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The George Breck & Gilbert Reynolds Project: An Eyewitness Account of the Battle of Gettysburg
By: Daniel Gorman, Jr.

To view the letter written by George Breck to Gilbert Reynolds, please click here.
  


Introduction:


During the Spring 2012 semester, I needed to write a term paper incorporating primary sources for HIS 249, The Civil War. I went to the Rare Books Department at Rush Rhees Library and inquired whether the archive contained any Civil War-era documents. Phyllis Andrews, one of the subject librarians with whom I had consulted on prior research projects, selected several boxes of primary source documents from the Mather Family Papers, the Loren Jesse Ames Papers, and the Gilbert H. Reynolds Papers. 


While going through the Reynolds box, I discovered a letter written in pencil over the course of several days (July 2-5, 1863) from one George Breck to Alfred Reynolds, the brother of Gilbert H. Reynolds. George Breck served with Gilbert in Battery L of the 1st New York Light Artillery Regiment during the Civil War, fighting in many notable battles¹ When the Confederates wounded and captured Gilbert on July 1, 1863, Breck began writing this letter to Alfred "[i]n the field, near Gettysburg, Pa.,"² so that Alfred might know what became of his brother.³ During the ensuing Battle of Gettysburg, Breck repeatedly updated the letter, explaining his writing process as follows: "I know not when I shall have an opportunity to mail this. I will leave it open for the present, hoping I may hear something more about Gilbert to day "⁴Ultimately, Breck's Union comrades won the battle of Gettysburg, ⁵ and before long a recovered Gilbert was back fighting alongside his friend George Breck for the Union.⁵ 


I remember being astonished by the detail of Breck's letter to Alfred Reynolds. I also was surprised that I had found purely by accident an eyewitness account of Gettysburg. I promised myself that, before graduating, I would go back to Rare Books, transcribe the full document, and make it available for public reading. Now, almost two years later, I have completed the project, so I present to posterity George Breck's eyewitness account of the Battle of Gettysburg, with additional commentary about Breck, Gilbert Reynolds, Rochester's connection to the Civil War, and the Battle of Gettysburg. 


Catalogue Information for the Document: 


George Breck, to Alfred Reynolds, 2-4 July 1863, Gilbert H. Reynolds Papers, box 1, folder 4, University of Rochester Libraries, Department of Rare Books & Special Collections, Rochester, NY.


For more information on the Gilbert H. Reynolds Papers, please refer to the collection description.


The Transcription:


The document comprises two pieces of paper, each of which is folded down the middle. One paper is tucked inside the other, imitating the style of a formally published pamphlet. Pages 1, 2, and 3, as transcribed below, appear on three sides of one folded paper; the fourth side is blank. Pages 4-7, as transcribed below, appear on the second folded paper, which is tucked inside the paper bearing pages 1-3. Page 7 is rather smudged and faded, making it quite difficult to read Breck's handwriting. Page 7 also features writing along the left margin. It is ironic that Breck writes on Page 7 that he fears the text will be illegible – indeed, 150 years later, it is difficult to make out the man's words. Given the dirt marks and many creases on the page, it seems that Breck wrote under duress. Breck has some interesting quirks in his handwriting. His o's and e's, especially when placed at the end of a word, sometimes look like i's. He also tends not to cross his t's. 

(Page 1)


[Note: The top margin of Page 1 features two annotations placed there by a reference librarian some time ago: the categorical label "D. 200" and the correct date of the letter, "July 2, 1863."]

Thursday Morn, July 2, 1863 
Mr. Alfred Reynolds

I regret very
much, to have to inform you, that Gilbert
was wounded in the severe fight of
yesterday, near this place, and that he
is now, probably , a prisoner of the 
rebels. He was wounded in the left
eye, by a stone, I think, a shot [on?]
shell striking the earth and throwing up
the dirt – and gravel, where he was [impacted?].
If the fragments of a shell or ^a^ shot
had ^[illegible]^ hit him, he would doubtless have
been fatally wounded. I was near him,
when the casualty occurred, and ^when^ he was
hit, he spoke to me and said he
was wounded, and I immediately saw that
his face was covered with blood and
he had his hand up to his eye. I was

(Page 2) 

about to help him, when turning around
I saw my section in danger of
being captured, and directed my
attention to it. The Captain made 
off and meeting Sergeant De Mott, asked
him to stay by him. They met Col.
Wainwright shortly after, and the Captain,
told him, that he was going back to
the battery, that he thought his wound
would allow him to do ^so^ but the
Colonel told him, that he must
go to the hospital. Sgt. De Mott went
with him, taking him, to a large
brick hospital in town, where the-
Doctor of our brigade, was in attendance, 
and his case was immediately attended
to. The point of the check bone, was
struck, and there was a cut just below
the eye, closing and swelling his eye, quite
badly. I do not think he will lose 
his eye, though the doctor could not
tell. He received a bruise in his
left side, but not severe enough to 

(Page 3) 

break the skin. Isaac Weinberg was
left to take care of him and he ^too^ is
doubtless a prisoner. Shortly after
the Captain was taken to the hospital,
the rebel forces drove our own
back to and through Gettysburg, and
now hold possession of the place, with
nearly all our wounded and quite
a number of prisoners. Our doctor
is in their hands, probably at the 
hospital, where Gilbert is, and if so
I am glad on Gilbert's account for
he will receive good care. No doubt
all the Federal prisoners, including the
well, as ^also^ the wounded, will be paroled very
soon, and I am in hopes, Gilbert and
Weinberg, and ^all^ our boys who were taken 
prisoners, will shortly be within our
lines.
It was a terrible battle- 
yesterday. We were completely overwhelmed
by inferiority of numbers, were flanked
^[illegible] the [illegible]^ and for awhile, matters looked, as if

(Page 4) 

we should be "bagged." The
death of Major Gen John [F?] Reynolds, at
the beginning of the engagement, was a 
severe loss and I attribute the disasters
of the day, largely in consequence of
it. Things seemed to be ^at times,^ very 
much at Copperheads, no managing 
controlling hand in affairs . The 
whole of the 1st corps was engaged,
with a small portion of the 11th. But
I must let the Papers give you
an account of the battle.
Our brigade of batteries suffered
heavily. Our own battery lost
one man killed, and 18 wounded
most of the wounded, being ^severely^ some less
so. Four or five are prisoners, two 
or three men are missing . We lost
one piece, all the horses being shot ^down^.
Lt. Wilber had charge of the section
containing the Piece, and was n
the act of falling back, the rebels pressing
closely to the front, when a body of them,

(Page 5) 

suddenly appeared in close proximity
on the right, and opened a destructive
fire. The horses were all killed, as just
remarked, and Lt. Wilber had his horse
shot from under him. Several of his
men were wounded and it is a wonder
they were not killed. It was impos
sible to save the piece. Col. Wainwright
was along with it at the time, and says
that all was done to save it, that could
be. Of course we feel very badly at
this loss, the first time ever sustained of
the kind, during the war. I was with the 
other four pieces at the time, considerable
distance from Lt. Wilber. But I 
havn't [sic] time to particularize more. I
shall endeavor to write to the Union
soon, and give a full account of [our?]
yesterday's encounter.
We are now in position near
Gettysburg Cemetery, a very high and 
commanding position. Both armies
are concentrating all their forces

(Page 6) 

in this vicinity, and I dare say, the
greatest battle of the war, will be 
fought at this place.
I know not when I shall
have an opportunity to mail
this. I will leave it open for
the present, hoping I may hear something
more about Gilbert to day [sic]. 
My Kindest regards to your
family.
Very Truly
Your Friend
George Breck
The Major has not arrived yet. He is
doubtless having a good deal of difficulty
trying to find the battery.

Friday Morn. July 3.d Ie [sic] have
not been able to mail this letter yet.
The Major arrived at a late hour
last night, feeling and looking
well. He was warmly welcomed. The
battle was renewed, yesterday afternoon, and

(Page 7) 

raged with the greatest fury till long
after dark . We are engaged all the
time, exposed to a terrible fire, but
we had but one man wounded. Lost 
several horses. The result was about
an equal thing, though a little in our
favor. The rebels hold the town yet
and nothing has been heard from
our prisoners and, consequently
am unable to expect any further
information about Gilbert. The battle
rages all around the town, excepting over
it, so that those there are not ex-
posed to I danger
Excuse this hastily written letter. I 
am afraid you will not be
to read it. I write under 
disadvantages.
The battle was resumed early this
morning on our right, and a terrible
fire is now going on. We are not
engaged at present. I think to day [sic]
will decide the issue.

Sunday Morn. July 5th. 1863.
We regained possession of Gettysburg
Yesterday, and found the Captain comfortably
situated in a private house. He was in
good spirits and getting along finely.

[Text aligned vertically along left margin of Page 7] 

He has been taken to Baltimore, and is probably there
by this time. 


Context: The People in the Narrative:


Lt. George Breck was not a native of Rochester, but moved there sometime before 1850. Historian Robert Marcotte, in his introduction to a collection of Breck's wartime letters, describes Breck as a religious, well-mannered man who fought in the Civil War not to end slavery, but rather to help reunite the Union. As such, Breck was a Democrat and not a Whig or Republican; while he did not approve of slavery, he did not care much for black Americans and did not feel a strong motivation to fight a war for the sake of ending slavery.⁷ It is interesting that Breck's allegiance with the Democratic Party and his ideological differences from many of his fellow Union soldiers, as related by Marcotte, are not apparent whatsoever in the letter to Alfred Reynolds. It is also worth mentioning that the letter to Alfred is missing from Marcotte's edited collection - surprising, since the collection is a quite extensive compendium of Breck's wartime correspondence.


"The Captain" mentioned on pages 2, 3, and 7 of the letter is Gilbert Reynolds.⁸ Breck is a little unclear as to the Captain's identity at first, but context clues within the letter make it clear that Breck refers to Gilbert. At this time, Gilbert was Breck's superior; Breck was only a Lieutenant.⁹ However, Breck was writing to Alfred, Gilbert's brother, so military formalities were not necessary in a private letter. The fact that Breck still described Gilbert as "the Captain" suggests that Breck accorded Gilbert considerable respect. 


Before serving with the Union Army, Gilbert Reynolds began his military career in the New York State Militia, working with artillery from at least 1856 onward.¹⁰ Gilbert left the NYS Militia and joined the Union Army on Sept. 1, 1861.¹¹ Initially, Gilbert's brother, Captain John A. Reynolds, led Battery L, but Gilbert replaced John as head of Battery L when John was promoted to Major.¹² After being wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg, Gilbert went to Baltimore for treatment, ¹³ as Breck related, but he did not remain in Baltimore for long. On July 6, Gilbert was sent home to Rochester to recuperate, ¹⁴ and he telegraphed his wife on July 7: "Will be home tonight. Am wounded slightly."¹⁵ By August, Gilbert was again serving in the field.¹⁶ Unfortunately, Gilbert did lose vision in his left eye due to his Gettysburg injury.¹⁷ 


After the Civil War, Gilbert returned to Rochester and became involved with veterans' groups, even receiving letters from Theodore Roosevelt and Frederick Douglass that touched on the subject of Civil War remembrance.¹⁸ In his later years, Gilbert served for a time as Rochester School Commissioner.¹⁹ Gilbert and his fellow Battery L survivors eventually received a souvenir cannon - the same model as the one Breck describes losing²⁰ - from Washington.²¹ He died in 1913.²² 


The "Col. Wainwright" from pages 2 and 5 is Colonel Charles Shiels Wainwright. A letter from Wainwright to Brigadier General Henry Hunt reinforces many details from Breck's letter to Alfred, including Gilbert's eye injury, Breck staying with the artillery pieces, the role of a Lt. Wilber, the loss of the ²³ Wainwright's own testimony of Battery L at Gettysburg further certifies George Breck as a reliable narrator.


The "Major General John Reynolds" mentioned on page 4 is not Gilbert's brother, Major John A. Reynolds, but rather Major General John Fulton Reynolds.²⁴ General Reynolds was shot and killed at Gettysburg on July 1 when attempting to aide Brigadier General John Buford's men.²⁵ The Major whom Breck references on page 6 is most likely Gilbert's brother, John A. Reynolds, since Breck simply dubs him "Major" (suggesting that Alfred Reynolds will know who Breck is talking about) and since this Major is said to have specifically sought out Gilbert's battery company.²⁶ Incidentally, John A. Reynolds was eventually promoted to the rank of General,²⁷ making it even more confusing (although important) to distinguish between these two men who were both, at various times, known as General John Reynolds.


George Breck remained with Battery L to the end of the war, eventually participating in the Appomattox campaign and the "[p]ursuit of [Robert E.] Lee" in 1865.²⁸ By war's end, he had been promoted to Brevet Major.²⁹ He returned to Rochester, serving in local politics, and eventually moved to New York City.³⁰ Apparently Breck became involved in Civil War historical activities. In 1882, Breck spoke at the Battery L monument at Gettysburg,³¹ and Breck gave a 1902 address covering his Gettysburg experiences in detail.³² Robert Marcotte tells us that Breck also attended a Grand Army of the Republic encampment in Rochester in 1911.³³ This suggests that Breck was present when Gilbert and the other Battery L survivors received their honorary cannon, but we do not know for certain. When Gilbert Reynolds died in April 1913, Breck and other survivors of Battery L (including Isaac Weinberg, whom the Confederates captured along with Gilbert) met in Gettysburg on June 30, 1913 to pay homage to him. ³⁴ The event, coming fifty years to the day after the Battle of Gettysburg, surely carried much symbolic importance for these old men. Breck died in 1925.³⁵ 


Analysis of Breck's Letter:


It is important when conducting historical research not to assume that past events were predetermined, or that certain outcomes were inevitable. Nonetheless, it is always interesting to find primary documents in which individuals accurately predicted what would later happen. George Breck's claim that "the greatest battle of the war will be fought at this place" is one such prescient comment.³⁶ Gettysburg turned out to be the definitive battle in the American Civil War, preventing Robert E. Lee from advancing further north into Union territory. Combined with the Confederates' surrender of Vicksburg (coincidentally also on July 4, 1863), which gave the Union control of the Mississippi River, the Battle of Gettysburg greatly improved the Union's chances of winning the war. When read as literature, George Breck's letter to Alfred Reynolds is striking. The letter ends, then is continued three more times, covering several more days of the Battle of Gettysburg campaign. This structure is quite unique, providing insight into the real-time progression of Gettysburg and enabling the modern reader to be immersed in the subjective perspective of an ordinary soldier. But the letter is also striking as a historical artifact. The paper is smudged with dirt from Gettysburg, and the text becomes nearly illegible, a sign of Breck's nerves, before he pulls back and says, "Excuse this hastily written letter. I am afraid you will not be to read it. I write under disadvantages."³⁷ The reader can observe a writer who is struggling to control his emotions and think rationally in the face of a raging battle.


Breck's letter has a number of important implications for understanding individual actors in the Civil War. In case he is killed, Breck continually updates his message with the latest news about Gilbert and the Battle of Gettysburg, so that Alfred will receive the most complete and up-to-date information possible. Such a detailed letter (or, really, any letter at all) could change the recipient's attitudes toward the war. What if Gilbert had been killed, or taken to a P.O.W. camp? There is no telling how such news might have affected Alfred's support for the war. It is clear that the contents of individual letters, exchanged through the home-battlefront link, could shape the thoughts of entire populations regarding the Civil War. 


Breck's choice to write the letter also suggests a desire to leave behind a personal testimony, should he die. The memories of one infantryman do not figure in the geopolitical implications of a war, yet it makes sense that an infantryman - a witness to a war - would want others to know that he participated in the greater war effort. Individuals want to be seen as significant, even as part of a much larger collective. Lastly, Breck's letter represents an immense act of kindness toward the Reynolds family – one man going above and beyond to assert his morality, against the carnage unfolding around him. This letter has no geopolitical significance at all, yet to those who loved Gilbert Reynolds (and George Breck), the letter had all the significance in the world. As he promised Alfred, ³⁸ Breck wrote to the "Union" - that is, the Rochester Daily Union and Advertiser ³⁹ - and described the Battle of Gettysburg. In the letter to the Union, dated July 5, 1863 (the same day that Breck completed his letter to Alfred), Breck reuses many details from his letter to Alfred, including the injury of Gilbert, the loss of artillery by Breck (as well as by Lt. Wilber), several days of intense combat, and the death of General Reynolds negatively affecting the Union forces.⁴⁰ However, Breck conveys these facts in a more formal, less personal manner than he does in his letter to Alfred. The newspaper account lacks the power of the earlier letter, which was unpolished, written during lulls in the Battle of Gettysburg, and conveyed the real-time anxieties of a frontline soldier.⁴¹ 


The July 5 letter to the Union is distinctive for two further reasons. First, he provides a full list of the casualties sustained by Battery L,⁴² whereas the letter to Alfred dwells only on the fate of Gilbert and which army won the battle. Second, Breck titles himself "your [i.e., the public's] correspondent."⁴³ This is a reminder of Breck's communication not only with friends and family, but also with the general public. Breck therefore worked at the cutting edge of journalism in the modern era – he was a journalist embedded with troops at the front – in addition to carrying out his military duties. Indeed, Breck's journalism seems to have been well known among Battery L – Gilbert Reynolds, in an August 1863 letter to his wife, observes, "I presume Breck will send full particulars."⁴⁴ The public account of Gettysburg meant for the Union'sreaders also shows a key difference between the military-press relationship of 1863 and the military-press relationship of 2014. In Breck's day, an active-duty soldier could write directly to the press about his experiences, rather than going through official military press channels (the norm today). Similarly, it is notable that military censors did not redact Breck's letter to Alfred. It seems that American soldiers of the 1860s could be more honest in their writings and public expressions than soldiers today.


Still, it is important not to regard George Breck's journalism as unique. Recall that, on Page 4 of the letter to Alfred, Breck muses, "I must let the Papers give you an account of the battle."⁴⁵ This statement suggests that there are other reporters on site, taking careful notes and preparing their own narratives to send to the newspapers back home. Moreover, Breck trusts that there is a network of such observers in place; he assumes that journalists for the newspapers will report everything that happens. From reading George Breck's accounts of the Battle of Gettysburg, it is clear that the Civil War took place in a pervasive media culture.


In later years, Breck would retell his Gettysburg narrative for his 1882 and 1902 addresses, plus Gilbert Reynolds's memorial in 1913. While Breck supplies additional details in each version, the story remains fundamentally the same, although Gilbert figures most prominently in the letter to Alfred Reynolds. One suspects that, for all of Breck's dispatches from the front (which have been published by the New York State Military Museum), Breck's narrative of Battery L at Gettysburg ranked among his most popular stories – the story that really distinguished him. After reading the transcription of Breck's letter to Alfred Reynolds, the power of Breck's story is clear. The letter (like Breck's other versions of his story, but with greater sincerity) speaks to the stresses of battle, the confusion of shifting battle lines and captured soldiers, the inability of individuals to predict what will happen next, and courageous conduct under fire, especially to save the lives of friends. These motifs still are resonant one hundred and fifty years after the guns of the Civil War fell silent.


Envoi:

"Thus, comrades, have I sought to briefly trace the succession of events, when, as citizen-soldiers, we first took service in the artillery, at the very threshold of manhood, until we again disappeared in the civic pursuits of life. If we have regrets to utter to-day, it is over the memories of those who did not live to enjoy the fruits of that great struggle which left us a permanent Union, but fell upon this and other fields. Nor is it probable that we shall ever again be gathered in such a reunion and amid such surroundings as these; but true as that may be, each for himself will long cherish the recollection that on the twenty-eighth anniversary of the formation of this battery, neither our patriotism nor our estimate of heroic deeds was inadequate to the true appreciation of the sacrifices made here at Gettysburg." – Lt. George Breck, 1902 address, from Final Report on the Battlefield of Gettysburg (New York at Gettysburg), reprinted by the New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center 


[Notice that Breck mentions the creation of "a permanent Union," and says nothing of freeing African Americans from slavery. This should remind the reader that the racial component of the Civil War was often overlooked well into the 20th century.]

 


NOTES 

1. For evidence regarding Breck and Reynolds's military posting, refer to: Union Army orders, muster-in, rolls, passes, etc., 1861-1863, Gilbert H. Reynolds Papers, box 1, folder 7. University of Rochester Libraries, Department of Rare Books & Special Collections, Rochester, NY; "Reynolds, Gilbert H.," University of Rochester River Campus Libraries, Department of Rare Books, Special Collections and Preservation (website), last updated January 22, 2001, accessed December 17, 2013, /rbscp/1103; and George Breck, "Number 186. Appomattox Report of Bvt. Major George Breck, Battery L, First New York Light Artillery (April 22, 1865)," The Siege of Petersburg Online, last modified 2013, accessed December 17, 2013, http://www.beyondthecrater.com/resources/ors/vol-xlvi/part-1-sn-95/appom.... For information regarding the battles in which Battery L fought, refer to: "Battery 'L,' 1st Regiment Light Artillery "Rochester Union Grays," Civil War Archive.com, last updated December 19, 1999, accessed December 17, 2013, http://www.civilwararchive.com/Unreghst/unnyart2.htm#batl. 
2. George Breck, to Alfred Reynolds, 2-5 July 1863, Gilbert H. Reynolds Papers, box 1, folder 4, University of Rochester Libraries, Department of Rare Books & Special Collections, Rochester, NY, p. 1.
3. Incidentally, a cloth scrap from Gilbert's Gettysburg uniform is contained within the Gilbert H. Reynolds Papers. Refer to: Union Army uniform scrap and 1893 Chicago World's Fair ribbon, Gilbert H. Reynolds Papers, box 1, folder 10, University of Rochester Libraries, Department of Rare Books & Special Collections, Rochester, NY.
4. Breck, to Alfred Reynolds, p. 6.
5. Breck, to Alfred Reynolds, p. 7. 
6. Gilbert H. Reynolds, to his wife, 31 August 1863, Gilbert H. Reynolds Papers, box 1, folder 5, University of Rochester Libraries, Department of Rare Books & Special Collections, Rochester, NY.
7. Information about George Breck in the first three sentences of this paragraph comes from: Robert E. Marcotte, 1st Artillery Regiment (Light), Battery L, George Breck Columns, Chapter 2, "Introduction," New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center, NYS Division of Military and Naval Affairs (website), written February 2005, last modified August 10, 2006, accessed January 9, 2014, http://dmna.ny.gov/historic/reghist/civil/artillery/1stArtLt/1stArtLtBat...
8. For confirmation of Gilbert's military rank, refer to: George Breck, to Union, "In camp near Gettysburg, Pa.," 5 July 1863, in: Robert E. Marcotte, 1st Artillery Regiment (Light), Battery L, George Breck Columns, Chapter 20, "'The Most Desperate and Bloody Battle…' – Gettysburg, June 15, 1863 – July 11, 1863," New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center, NYS Division of Military and Naval Affairs (website), last modified August 15, 2006, accessed December 17, 2013, http://dmna.ny.gov/historic/reghist/civil/artillery/1stArtLt/1stArtLtBat...
9. For Breck's rank, see: "Grove Cannon Recalls Days of Civil War," Rochester Democrat and Chronicle and Rochester Herald, 30 May 1926, Gilbert H. Reynolds Papers, box 1, folder 12, University of Rochester Libraries, Department of Rare Books & Special Collections, Rochester, NY.
10. Col. I.H. Fairchild, 2nd Corporal warrant for Gilbert H. Reynolds, 14 March 1856, Gilbert H. Reynolds Papers, box 1, folder 1, University of Rochester Libraries, Department of Rare Books & Special Collections, Rochester, NY; refer also to additional New York State militia warrants contained in the same folder.
11. Muster-in Roll of 1st Lieutenant Gilbert H. Reynolds, 1 September 1861, Gilbert H. Reynolds Papers, box 1, folder 7, University of Rochester Libraries, Department of Rare Books & Special Collections, Rochester, NY.
12. "Grove Cannon Recalls Days of Civil War."
13. Not transferable pass for Capt. G.H. Reynolds, 4 July 1863, Gilbert H. Reynolds Papers, box 1, folder 7, University of Rochester Libraries, Department of Rare Books & Special Collections, Rochester, NY.
14. Assistant Adjutant General N.L. Jeffries, Special Orders No. 181 (for Capt. G.H. Reynolds), 6 July 1863, Gilbert H. Reynolds Papers, box 1, folder 7, University of Rochester Libraries, Department of Rare Books & Special Collections, Rochester, NY.
15. Gilbert H. Reynolds, telegraph to his wife, 7 July 1863, New York, Albany & Buffalo Telegraph Company, Gilbert H. Reynolds Papers, box 1, folder 7, University of Rochester Libraries, Department of Rare Books & Special Collections, Rochester, NY. 
16. Gilbert H. Reynolds, to his wife, 31 August 1863.
17. Captain and Brevet Major George Breck, Lieutenant William H. Shelton, Guidon or Color Bearer Isaac Weinberg, and Committee, "Paper and Resolutions In Memory of Captain G.H. Reynolds, Adopted by Battery 'L' (Reynolds' Battery), First Regiment New York Light Artillery, At a Meeting Held at Gettysburg, Pa., June 30th, 1913," typed manuscript, Gilbert H. Reynolds Papers, box 1, folder 11, University of Rochester Libraries, Department of Rare Books & Special Collections, Rochester, NY, p. 4.
18. See: Theodore Roosevelt, to Gilbert H. Reynolds, 16 November 1898, Gilbert H. Reynolds Papers, box 1, folder 9, University of Rochester Libraries, Department of Rare Books & Special Collections, Rochester, NY; and Frederick Douglass, to Gilbert H. Reynolds, 2 November 1872, box 1, folder 8, University of Rochester Libraries, Department of Rare Books & Special Collections, Rochester, NY. 
19. Election Notice for Gilbert H. Reynolds, 9 March 1891, Gilbert H. Reynolds Papers, box 1, folder 11, University of Rochester Libraries, Department of Rare Books & Special Collections, Rochester, NY; "Grove Cannon Recalls Days of Civil War." 
20. Breck, to Alfred Reynolds, p. 5.
21. "Grove Cannon Recalls Days of Civil War" - note especially the photograph, in which an elderly, uniformed Gilbert Reynolds appears. 
22. Donald M. Fisher, "The Civil War Draft in Rochester, Part One," in: Rochester History 53 (Winter 1991), edited by City Historian Ruth Rosenberg-Naparsteck, p. 15, accessed December 19, 2013, http://www.libraryweb.org/~rochhist/v53_1991/v53i1.pdf. 
23. Col. Charles Shiels Wainwright to Brigadier General Henry Hunt, 17 July 1863, Civil War Home.com, accessed January 6, 2014, http://www.civilwarhome.com/wainwrightgettysburgor.htm. 
24. Steve A. Hawks, "Major General John F. Reynolds, Commander, First Army Corps," Stone Sentinels, last modified 2013, accessed December 19, 2013, http://www.gettysburg.stonesentinels.com/Individuals/Reynolds.php. 
25. Kennedy Hickman, "American Civil War: Major General John F. Reynolds," About.com Military History, accessed December 19, 2013, http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/UnionLeaders/p/American-Civil-War-Ma...
26. Breck, to Alfred Reynolds, p. 6.
27. Arch Merrill, "Arch Merrill's History: Other Memorial Days… The Last 'Boy in Blue,'" Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, 25 May 1969, Gilbert H. Reynolds Papers, box 1, folder 12, University of Rochester Libraries, Department of Rare Books & Special Collections, Rochester, NY; "Grove Cannon Recalls Days of Civil War." 
28. "Battery 'L,' 1st Regiment Light Artillery "Rochester Union Grays"; Breck, "Number 186. Appomattox Report of Bvt. Major George Breck, Battery L, First New York Light Artillery (April 22, 1865)." 
29. Breck, "Number 186. Appomattox Report of Bvt. Major George Breck, Battery L, First New York Light Artillery (April 22, 1865)." 
30. Robert E. Marcotte, 1st Artillery Regiment (Light), Battery L, George Breck Columns, Chapter 32, "Breck's Life After The War," New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center, NYS Division of Military and Naval Affairs (website), last modified August 17, 2006, accessed December 17, 2013, http://dmna.ny.gov/historic/reghist/civil/artillery/1stArtLt/1stArtLtBat...
31. George Breck, "Breck's Address at Dedication of Gettysburg Monument," 17 September 1889, in: in: Robert E. Marcotte, 1st Artillery Regiment (Light), Battery L, George Breck Columns, Chapter 35, "Appendix C: Breck's Address at Dedication of Gettysburg Monument," New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center, NYS Division of Military and Naval Affairs (website), last modified August 15, 2006, accessed December 17, 2013, http://dmna.ny.gov/historic/reghist/civil/artillery/1stArtLt/1stArtLtBat...
32. George Breck, "Address of Maj. George Breck, to Comrades of Battery L," in: New York Monuments Commission for the Battlefields of Gettysburg and Chattanooga,Final Report on the Battlefield of Gettysburg (New York at Gettysburg) (Albany: J.B. Lyon Company, 1902); address placed online at Unit History Project, New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center, NYS Division of Military and Naval Affairs (website), last modified August 9, 2006, accessed December 19, 2013, http://dmna.ny.gov/historic/reghist/civil/artillery/1stArtLt/1stArtLtBat...
33. Marcotte, "Breck's Life After The War."
34. "Paper and Resolutions In Memory of Captain G.H. Reynolds, Adopted by Battery 'L' (Reynolds' Battery), First Regiment New York Light Artillery, At a Meeting Held at Gettysburg, Pa., June 30th, 1913," Gilbert H. Reynolds Papers, box 1, folder 11, University of Rochester Libraries, Department of Rare Books & Special Collections, Rochester, NY, 6 pages (typescript).
35. Pat Callahan, "Lieut George Breck," Find a Grave, last modified December 12, 2006, accessed December 22, 2013, http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=16997758. 
36. Breck, to Alfred Reynolds, p. 6. 
37.Breck, to Alfred Reynolds, p. 7.
38. Breck, to Alfred Reynolds, p. 5.
39. For information on the Rochester Daily Union and Advertiser, the only periodical in the city during the Civil War with "Union" in its name, refer to: Mary Agnes Healy, "A Check List of Rochester, N.Y. Imprints For the Years 1863-65, with a Historical Introduction," M.A. diss., Catholic University of America, June 1968, University of Rochester Libraries, Department of Rare Books & Special Collections, Rochester, NY, p. 48; and "Monroe County (NY) newspapers on microfilm and paper at all NYS locations," New York State Library (website), accessed December 17, 2013, http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/nysnp/all/428.htm.
40. Breck, to Union, "In camp near Gettysburg, Pa.," 5 July 1863.
41. A brief aside: Breck again touched on Gettysburg in a July 11, 1863 letter to the Union, when he mentions that the Confederates captured 5,000 Union troops at Gettysburg, and that the Confederates might have won the battle, had they pushed onward after capturing the town of Gettysburg. [Source: George Breck, to Union, "In the field near Beaver Creek, Md.," 11 July 1863, in: Robert E. Marcotte, 1st Artillery Regiment (Light), Battery L, George Breck Columns, Chapter 20, "'The Most Desperate and Bloody Battle…' – Gettysburg, June 15, 1863 – July 11, 1863," New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center, NYS Division of Military and Naval Affairs (website), last modified August 15, 2006, accessed January 9, 2014, http://dmna.ny.gov/historic/reghist/civil/artillery/1stArtLt/1stArtLtBat....
42. Breck, to Union, "In camp near Gettysburg, Pa.," 5 July 1863.
43. Breck, to Union, "In camp near Gettysburg, Pa.," 5 July 1863.
44. Gilbert H. Reynolds, to his wife, 31 August 1863.
45. Breck, to Alfred Reynolds, p. 4.