The Empty Sleeve / or, The Life and Hardships of Henry H. Meacham, in the Union Army

A first-person Civil War memoir recounts the author's repeated enlistment attempts, service with a Massachusetts volunteer regiment in Virginia, and the marches, battles, and hospital stays that followed. He describes early voyages, retreats and engagements near Centreville, Rappahannock, and Mines Run; extreme physical hardship from blistered feet, exposure, hunger, and frozen men; poor rations and makeshift winter quarters; guard duty and the labor of camp life. Interwoven are reflections on loss of his right arm, difficulty finding work afterward, and the decision to publish the narrative to support his ailing wife, offering a frank, personal account of soldiering and its material and emotional costs.