John Westervelt belonged to Hose Company XI, "Gulick." Organized
March 25, 1837, the company was located at 14 Amos Street in Greenwich
Village. Hose XI was notable for its colorful participation in parades, accom-
panied by its twenty-one-piece band. In the 1860 parade held for the Prince
of Wales many remarked that "its carriage alone cost $200" (Augustine E.
Costello, Our Firemen: A History of the New York City Fire Department
(New York, 1887). It went out of service in 1865 with the advent of paid
fire companies.
New York City Fire Department Certificate issued to John Westervelt lists
him as owner of Badge #15.
7. New York City Volunteer Fire Department Records, Files and Reports,
1855-58, original ledger at the New-York Historical Society.
xii INTRODUCTION

ously rejoined at a later date as his certificate of membership

in good standing is dated January of 1860 and includes a
new badge number. That he relished the camaraderie and
excitement of his days with the volunteer fire department is
evident by his references to Hose XI in his journal.
The same fire department records show that the Westervelt
family, at least up to 1858, resided at 66 Greenwich Avenue,
the old "9th Ward" that John fondly mentions in his journal.
By the time of the 1860 census, which values John West-
ervelt's estate at $500, the family had moved to West 26th
Street and Anna's widowed mother was living with them.
On September 8, 1862, John Westervelt signed his volun-
tary enlistment papers and became a member of the 1st New
York Volunteer Engineer Regiment, Company H. Also known
as "Serrell's Engineers" (for Edward Serrell), this company
was organized at New York City beginning in October of 1861.
The men of the engineering corps had the mission of con-
structing pontoon bridges for river crossings, building lookout
and signal towers, constructing roads (often through
swamps), and building entrenchments and fortifications.
Their work was often clone under rebel scrutiny and some-
times under fire, frequently when the engineers were unable
to respond. John's company was significantly involved in op-
erations on Folly Island and Morris Island, South Carolina, as
well as assaults on Forts Wagner, Gregg, Sumter, and Charles-
ton. Later, members of the 1st New York took part in Butler's
operations against Petersburg and Richmond, Bermuda Hun-
dred (where John Westervelt had the honor of erecting the
first flagstaff), the construction of Dutch Gap Canal, and the
occupation of Richmond. John was also part of an engineering
detachment sent to Florida after the battle of Oulstee and
from May of 1864 was part of the Army of the James.8
The reasons for his enlistment can be only partially under-
stood through his own words. Patriotism undoubtedly was an
important factor, as he refers to having done his part to save
the Union. Economic conditions may have been involved, and
8. The 1st New York Engineers (Serrell's) were organized under the aus-
pices of the General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen, located at 472
Broadway (Martha J. Lamb, "The Career of a Beneficent Enterprise," bro-
chure, 1889, p. 16).
 INTRODUCTION xiii

certainly family tradition was a consideration-grandfather

Albert was a Minuteman during the Revolutionary War and
other family members participated in the War of 1812. In fact,
one month before .John's enlistment, his eighteen-year-old
nephew James Henry Onderdonk joined the Union Army and
was sent to New Orleans. (James fared even less well than
John, dying of disease on August 8, 1863.) Whatever his rea-
sons, we do know from his diary that John Westervelt left
New York on the 21st of September 1862 at "ten o'clock in
the morning from the foot of old Amos St. for Port Royal S.C.
and landed at Hilton Head, S.C., just four days later on Oct
2nd at 10 A.M."
When John Westervelt's diary begins in the spring of 1863
he has been in the army for seven months. As a part of the
engineering corps outside Charleston under the command of
General Gillmore (who is intently drawing his "ring of fire"
around the Confederate-held Fort Sumter and Charleston),
the engineers are busy constructing fortifications, lookout
towers, and roads while Fort Sumter remains in rebel hands
despite relentless Union bombardments.
While John repeatedly cautions that he was not writing a
history of the war, he did inadvertently prepare an eyewitness
history from the seldom-seen point of view of the engineer.
Although he does not personally take part in battles, he and
his comntdes were instrumental in constructing pontoon
bridges and towers that significantly impacted Union fighting.
An added aspect of his contribution is found in the sketches
John drew. While they are perhaps less perfect than he would
have liked, they still manage to convey an on-the-spot pres-
ence and as such augment his personal, original impressions.
Although never maudlin, John comments with sadness at
the wounded, "their legs and arms cut off like butchering
sheep" (p. 171). In like manner, the heavy loss of lives during
Grant's campaign caused him to comment that "The news
from Grants army is of the most cheering kind. Everything is
cheering except the immense loss of human life" (p. 131). His
desire for peace is likewise tempered with foresight, insisting
that "We dont want peace at any price, but peace at a price we
can afford hereafter, one that will not at some future day com-
xiv INTRODUCTION

pell us to pay a heavy interest in another deluge of human

blood" (p. 213).
This is the John Westervelt that we can know without look-
ing further than his own words. His experiences, thoughts,
and emotions are both uniquely his and Everyman's.
By his own admission he was not an abolitionist, yet, he
was an abolitionist in the most universal sense of the word,
believing all men deserving of equal justice. On September
29, 1863, John writes Frazee that his passionate belief in the
"rights of man, whether black or white" compels him to com-
ment on the ill-use of black troops, despite their obvious con-
tributions to the Union cause.
In what may first seem a contradiction, this same entry
notes his "hatred" of southern blacks. It is only by looking
deeper at his philosophy that this unexpected feeling will be
understood.
The overwhelmingly dominant theme in the words John
sends home is that of pride. He repeatedly relays stories to
Frazee which stress how a man's behavior shapes that of those
around him: "for a man if he has any pride or self respect can
easily by a quiet dignity, compel those above him to respect
him, in spite of themselves" (p. 104).
And again, in his tale of returning to camp after furlough,
John reminds his son that "manly independence and self re-
spect will insure gentlemanly treatment" (p. 223). John re-
fused to acknowledge subservience to any man; thus, the
servility and timidity of the southern blacks was an anathema
to him. In essence, he was misplacing anger at southern
blacks, instead of at the system that created their servility.
(Interestingly, escaped slave Robert Smalls, certainly an atypi-
cal slave, was praised by John as "a very intelligent pilot ... a
plucky fellow" [p. 76]).
Closely allied to John's feelings on slaves were his emotional
reactions to the ignorance of Southerners, which induced him
to compare their level of intelligence to "that which you might
detect in the face of a dumb brute." Still, he concludes his
observations with a fervent hope that these "poor wretches
may be taught that they are human beings" (p. 231).
This is but another instance of John's forceful belief in
 INTRODUCTION XV

man's inherent dignity. This trait, this insistence upon self-

respect, is perhaps his most defining characteristic.
Government waste and inequity was another frequent tar-
get of his temper. In fact, he became so incensed at civilian
workers receiving more pay than soldiers without having to
face enemy fire or the draft that he avows "were I honorably
out of the service no consideration of duty would induce me
to enter it again" (p. 75).
Tempering his outbursts at injustice, John often displayed
great understanding and tolerance of his fellows. Unlike many
members of society of the time, John apparently held no
prejudice about religion. Upon seeing his General entering a
Catholic chapel he ofl'ered no criticism and, in fact, voiced
approval of any man's choice of worship, as long as he is "a
good and loyal citizen."
Further signs of his unusual understanding of his fellow
men are seen throughout his diary as he speaks of diverse
personalities. Describing Captain Cruso, he explains that
Cruso is eccentric yet if you understand his eccentricities you
will get along with him. However, regardless of his attempts
to accept his fellow man, John had his limits; in his mind
there was no excuse for, and no forgiving of, a man who was
unclean, a drunkard, or a bully.
In contrast to his passion for justice and serious mind-
fulness, it is important to consider John's appreciation of life
and sense of humor. His character was embedded with aware-
ness and enjoyment of nature. Many pages describe the flow-
ers and birds with a feeling of wonder. His fascination with
Florida is especially compelling in this regard; he speaks with
wonderment at the thousands of porpoises, the fragrance of
orange blossoms, and the delicious balminess so magical "you
almost imagine you're in paradise" (p. 125).
Later, stationed in Virginia during an unusual cold spell
which freezes the river, he watches the fortunate men with
skates and remarks with a boyish wistfulness that "I wished
very much for a pair" (p. 210).
John also found delight in music, fishing, and cooking. The
pleasure and pride in his accomplishments, whPther cooking
flapjacks, inventing a lamp, or building a stove, unerringly
xvi INTRODUCTION

gave Frazee the message: do your best, never say I can't, and
always conduct yourself with pride.
When John begins to lose his health, his optimism com-
bines with anger and he rallies his energies with the passion-
ate words, "I am a poor old horse turned out to die because I
am no longer useful. But I will not die for all they can do."
These words become all the more poignant when contrasted
with his earlier jaunty remark: "I am as healthy as a man can
possibly be .... I eat like a horse everything I get hold of and
feel, to use a vulgar expression, like a fighting cock."
Upon John Westervelt's discharge in June of 1865 he is
thirty-seven-years old. His weight has gone from 150 to 130,
and though he struggles to keep his confidence alive, his once
vibrant health has been broken.
In sum, his journal tells the story of his evolution, and, by
inference, the story of thousands who, no matter which side
they fought for, no matter their beliefs, were never again who
they were at the onset of the war.
 Acknowledgments
This diary could never have come into being without a great
deal of assistance and direction. Among those without whom
this volume would never have been possible are:
Dorothy Westervelt Briggs and family, in whose gracious spir-
its the John H. Westervelt line proudly continues
Joseph ("Poppa Joe") Arcaro, finder of the diary
Pat Durie, Alan Aimone, and Susan Lintleman of the United
States Military Academy Library, Special Collections, West
Point, New York
Edwin Alford, Document Specialist
Emerson New Jersey Genealogical Library of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Jean Koefoed of "Be Seated." New York, New York
Marie Koestler, Rockland County Genealogist, Nanuet, N.Y.
Patrick McCaully, South Carolina Historical Society
Carole Morrill, Coordinator of the Little Red Schoolhouse Mu-
seum, East Ramapo, N.Y.
George Pantonovic, Rockland County photographer and Lin-
coln scholar
Fran Pollard, Virginia Historical Society
Jeanne Reid, Yonkers Reference Librarian
David F. Riggs and Dee Ann Stallings, Jamestown, Virginia
Historians
Claude Westerfield of Bossier City, Louisiana
Sherron Westerfield Moore of Florida and Kentucky
and the numerous staff members of:
xviii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Finkelstein Memorial Libmry, Spring Valley, N.Y

General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen, New York City
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Mount Pleasant Public Library, Westchester County, N.Y
National Archives and Record Service, Washington, D.C.
New-York Historical Society, New York, N.Y.
New York Public Library, Local History Division, New York, N .Y
Nyack Library, Nyack, N.Y
Rockland County Historical Society, New City, N.Y
U.S. Army Military History Institute Library, Carlisle Bar-
racks, Pa.
 History of the Diary
and Drawings of
John H. Westervelt
John Westervelt sent 68 installments of his life in the engi-
neer corps home to his son Frazee. Following John's death in
1868, John's widow and children continued to live in New
York City at 436 W. 36th Street until 1876, when Anna and
family moved to 406 West 55th Street. They remained there
throughout the 1870s, moving in late 1879 or early 1880 to
Railroad Avenue, near 166th Street. Per census records,
Anna's household contained sons Henry, Frank B., and Ed-
ward as well as Frazee, his wife Elizabeth, and their sons Schu-
lyer, Theodore, and Frank. Presumably, the journal and
drawings moved along with the rest of the family belongings.
According to the 1892 through 1895 New York City Directo-
ries, Anna is shown as having relocated to the West Farms
area of the Bronx, giving her address as 1735 West Farms
Road. (Frazee and family are not listed in the directory, but
were most likely also living there.) By the time of the 1900
census, dated June 4th, Anna is noted as "Head of Household"
in a rented house at 1601 West Farms Road, and Frazee is
living with her. The same census page lists John's younger
son, Edward (a "foreman"), living a few houses away at 1581
West Farms Road with his wife Minnie and their ten-year-old
son Clinton. 1 Anna continued to live at 1601 until her death
in 1904.
On September 18, 1927, the journal was found by George

1. Frazee's wife and children are not listed as household members; how-
ever, as they would have been in their 20s they may well have been on their
own by this date. His wife may have been away at the date of the census,
or deceased, or her omission may have been an error. Edward's household
included his widowed sister-in-law, Eva Pawson, and her daughter Emma.
Per the census, Edward owned this home free of mortgage.
XX HISTORY OF THE DIARY AND DRAWINGS

and Joseph Arcaro, my step-father. Many years later I received

the diary from Joe and was told that he and George found it
in the trash outside a house that was being renovated on West
Farms Road. While it cannot be stated with certainty, this was
probably the residence of Frazee.
As puzzling as the missing years in the existence of the
diary are, the circumstances surrounding John Westervelt's
drawings are even more of a riddle. While searching for clues
on the Westervelts I found a reference on the out-of-county
CD Catalog at Valley Cottage Library which stated: Westervelt,
John H. Papers; 1864, drawings and cartoons. The entry indi-
cated these items were in the holdings of the Library of the
United States Military Academy at West Point. Initial contact
with West Point could not provide any details and until the
sketches were located in Special Collections archives it
seemed doubtful that they could have any connection to the
same John H. Westervelt.
Once located and studied, however, it was obvious that they
were indeed done by the same man; their captions and refer-
ences matched the diary perfectly, leaving only the intriguing
question of how they were separated from the journal and
came to West Point. The acknowledgment letter for the map
and drawings 2 indicates only that they were donated in 1976
by Violet Westervelt, a name which was not familiar to any of
the present descendants of John. The only Violet found in
genealogies was a first cousin to John, born in 1888 to William
Westervelt and Annie Brydson. 3 Her connection to the art-
work seemed tenuous as John had direct descendants that
were more likely to have inherited the work.
The mystery of Violet continued when tracing the address
given to West Point. None of the neighbors knew or remem-
bered her. With this, the search for Violet seemed to have
reached a dead end until I entered her name one last time in
the computer-based Social Security Death Index at the Genea-
logical Library of the Emerson Branch of the Church of the
Latter Day Saints. Eureka! The computer located a Violet West-

2. Letter of 27 October 1976 from United States Military Academy Li-

brary to Violet Westervelt. In collection at West Point.
3. Westervelt, Genealogy, p. 113.
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
prohibition against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in
such states who approach us with offers to donate.

International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make

any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.

Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation
methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of
other ways including checks, online payments and credit card
donations. To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate.

Section 5. General Information About Project

Gutenberg™ electronic works
Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project
Gutenberg™ concept of a library of electronic works that could be
freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and
distributed Project Gutenberg™ eBooks with only a loose network of
volunteer support.

Project Gutenberg™ eBooks are often created from several printed

editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in
the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not
necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper
edition.

Most people start at our website which has the main PG search
facility: www.gutenberg.org.

This website includes information about Project Gutenberg™,

including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how
to subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.