Browse the Collection
- Elisha J. Bracken Diary
- Walter R. Collins Diary
- William H. H. Fisher Diary
- Daniel Elias Frantz Diary
- Morris W. Hackman Diary
- John H. Morrison Diary
- Alonzo J. Thompson Diary
About the Collection
Elisha J. Bracken Diary
Pennsylvanian Elisha Bracken mustered August 31, 1861, into Company C of the Pennsylvania Volunteers, 100th Regiment. He was promoted to sergeant and placed in charge of the remnants of Company C on November 13, 1862. He died in battle in Spotsylvania, Virginia, on May 12, 1864. The diary provides a day-to-day account of service life, with mention of their travels, the weather, and regimental activities from July through October, 1862.
Walter R. Collins Diary
Walter R. Collins (born 20 October 1838), of Elizabeth, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, served as a sergeant in Company M, 100th Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-1864, during the American Civil War. Collins recorded his activities during the Civil War in three diaries, including fighting at Manassas, Antietam, and Fredericksburg. The diary ends 20 May 1863 in Middleburg, Kentucky.
William H. H. Fisher Diary
William H.H. Fisher was born in Rutland, Vermont, on 31 January 1841. During the American Civil War Fisher served in the Vermont Infantry, 7th Regiment, Company D, and was promoted to corporal on 4 March 1865. This diary details Fisher's time stationed in New Orleans, Louisiana, Alabama, and Texas and includes writings on camp activities, trips into New Orleans, writing letters to and receiving letters from his family, attending non-commissioned officers' school, the siege of Spanish Fort and occupation of Mobile, and monthly account pages that record his purchases and expenditures.
Daniel Elias Frantz Diary
The Daniel Frantz diary is from 1865 and contains the then eighteen-year-old's writings on the weather, his daily activities, and business activities, which included several sales trips. The diary also details a pleasure trip to New York City and Coney Island, New York; and Paterson, New Jersey, to see the Great Falls on the Passaic River. Finally, there are notes for Frantz's expenses and profits for his book selling trips.
Morris W. Hackman Diary
Morris W. Hackman, a native of Womelsdorf, Berks County, Pennsylvania, enlisted in Company G of the 29th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. Hackman was born on 10 November 1844 and was only sixteen years old when he enlisted in Hesterville in the spring of 1861. The diary details his experiences as an infantryman, including seeing combat at New Market and Front Royal. Hackman records his capture by Confederate forces on 23 May 1862, during the Battle of Front Royal, and his subsequent imprisonment in various field hospitals. Confederate officials ultimately sent him to the notorious Belle Isle military prison in Richmond where he arrived August 9. Hackman remained at Belle Isle until September 13 when he was paroled. Courtesy of Penn State Libraries Special Collections.
John H. Morrison Diary
Description: John H. Morrison served as a musician in the 49th Pennsylvania Volunteers Regimental Band in 1862. This diary describes band activities, military actions, and daily weather during his service in the Civil War from January to August 1862.
Alonzo J. Thompson Diary
Alonzo. J. Thompson, a native of Newport, Herkimer County, New York, was a soldier in the American Civil War and served as a part of Battery H, 1st Ohio Light Artillery, Army of the Potomac. The diary is an account of a soldier's daily life from 1861 to 1863, and includes a list of generals under which Thompson's unit served; hand-drawn sketches of rivers, construction supports, surveys, and artillery trajectory, with corresponding calculations; and daily notations concerning weather, activities, and personal health.
Related Civil War Diary Collections
- Adam H. Pickel Diary, 1862-1863 - This collection consists of one diary (77 pages) kept by Adam H. Pickel from 13 August 1862-- 8 July 1863, when he served in the Union army during the Civil War.
- Milton S. Lytle Diaries - The nine manuscript pocket diaries in this collection date from 1861-1865. The first four describe Milton Lytle’s studies at the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania (1860-1861), now the Pennsylvania State University; the following five recount his experiences as a soldier in the American Civil War.
- Philip C. Shaffner and Robert H. Ward 1862 Civil War Diary, and 1869 Accounts, 1862-1869
Related Collections
Rights
Digital collections are available for research, teaching, and learning. These collections are not all part of the public domain even though they have been made publicly accessible. Moreover, even if a collection is in the public domain you should still cite where it came from and/or credit the author. For those collections under copyright protection, texts and images from the digital collections may not be used for any commercial purpose or beyond the normal “fair use” guidelines without prior permission from Penn State University and/or those parties who own the copyright. Where copyright is of concern in any material in question, that right is owned either by Penn State University, or by the original creators of the object, or their descendants. Therefore, when using any of this material, it is your responsibility, as the user, to secure permissions and adhere to the stated access policy, copyright laws, and educational fair-use guidelines.
For more information, please consult the Penn State University's Copyright Portal.