|
Sale 45
|
|
press UP arrow key to increase the zoom ratio.
press DOWN arrow key to decrease the zoom ratio.
press RIGHT arrow key to increase the zoom window size.
press LEFT arrow key to decrease the zoom window size.
|
|
Lot 1057
Civil War Diaries of Obadiah Sherman Boyden - Over 700 Pages. Boyden was a corporal in Co. K, 2nd NJ Vols. He enlisted on May 13, 1861 for three years and was discharged on June 21, 1864. This archive contains over 700 diary pages, including some 55 patriotic letter sheets, written in pencil and ink on 8" x 5" paper, documenting Boyden's experiences during the War: detailed accounts of battles, of men wounded and killed, descriptions of the places he marched and where he camped, the weather, local citizens, daily life and activities, etc., as well as two letters (12 pages) home to his second wife, illustrations, and countless pieces of material containing first-hand, historical insight into the Civil War. Over 600 pages, with entries from summer 1861 to July 12, 1863, are still bound together; the remainder of the diary is in three smaller bound sections. Faint and difficult to read in places but overall legible and fascinating reading. Among the battles in which Boyden's regiment engaged were Bulls Run, Mechanicsville, Malvern Hill, Antietam, Wilderness, Gettysburg, Mine Run, and others. This archive should be seen personally to be appreciated.
The large section begins as a letter, "As I have not written to you in some time…" but the narrative goes on for 30-40 pages, then tuns into date entries with a very detailed, descriptive chronology of a soldier's life in the Army of the Potomac from First Manassas to Gettysburg. Nov. 14, '61: "We…marched…to the right of General Lee's residence. The General now is high in command in the rebel command…they fired 13 more guns as the reception of General McClellan, the Commander in Chief of the government troop." Dec. '61, he describes the desertion, capture and execution of Private William H. Johnston, Co. D. 1st NY Vol. Cav; in Jan. '62 he notes that the 2nd Regt. had a baseball match against the 26th. A smaller, 76-page section of diary covers July through December '63 and another section of approximately 50 pages covers Feb. 24, '64 through June 4, '64. On Mar. 3 he wrote: "The troops came in late last night…they did not sleep any for the two last nights …They went to Madison Court house …the object was to attract attention while a party of cavalry advanced upon Richmond and also to destroy what rebel property they could."
A 16-page overview, titled "The March of the 2nd Regiment," covers May 28, 1861 through May 29, 1864. It describes routes taken, number of miles traveled, battle descriptions, places visited, and a list of the officers and privates of Co. K, 2nd NJ Vols., listing dates and places killed or wounded or if they returned home. A few excerpts: Aug. 4, 1861: "Genl Kearney took command of the 1st 2nd 3rd and 4th Regts New Jersey troops and formed us into a Brigade…"; May 3, '63: "Marched to Wilderness church through Fredericksburg…had a battle lost a number of men…My Son Robert taken prisoner and sent to Richmond." July 2, '63: "To Gettysburg through Westminster and Littletown. Here there was a heavy fight for two days, we was supporting a battery. some of our men was killed and wounded in the Regt," and on the 5th: "We was the Advance overtook the rear of the enemy…had a sharp skirmish. we drove the Rebs with our Artillery. it was to dark to follow."
The Boyden family had a history of service to its country. Obadiah's father, Seth, was an inventor. Seth's maternal grandfather, Uriah Atherton, Jr., cast the first cannon in North America under a contract with Paul Revere, and his eponymous paternal grandfather was a minuteman who fought at Concord; Seth's father fought in the Revolution and was held on the prison ship Jersey; Seth fought in the war of 1812 and Obadiah and his two sons fought for the Union in the Civil War.
Other items in the archive include a CDV of Obadiah, numerous family letters and documents with personal and legal content, a 50-page scrapbook, and 3 issues of the Proceedings of the New Jersey Historical Society from 1927 with diary extracts, "Seth Boyden's Days In California, 1849-'51".
Estimated Value $15,000 - 25,000.
|
| |
| Unsold |
|
