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Start Over Date range 1861 Subjects Civil War -- War diaries

A.C.L. Gatewood Papers 0.15 Linear Feet Summary: 1 3/4 in. (1 reel of microfilm, 1.75 in.)

Gatewood, A. C. L.
Correspondence, diary, and farm account book of a Confederate officer and Pocahontas County cattleman and farmer. The correspondence deals primarily with Gatewood's activities as adjutant general and chief of staff of the West Virginia Division, United Confederate Veterans. The Civil War diary, 11 March-15 December 1865, covers action of Company F, Eleventh Virginia Cavalry, "Laurel Brigade," Rosser Cavalry Division, from Staunton to Appomattox. The farm account book, 1866-1869, also contains an account of Gatewood's Civil War experiences, including fighting in western Virginia and Jones' northwestern Virginia raid of 1863. The account book, 1801-1805, 1816, pertains to the John Rodgers estate. There are a few papers of Gatewood's father, Samuel V. Gatewood. Other subjects and topics covered are farming and stock raising in Pocahontas County, the Warm Springs of North Carolina, William and Mary College, Virginia Military Institute, Ann Smith Academy, Greenbrier Male Academy, Civil War in the Bath County, Virginia area, and cattle trade in the Kanawha Valley.
  1. West Virginia and Regional History Center

Civil War Diary Transcriptions and Related Material of Captain George W. Johnson, 11th Ohio Volunteer Infantry 0.01 Linear Feet 1 folder 0.17 Gigabytes 56 .jpg, .pdf, and .docx files

Johnson, Robert K., fl. 2011

Transcription of the Civil War diaries of Captain George Johnson of the 11th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. George Johnson was about 35 years old when he enlisted in the 11th Ohio Infantry in June 1861 and served in Companies A and K until late December 1863.

  1. West Virginia and Regional History Center

Fabricius A. Cather, Soldier, Civil War Diaries 0.3 Linear Feet 3 1/2 in. (1 flat storage box); (1 rolled genealogy chart)

Civil War diaries authored by First Lieutenant (later Major) Fabricius A. Cather from Flemington, Taylor County, West Virginia, records his experiences in the military and political conflicts of the Civil War. The six diaries, and a transcribed copy of the original 1864 and 1865 diaries, contain entries for the years 1860 to 1865 regarding western Virginia's grassroots efforts to secede from the Confederacy and establish a new state, and of the first battles and skirmishes such as Rich Mountain and Corricks Ford. He describes campaigns involving his regiment, the First West Virginia Cavalry, including the 1864 Shenandoah Valley Campaign under Sigel, Hunter, Sheridan, and Custer against Breckenridge, Early, and Mosby's Rangers; the last battles of Petersburg as Grant broke the Rebel lines; and the continuous fighting during Lee's retreat. Although most diary entries are one or two sentences in length, some entries in 1864 and 1865 are longer, perhaps due to his full involvement in combat. The collection also contains 18 items stored in pockets inside the covers of the diaries, including headquarters passes, business cards, and a complimentary pass for Lt. Cather to attend the June, 1861 "NorthWestern Virginia Convention" in Wheeling. An Addendum includes two scans of photos of Cather, two scans of Civil War military service papers, photocopies of an 1873 Kansas Land Grant, and genealogy material documenting the Cather family.
  1. West Virginia and Regional History Center

Fred T. Newbraugh, Collector, Papers regarding Berkeley Springs 0.08 Linear Feet 2 folders, 1 in. total

Newbraugh, Fred T.

Material includes signed letter from David H. Strother to Perley Poore, Berkley Springs, March 25, 1858; lottery ticket for town lot in Bath, 1814; Porte Crayon autograph, and a slave list, Berkley County. Photostats of material in the Library of Congress include an signed letter from William Wirt to his daughter, August 31 1823 on Berkeley Springs; Thomas Jefferson to Mr. Rodney Washington, December 8, 1808 in regard to gambler Thomas Bailey's assault on Jefferson's secretary; portion of a Journal of President James K. Polk describing a visit to Bath in 1848; and a section of the journal of Samuel Vaughan noting a visit to Bath in 1787. The collection also includes a section of "Uria Brown's Journal" from the "Maryland Historical Magazine," volumes 11 and 12 (1915, 1916), detailing a visit to the springs at Bath.

  1. West Virginia and Regional History Center

Jacob M. Campbell Papers 1.7 Linear Feet Summary: 1 ft. 8 in. (4 document cases, 5 in. each)

Campbell, Jacob Miller, 1821-1888

Military orders, telegrams, military correspondence concerning Campbell's command, lists of Confederate deserters, ordnance and quartermaster returns, additional military records, and a personal diary of Colonel Campbell, commander of the Fifty-fourth Pennsylvania Volunteers which operated along the line of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad between Cumberland, Maryland, and Martinsburg, West Virginia. Subjects include civilian-military relations; guerrilla activities of John D. Imboden, the Ringgold Raiders, and the McNeill's Rangers; treatment of Confederate sympathizers; fighting in the Shenandoah Valley in the spring of 1864; and military operations in the Eastern panhandle of West Virginia.

  1. West Virginia and Regional History Center

James B.C. Vale, Soldier, Journal Regarding West Virginia 4th Infantry, Company D, in the Civil War 0.1 Linear Feet Summary: 1/2 in. (1 ledger)

Vale, James B.C.
Journal authored by James B.C. Vale of Company D, West Virginia 4th Infantry. Compiled in 1891 from a diary kept during the Civil War, it records in some detail operations of his unit in the period June 27, 1861 (when he enlisted) to October 31, 1862. It consists of an introduction (page 1), muster roll (pages 2-5, including names, ranks, enlistement dates, and notes), and narrative (pages 6-15). The narrative regards campaigns in western Virginia, mostly in the vicinity of the Kanawha Valley, in 1861 and 1862, including considerable detail regarding troop movements. Subjects include disease (measles), fighting, military maneuvers, reconnaissance, skirmishing, weather, etc; locations mentioned include Camp Piatt, Point Pleasant, Fort Lightburn, Big Sandy River, Tug Fork, the McDowell Court House, Sissonville, and Ravenswood, among other locations and geographic features. There is brief mention of the 34th Ohio Zouaves under Colonel Piatt. There are also three uncited clippings, including one listing West Virginia units that served during the Civil War, one regarding the Vicksburg campaign, and a third regarding Camp Ford Prison in Texas. James B.C. Vale was born in Meigs County, Ohio, on October 18, 1840.
  1. West Virginia and Regional History Center

James M. Chidester Civil War Diary 0.15 Linear Feet Summary: 1 3/4 in. (1 folder, 3 items, 0.1 in.); (1 reel of microfilm, 1.75 in.)

Chidester, James M.
Diary kept by Corporal James M. Chidester, Co. A, 3rd Regiment, Virginia Volunteer Infantry, during his service in the Civil War, 1861-1864. Contains day by day accounts of the marches and battles in which he participated, descriptions of camp life and general conditions for Union soldiers. His company was active throughout West Virginia, Western Maryland and the Northern Virginia and District Columbia area. He participated in battles at Romney, Cedar Mountain, Manassas Junction, Janelew, Hedgesville, Martinsburg, Bull Run, and White Sulphur Springs. At White Sulphur Springs in 1863 he was wounded and taken prisoner by the Confederate Army and transferred to Richmond, Virginia. He remained in Richmond for about one month, then was traded for Confederate prisoners and sent to Annapolis Hospital at the U.S. Naval Academy, and later discharged, March 1, 1864. The final page of the diary are a memoir of Chidester's life after the war as a teacher and storekeeper in Preston County, West Virginia, where he served as assessor and deputy sheriff for many years. There are also some accounts, a record of letters sent and received while in the hospital in Annapolis, and lists of books read while in Annapolis.
  1. West Virginia and Regional History Center

Jesse Johnston Diary 0.15 Linear Feet Summary: 1 3/4 in. (1 reel of microfilm (1 vol.), 1.75 in.) This microfilm reel is shared with another collection, A&M 1396. The extent of the reel is recorded in this collection but not A&M 1396.

Johnston, Jesse
The original manuscript and a typed copy of Johnston's Civil War diary. Serving with Company L, Second Regiment, West Virginia Volunteer Cavalry, Johnston fought at Princeton, Lewisburg, Sinking Creek, and Wytheville. Captured and subsequently exchanged, he served in Washington until mustered out of service.
  1. West Virginia and Regional History Center

John Morton Ledgers 0.6 Linear Feet 7 in. (1 document case, 5 in.); (1 wrapped ledger, 2 in.)

Morton, John
Diaries, account books, and a surveyor's handbook belonging to John Morton, a farmer of Hollidays Cove, Brooke County, West Virginia. The surveyor's book includes lessons on logarithm, geometry, plane trigonometry, and surveying. The diaries and account books record Morton's life and significant events of the period. There is also an undated land deed, a property list of Morton's father, John Morton, and some genealogical information.
  1. West Virginia and Regional History Center

Richard Beto, Collector, Records regarding the Civil War in West Virginia 0.22 Linear Feet 1 document case, 2.5 in.; 1 oversize folder, 16 leaves

Beto, Richard
This collection contains documents and other material regarding the Civil War, including a diary, letters, reports, clippings, a muster roll, and other material. The majority of items in the collection regard the Civil War in West Virginia. Items within the collection are facsimiles and photocopies. Highlights of the collection include: the diary of Alex McGraw, who served with the West Virginia First Light Artillery; a letter from Captain Robert Coles of Virginia Fortieth Infantry, Wise Legion to Colonel Lucius Davis requesting certification to purchase necessary equipment; a letter from General John B. Floyd to A.W.G. Davis giving authorization to raise supplies for the Confederate Army of the Kanawha; a morning report of the Fifth Brigade, Confederate Army of the Northwest commanded by William Booth Taliaferro; and a muster roll of the Second Virginia Volunteer Cavalry, Company G. See "Scope and Content Note" for more detail.
  1. West Virginia and Regional History Center

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