Civil War Diaries

1st diary

Who: W. Adams, 4th regiment of North Carolina volunteers

What: He is writing to his family back home about the recent battle and how
the Union took some of their men and slaves prisoner. He also makes a
request to his father for new shoes because his other pair were torn apart.
Where: Camp near Bunker Hill
When: September 30th, 1862
Why: Adams writes to his family to inform them that he is unhurt despite his
recent battles.

2nd diary

Who: Alexander Hunter, a soldier fighting in Maryland

What: He talks about how his regiment is starving from lack of food, barefoot
and dirty from marching for so long, and how some are sick and diseased. As
they march some residents of the country houses look on in relief that they
dont stop at their house.
Where: Countryside of Maryland
When: September 21st, 1862
Why: Hunter narrates his regiments hardships and struggles but points out
that theyre still going strong.

3rd diary

Who: Charles Carleton Coffin, Army Correspondent

What: He describes the frightening sounds of battle like the roaring of the
ocean upon the shore.
Where: Unknown Battlefield
When: Unknown
Why: Coffin writes this passage to portray what it sounded like in the midst of
a battle.

4th diary

Who: Lt. Thomas H. Evans, 12th U.S. Infantry

What: How the shells would sometimes burst above them
Where: Unknown
When: Unknown
Why:

5th diary

Who: Union Major R. R. Dawes, 6th' Wisconsin regiment

What: His Captains Dog
Where: Unknown

When: Unknown
Why: Describing how his Captains loyal dog was always by his side.

6th diary

Who: William Child, Major and Surgeon with the 5th Regiment New Hampshire
Volunteers
What: He is describing his work as a doctor and how he misses home.
Where: Battlefield Hospital near Sharpsburg after battle of Antietam
When: September 22, 1862
Why: Because he missed his wife and his home

7th diary

Who: Pvt. David L. Thompson, Company G, 9th New York Volunteers

What: The first thought of any normal man in battle is to get out of the way of
the bullets
Where: Unknown Battlefield
When: Unknown
Why: To describe a normal mans thought process in the midst of a battle.

8th diary

Who: Pvt. J. D. Hicks, Company K, 125th Pennsylvania Volunteers

What: The scene of a dead drummer boy
Where: Battle of Antietam
When: September 17, 1862
Why: To describe the aftermath of the battle

9th diary

Who: Dr. George Bronson, 11th Connecticut regiment

What: The Battle fought at Burnside Bridge
Where: Sharpsburg, MD
When: Sunday Sept. 21, 1862
Why: To let his wife know that he is ok despite the great losses suffered in the
battle.

10th diary

Who: John Redfield, 13th New Jersey regiment

What: How he misses them likes to hear from them, also some requests for
cider and food that will last a week.
Where: Harpers Ferry
When: October 14, 1862
Why: To answer their letters and let them know hes ok

11th diary

Who: J. O. Smith, Union Soldier

What: A scene where a rebel helped a Union soldier to a field hospital.

Where: Roulette Farm Field Hospital
When: Unknown
Why: To describe the remarkable act performed by the Confederate

12th diary

Who: W.H. Gaston, 1st Texas Vol.

What: The capture of Robert, the condition of the troops, plans to come home
Where: Rappahannock River, Virginia
When: November 28, 1862
Why: He is writing to his father because he did not receive his last letters that
he sent.

13th diary

Who: Union private of Lieutenant White's Company

What: Account of his own experiences in the fighting near the
Cornfield
Where: Unknown cornfield
When: Unknown
Why: To account what it was like on the front lines

14th diary

Who: Unknown Soldier, 13th New Jersey

What: John Icks disappearance and attempt at deserting
Where: Area near the East Woods
When: Unknown
Why: To show how some men had had enough of the war and tried to go
home.

15th diary

Who: Erred Fowles

What: An accident where he got shot in the back
Where: In a hospital near the Battlefield of Antietam, 10 miles from
Middletown Md
When: September 26, 1862
Why: To inform his wife that because of the accident that he is coming home.

16th diary

Who: Bird B Wright, 8th Florida Volunteer Infantry Regiment

What: Directions on how to get to the field hospital he is in.
Where: Shepherdstown, Jefferson County, Virginia
When: September 21, 1862
Why: He got shot and wants to see his wife and brother again.

17th diary

Who: Henry Kyd Douglas

What: An excerpt from his memoirs, a scene from the Sharpsburg battle
Where: Battle of Sharpsburg(Antietam), Georgia
When: September 17, 1862
Why:

18th diary

Who: Unknown soldier

What: Account from the Battle of Antietam, a young soldier burying his father
Where: Sharpsburg, Georgia
When: September 17, 1862
Why: To describe how many families lost loved ones in the war

19th diary

Who: Lt. Matthew J. Graham, Company H, 9th New York Volunteers

What: The thoughts he had during a battle
Where: Unknown Battlefield
When: Unknown
Why: To describe a soldiers thought process before starting to fight

20th diary

Who: Unknown soldier, 35th Massachusetts Volunteers

What: Description of Weapons used in war
Where: Unknown Battlefield
When: Unknown
Why: To describe the interval in the battle when soldiers reload their guns.