Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from History of Fourteenth Illinois Cavalry and the Brigades to Which It Belonged: Compiled From Manuscript History by Sanford, West and Featherson, and From Notes of Comrades; Carefully Compared With and Corrected by Government Published Official Reports and Statistics Furnished by Union and Confederate Officers
This history began as a daily record of events in the service by two members, W. L. Sanford, of Company I, and Martin West, of Company C, neither knowing of the other's work. It was first designed for the informa tion of friends, at home. As the record grew in interest, comrades Suggested a published history. When this pur pose became fixed, Sanford proposed a partnership with Comrade Thomas Featherson, of Company I, to illus trate the book with views, as Featherson was a fair artist. Sanford, having lost a portion of his notes, searched for notes to supply the lost material, and found that Martin West had also kept full notes and that he was an able writer and diligent in gathering material. On talking the matter over each became convinced that it were better to unite their work. A partnership of: Sanford, West and F eatherson was formed, and when Sanford, in the spring of 1865, res1gned, it was arranged that he should write up the history from their notes, and a subscription list of over eighteen hundred dollars was obtained, pay able when the book was ready for the press. As the regi ment was discharged before its three years' term was completed, the book was not yet ready, and at the muster out the members were so scattered that the means could not be gathered to publish and the project was abandoned. At the reunion of the regiment at Ottawa, Illinois, in August, 1887, the project was revived to publish. Major H. C. Connelly, Captain A. B. Capron and Lieutenant W. L. Sanford were appointed a committee to devise a plan to bring out the history. They at once decided that the history should be revised by combining the first manu script, sifted and condensed, with all other useful and truthful material that could be gathered, using the Gov ernment published official reports of union and confed crate officers to verify and add to our record.
It was finally decided that Lieutenant Sanford should compile the work, and finally the whole work was placed 1n his hands. Comrade Featherson had died and Com rade West consented to relinquish all to Sanford, who began by collecting the official reports and other material. A long time passed before the official records could be gathered, then the examination and culling from ten thousand large pages of these records was a long and laborious work. The compiling, arranging and inter weaving with our record and with other notes, and the correcting and rewriting many times to correct and con dense to the prescribed limits as new material was re ceived, required a vast amount of labor and consumed much time. An immense correspondence to gather the names and addresses'of comrades, and finally to gather the means to secure its publication, and also to gather and provide photo prints of officers and comrades with which to illustrate the book, required much patience and hard labor. We have been greatly aided in the work by Major Connelly by the use of his many valuable published ac counts, and by notes furnished, as well as by encourage ments and advice. Captain Capron furnished a portion of his father's memoirs from which much has been se lected. Captain William R. Sanford, of Company K, also furnished, in carefully written notes of his services and observations, much that is very valuable. Besides the notes of Sanford, West and Featherson, we have been permitted the use of those of Lieutenant I. H Allen, long acting adjutant, Lieutenant John F. Thomas of Company G, and others, which have been used in the body of the' work, besides the articles in the last chapter accredited to each writer. Lieutenant Moore, of Company L, furn ishod notes for history as well as ar...
