2 Civil War Diary by 17th Pennsylvania Cavalry, Co. L
Two Civil War diaries by John Bean, Sergeant in the 17th Pennsylvania Cavalry, Co. Nearly every day of the war of the 1864-65 diaries is filled out, with one entry per day on the 1864 diary and three entries per day on the 1865 diary.
Bean recounts relentless fighting for about 12 months, starting mid-year 1864 and lasting until the end of the war, covering dozens of battles and skirmishes, including Todd's Tarvern (''There was one shot in our company through his both sholders''), Old Church Tavern (''our quarter master, was shot ded''), Cold Harbor (''Ruben Bender got shot thought his arm, it had to be taken off''), Deep Bottom Run (''2 or 3 kild and some woned'') and several more. Starting on 5 May 1864, Bean writes of the Battle of the Wilderness,''... They are fighting to day. We hear the cannon over & musket firen qite plain. Thay had a big fight...
Our cav had a fight yesterday... The rebs tride to brake our line but thay dident...' On 8 May he writes of Todd's Tavern,''...
This morning rite smart drove the rebs 2 1/2 miles... There was one shot in our company through his both sholders... The fight is beyond Spotvania cart house at cross roads.This has ben the bigest yet. The big sege guns was playing all day on the wagon trains of Gen. Don't know if got it or not, but there was good meney prisners com in...
There was no cannaden till a bought 2 oclock, then it be gan a gain. The forage comes to Fredericksburg now one hundred prisners com in to day and they say there is 18 hundred more to com in this evening... We are with the dismounted men now back again. They say today was the hardest fight we had yet. Our men took 2 lines of their best work this morning a bought 4 o'clock. Lost a great many men... The grebears cut 5 men through yesternight, so thay burnt the hous down. Our cavelary is at Bottom Bridge. Thay burnt the bridge and thay had a hard fight there, but thay beat out Old Stuart & made him get out of that place...' On 27 May, he writes of Spotsylvania Court House,''... The seckent day I had no horse so will have to foot it 27 miles to Rucham, but we are a going to the White House Landing.We cross the pontoons bridge too day. Our men had a fight to day. Some got kild, but we took a bough 50 prisners...' Three days later, on the Battle of Old Church Tavern,''... Our cav had a fight a bout 3 oc...
Our rigment lost a good maney men. Some kill our quarter master, was shot ded...' Starting on 1 June, he describes the Battle of Cold Harbor over several days,''...
Fighting very hard this evening out front, there was a bought 1 hundred of prisners went a long the roade... Our cav is a fighting every day. We loose a good meney men out of our reg... We move this morning twords Bottom Bridge a 2 miles from there now.
The hole cav is here but we haint got the bridge yet. We are a mile from it but our cav fights there. The rebs is on the other side of the bridge.
They fier back and parade at one another. Ruben Bender got shot thought his arm, it had to be taken off...' On 20 June he describes the Battle of White House, Virginia,''...
The Rebs attack us this morning. Our men plaid on them a wile then the rebs got there artillery to work and through shells in the train so we got a cross the Somukia. The rebs drove in our pickets in early this morning. Shot one of our men...
The Joneys drove in our pickets... They shell the train rite smart for a wile and then got we moven, got out of this place.
We all got out except some got hit with the shells... Thay burnt the jale down...' On 28 July he describes Deep Bottom Run,''... This has been a right smart fight. For a wile, the Rebs got lick.
Our men dident loose meney to day, 2 or 3 kild and some woned... This morning the darkeys took 3 lines of breastworks and 1 bregaid prisoners of Joney Rebs...
Went down twords the black water and there our men found rebs... We started for Washington on a transport a bought 10 oclock to day and wen we got opposite Harrison's Landing the rebs fire in our 6 or 10 shots and kild 2 horses and 3 woned. The shells just went over the boate we were on.
It dident kill anaey of our compina, but 9 New York were lost... There was a reb spy hung to day at 2 oclock. I didn't see him hung but I seen him before he was. The rebs is fortified the other side of town... We move this morning towards Harper's Ferry...
There our cav had a fight and our men captured almost 300 Rebs. They all of them Georgians, some Virginian...
The rebs is a coming on our men, we ar falling back rite smart, thay all fall back to Charlestown...' On 25 August, Bean recounts the Battle of Shepherdstown, WV,''... We got orders to move this morning twords Winchester, went out the pike 3 or 4 miles, found the Joneys there in a big wood. Skurmish a wile prety heavy. We had to retreate back rite smart, the rebs follows us rite up. We com back through Sheard town, the rite after us, our men had a hard fight. To day we lost a good meney...Our cav went out this morning and had a rite smart little fight with Joneys, brought in 8 prisners... The cav started this morning for fight and a bought 9 oclock found the Joneys, got 9 prisners. Some of our cav got wonded bad, fought all day and dident accomplish much, but found the rebs strung out there...' On 19 September, he writes of the Battle of Opequan,''... We started this morning at 3 oclock to march and went Clement Point down towards a little stream, it's called Opequan Crick.
Our cav cross one ford, but hard fight. The infantry is on our left. The 6 col went out today to this is some hard fighting today. Our cav took 800 prisoners, the infantry to 3 or 5 thousand.
We come to Summent Point to Winchester last night...' and then 3 days later of the Battle of Fisher's Hill,''... Drove the rebs befor faster then ever thay wer drove, but wen we got too the gap we coodent get through. One squadron of rebs wood hold 1 bregaide of our men.
Our men fout them all after noon and at sun down fel back 2 or 3 miles...' On 19 October he relates the Battle of Cedar Creek,''... The rebs attack our lines... Took a good meney of the 8 corps men, then the fight commenced rite. This was the bigest fight that ever in the valey, they maide our infantry rin at first, but the six cor com up then the rebs had to get back...' Throughout March 1865, Bean writes,''... Started from there this morning, com through Harrisonburg, went on to Mount Crawford, drove the rebs through Stanton... Gen Custerd took 1100 hundred at Wanesborough and 11 peces of artiary from them.
This morning we started went to Stottsvill, got there just before night a wile, got some prisners... We in camp clost by the James River, went up the cannal to the bridge over James, but the rebs burnt it, so we couldn't cross...Struck the railroad a gain, tore up burnt the bridge. We in camp here for the night, a little town cold Fredrick City...
We still lay in camp as we did yesterday. The pickets was a fiering all night last night be fore Petersburg. We lay onley 2 miles from it now...
' In April he writes of the Battles of Five Forks and Winchester,''... This morning fighting came early again. This morning, on our rite of line got on the railroade about noon today. South side railroade now tore up.
Had a fight before we got to the main road in camp... Started this morning again found the Joneys, has a curmish with them, took some prisners... Had a big fight, took 13 thousand of prisners... This morning the fighting commece and we laide in a little coppy of wood. A bought noon all got quit, but in the morning ther was hard fighting...' He ends the diary on the rear flyleaf on 9 April,''... Lee surrenderd his army up to gen Grant's...This afternoon a bought 4 oclock to day... Gen Lee was surroundered so he had no other chance to fight...' Diaries in pencil are quite legible, each measuring 2.75'' x 4''. Very good condition, with near complete transcriptions. The item "2 Civil War Diary by 17th Pennsylvania Cavalry, Co.
L" is in sale since Friday, February 24, 2017. This item is in the category "Collectibles\Militaria\Civil War (1861-65)\Original Period Items\Correspondence, Mail". The seller is "n8sautographs" and is located in Los Angeles, California. This item can be shipped worldwide.