Excerpt from The Fifty-Seventh Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers: In the War of the Rebellion; Army of the Potomac To many, no doubt, it appears easy to write a regimental history, but experience proves it to be a task most difficult to accomplish. For nearly two years we have worked earnestly and faithfully to complete this task for the Fifty-Seventh Massachusetts in the great War of the Rebellion. We have met with many affectionate encouragements, but we have also met with very many positive discouragements, chiefly in the matter of obtaining information in relation to those men who had been left by official records as "missing in action." The story we would tell of them will remain untold until the veil which hides our mortal vision is removed and the great scroll kept by the recording angel unrolled to those who are mustered into that grand army beyond the river. There is a sad pathos covering the word "unknown," yet it speaks in tones of silent eloquence which will ever echo a tender inquiry that can never be answered save in imagination; yet such names come to sanctify our memory, as their lives were given to our country, though their deeds go unrecorded. We wish to express our appreciation of the warm sympathy that has been given us by the widow of our beloved commander. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.