163. CIVIL WAR AND POST-WAR DIARIES OF MUSICIAN HENRY P. MUSTY Lot of two diaries and one unrelated page of notes, the diaries penned by Pvt. Henry P. Musty of the 61st Ohio Infantry who served as a foot soldier and musician from Feb. 26, 1962 until transferred to the Veteran Reserve Corps on Oct. 14, 1863. War-date diaries entries are few and brief, starting with a recapitulation of Mar. 9, 1862 entry at Camp Dennison and plans to move to Camp Chase. Contemporary entries start June 14, 1864 mentioning that he had been hospitalized in Washington from Jan. 14 - May 14, 1864. He offers a good description of his arduous trip home from Washington to Manchester, Ohio, despite suffering what appears to have been "trench foot". He travels through Washington, Baltimore, and Canton, and writes in part: "...we were taken to Sanitary Commission where we were introduced to the proprietor...hired a negro to carry our knapsacks to 14th St...my feet were much swollen and would scarcely bear my weight...members of the Christian Commissary were at the depot and invited all soldiers to go with them to the Soldiers' Home...we pushed through a large hall, well lighted...ladies were preparing a good supper for us...the gas lights were burning brightly...over two hundred beds were standing along the walls...the nurses were up to assist one of us in case we should need...a surgeon is also at hand....the ladies get us to tell of our adventures...". The balance of the first diary relates Musty's return to civilian life, his exploits with friends, ladies, studies at the seminary, etc. Many of Musty's entries are written in a primitive code, which we have started to decipher and which with twenty minutes work much may be revealed!). He also adds a list of the names of those in his company, noting if they had been K.I.A. or wounded, and also pencils in four excellent before-and-after sketches of friends who had returned from the army. The last entry in the diary has apparently been written by a girlfriend who got a hold of this book on April 9, 1865. She seems dismayed that Musty had not written her for some time, and is very pleased that he has finally contacted her but she wonders why he remains distant and will not visit. The second book is revealing in that is sets forth fair copies of letters from friends in the army and at home, much love-struck poetry, and copies of letters Musty sent to a young lady, presumably the same lady who made the final note in the previous diary. His letters apologize for their relationship having been a bit too "fast", and he sees that their ardor must cool a bit before it may be rekindled. Certainly worth careful reading. $600 - 700