Charles L. C. Minor Cash Book and Edward P. Harmon Civil War Diary, 1860-1864 (Ms2008-081)
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cash book maintained by Confederate Captain Charles L. C. Minor from 1860 to 1864. Also contained within the cash book's pages are diary entries of Union Army Private Edward P. Harmon (5th Maine Infantry) during May and June, 1864. Research materials on the two soldiers (including photocopies of maps, muster rolls, census records, and an image of Harmon) and a complete photocopy of the piece are also included.
The small volume of 68 pages, bearing on its spine the embossment "cash book," was retained for its intended use by Captain Minor, its original owner, to carefully record personal expenditures and savings. Minor's records commence with November 6, 1860 and end on May 4, 1864. In recording these financial transactions, Minor provides details regarding his daily whereabouts and activities. He records meal and travel purchases, as well as amounts paid to individual servants, expenses for personal and household items, services, and military gear. Also recorded within the book are Minor's bank transactions for 1861-1862, a list of silver wedding gifts received by Fanny Cazenove Minor, and a list of stocks and bonds held by Minor.
The cash book was among materials seized by Federal troops in the act of destroying the rail line and depot at Hewletts Station, Virginia on May 25, 1864, and came into the possession of Private Harmon, who used it as a diary. (As the first diary entry predates the volume's capture by three weeks, we may surmise that the early entries were made retrospectively or that they were copied from another book.) Harmon's first entry, for May 2, finds his regiment having just crossed the Hazel River and preparing to cross the Rapidan. Soon, Harmon describes fearful, endless shelling by "cast iron hummingbirds" during the Battle of the Wilderness. Harmon briefly mentions African American troops, Confederate prisoners of war, and camp rumors. As the regiment marches toward Spotsylvania Court House, Harmon mentions a fire in which many wounded soldiers were killed. He describes heavy fighting and losses at Spotsylvania and at one point questions the actions of the Brigade commander. As his regiment endures battles at North Anna and Cold Harbor, Harmon describes the morale of his comrades ("very much broken up they are tired heartsick &amp; discouraged") and himself ("sick, tired &amp; worn out too night this is our 9th day of slaughter"). Many of the entries center on his brigade's movements and preparations for battles that often fail to materialize. Harmon's diary entries end with June 3, 1864. Following the June 3 entry is a gap, indicating the removal of several pages, and a page of wartime accounts held by Harmon and I. F. Goodwin.
The volume also contains two botanical samples, one of which appears to be a collection of four-leaved clovers, tipped into the first two pages.
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<a href="http://ead.lib.virginia.edu/vivaead/published/vt/viblbv00310.xml.frame">See the Finding Aid for the Charles L. C. Minor Cash Book and Edward P. Harmon Civil War Diary</a>
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Minor, Charles L. C. The Real Lincoln: from the testimony of his contemporaries. 2nd ed., rev. and enl. (Richmond, Va.: E. Waddey Co., 1904). E457 M66 1904 Civil War Spec
Minor, Charles L. C. "The old system of slavery, its compensations and contrasts to the present labor conditions." Southern Historical Society Papers 30(1902): 125-129. E483.7 S76 v. 30 Civil War Spec
Minor Family Papers, 1787-1906, Robert Alonzo Brock Collection, Henry E. Huntington Library, San Marino, California. (microfilm copy held by Library of Virginia)
English
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Ms2008-081_MinorHarmon_Diary_1860-1864
Diary, Charles O. Poland, 1864 (Ms2008-013)
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This is the diary of Charles O. Poland, a private in Company B, 142nd Ohio Infantry (National Guard) during the Civil War, was a resident of Knox County, Ohio. Born around 1836, he was the husband of Angeline Disney (daughter of William A. and Mary Jane Lampson Disney) and the father of several children. Census records indicate that Poland was a farmer; documents within this collection indicate that Poland was also certified to teach in Morrow and Knox counties prior to the war. The 142nd Ohio National Guard was organized at Camp Chase, Ohio and mustered into service for 100 days on May 12, 1864. On May 14, the regiment proceeded to Martinsburg, West Virginia, where it drilled until May 19, when ordered to Fort Lyon, Virginia, from which it served guard duty in the Washington D. C. area. On June 5, the regiment was ordered to the front and arrived on June 9 at White House Landing, Virginia, where it was dispatched to guard a supply train through the Wilderness to Cold Harbor. From there, the 142nd proceeded to Point of Rocks, about five miles from Petersburg, Virginia. The regiment participated in the early siege of Petersburg through August 19, when it was ordered back to Washington, D.C., thence to Camp Chase, where it was mustered out on September 2, 1864. The diary's entries commence on June 15, 1864, with Knox already in the rifle pits before Petersburg. He writes of being detailed to destroy Confederate breastworks, erect fortifications, and fell trees as battles raged nearby. Elsewhere he mentions having seen generals Grant and Burnside, the gunboats on the James River, the discovery of a cache of buried silver and gold by a New York regiment while hunting for fishing worms, and the trading of hardtack for tobacco between the lines. Throughout the diary, Poland notes many days on picket, and the state of the fighting around Petersburg. On July 20, Poland developed a fever, and the final four entries, concluding with July 31, are devoted to the condition of his health. Also within the diary are a few entries regarding pre- and post-war personal financial transactions.
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<a href="http://ead.lib.virginia.edu/vivaead/published/vt/viblbv00241.xml.frame">See the Finding Aid for the Charles O. Poland Diary</a>
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<a href="https://omeka.lib.vt.edu/files/thumbnails/spec_forms/PubPermission.doc">Permission to publish material from the Charles O. Poland Diary must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.</a>
English
Ms2008-013_PolandCharles_Diary_1864