Herrick, Harrison B. Group of three daily diaries for 1861, 1863, 1865, and two others for 1866 and 1867. Together five diaries

Civil War

Published by 1861-1867, Various places, 1861

Group of three daily diaries for 1861, 1863, 1865, and two others for 1866 and 1867. Together five diaries. Various places: 1861-1867. Each 12mo morocco wallet style bindings, four black one red. Diaries for 1861 and 1863 in pencil, others combination of pencil and ink. All bindings are worn, 1863 is more so, and a couple have some tears along edges and hinges. The 1866 diary has more significant wear,m and some cracks along the edges. Group of 10 pages are loose in 1863. Condition of writing varies, but generally fairly legible. Overall the group is in very good condition.Herrick was from Syracuse, New York and served in Company D of the 110th Regiment of the New York Volunteers. However, information from the National Park Service archive suggest he served with the 12 Regiment out of New York. He appears to have served during the siege at Port Hudson, and did garrison duty at the infamous Union prison Fort Jefferson in Florida. The first diary covers his enlistment in April 1861 to the end of that year. The diary describes training and the trip to Washington, where the regiment was reviewed by President Lincoln. It appears that in July 1861 he was discharged for medical reasons, but for some reason he re-inlisted in August 1862. The diary for 1863 covers the entire year, and includes descriptions of the siege and assault on Port Hudson. Herrick seems to have been ill during this period and stayed in camp a lot.à  In February 1864, Herrick and the 110th began garrison duty at Fort Jefferson, the much reviled Union prison located on Garden Key Island in the Gulf of Mexico.à  While Herrickâ  s descriptions often seem somewhat monotonous (the weather, his health, which ships came in, his impressions of various drills), this diary is one of very few first hand accounts inside the prison. There are some interesting entries, including a prison detail discovering coffins while digging a foundation for a new building,à  an officer arrested for selling whiskey to prisoners, and a prisoner being "strung up" for stealing. Perhaps the most significant content of this diary is related to Lincolnâ  s assassination. In an entry on April 22nd, a ship brings news to the prison "they had three prisoners slung up for rejoicing over it" Then, in an entry dated July 24th, the naval transport, Florida, brought three of the Lincoln assassinationà  conspirators, Samuel Arnold, Michael Oâ  Laughlin, and Dr. Samuel Mudd to the prison.à  This prison wasnâ  t known for kindly treatment of prisoners, the weather usually very hot and humid, and the place was infested with bugs and misquotes. The food was what you would expect, and Samuel Arnold was reported to have said the meat was so rotten "dogs ran from it." nps.gov/civilwar/soldiers. Seller Inventory # 100126

Bibliographic Details

Title: Herrick, Harrison B. Group of three daily ...
Publisher: 1861-1867, Various places
Publication Date: 1861