Description

The first diary of Ohio volunteer Asa Sackman describes the daily life of a soldier in the 44th Regiment Infantry in 1861 in detail. He writes about sailing from Springfield to Cincinnati, Ohio, then continuing on their way to Camp Piatt (now Belle) near Charleston, West Virginia. They forage for food, and equipment; his squad seeks out and confiscates whiskey being sold to soldiers; the company comes under attack and men die from accidental drowning; and he notes weather and river rise, interactions with civilians, and boatloads of soldiers. On a trek they follow the Kanawha River north to the Coal River and down it before returning. This pocket notebook covers from October 1 through December 20, 1861.