COMMENTS FROM GREAT-GRANDSON

Jefferson Moses was an ordinary soldier in an extraordinary regiment. What is very unusual is that we have his documents, images, memoirs and diary.  If Jefferson Moses is looking down from above, I am sure he is astounded that he has his own web site.

The 93rd was a remarkable regiment, being involved in a number of major engagements in the West. It is believed that it had a higher percentage of casualties than any other Illinois regiment. Of the 998 men mustered in October,1862, only 250 remained during the March to the Sea and the March through the Carolinas at the end of the war.

Since the site went on-line in 1998, we have received many favorable comments about the diary and memoirs. I believe that readers relate favorably to his plain spoken way of expressing himself.  I have been especially pleased that a number of grade school classes have used this site as a reference for studying the Civil War. Several Civil War books and magazine articles have also used it as a source.

I have become particularly interested in the Battle of Allatoona Pass in Georgia on October 5, 1864. Jefferson Moses reports in his diary entry on this day, "The timber is laying full of dead and some wounded".  This battle is not well known today but was an important Union victory.  An effort is underway to establish monuments for each of the states (5 Union and 6 Confederate) that had troops in the battle. I am proud that we were able to dedicate the Illinois monument in 2008 on the anniversary date of the battle, to recognize the brave Illinois soldiers that fought and died there.

I am interested in any comments or suggestions about this site. My e-mail address is gaardt@aol.com

I would like to give special credit and thanks to the site designer and editor, Ann Cowan. Her e-mail address is ann_cowan@bellsouth.net

I also appreciate my wife, Charlene Gaard, for her help including data input, proofreading and generally supporting my interest in civil war history.

Tom Gaard, Clive, Iowa