Lot 144
CIVIL WAR DIARY OF PVT. WALDO W. BRIGGS, DIED AT ANDERSONVILLE
Civil War diary of Pvt. Waldo W. Briggs of the 36th Mass. Infantry who would die a prisoner at Andersonville on May 10, 1864. This diary, approx. 120pp. 16mo., covers the period from Sept. 1, 1862 (five days after his enlistment) to May 3, 1863. All entries are in pencil, with only a few pages too light or rubbed to read. In small part: "...it took 26 cars to fetch us to Boston...the 20th Maine was already aboard...8 men fell overboard last night, 2 of them were saved...the seamen were all the time looking for a rebel man of war...this morning found us here in Washington...the army have been here so long that it looks as if hogs had been the only occupants for years...called out at nine o'clock to get ammunition...rebels are all round us...we are going to Frederick...I have been looking and hunting in vain for my Regt. ..travelled as much as 60 or 70 miles to find it...the rebel army is in sight of us over the river...informed that we had got to get to Harpers Ferry to keep the enemy from crossing the river...inspected by Gens. McClellan & Burnside & President Lincoln, it was quite a sight to see those men...transferred to the 2nd U.S. battery...we have 120 battery horses 36 team horses & 6 mules...another battle is close at hand...cannons were heard this morning...they grow quicker every moment...called to hitch up double quick for the enemy was shelling a small portion of our army not far off...this battery is now planted on a hill ready for the enemy...I saw a man buried today that got stabbed with a bayonet by a member of his own Co. last night, they were fooling with bayonets...[Dec. 11] This morning the battle began at 1/2 past 4 , our battery went in position last night...till 1/2 past 2 this morning when we hitched up & got our teams out of the way of the enemy's shells...[Dec. 12]...one of our guns burst yesterday while engaged, 1 horse killed...firing has begun again...[Dec. 14]...4 days this battle has raged with today which seems to be as hard as ever...[Dec. 15]...the battle is still raging, how much longer will this dreadful time continue...[Dec. 16]...today finds our soldiers beaten & driven back this side of the river again...they had to cross last night after being badly whipped by the rebels & many of them killed...our loss in this battle is heavy...our guns started last night for the place in the woods to take position...the river is so high that it is impossible to do anything in the fighting line...started this morning for Bell Plains...the mud is awful...reached the landing about noon...came to Fortress Monroe this morning...in the State of Penn. on our way to Cincinnati...". No record is given of Briggs' date of capture, only that he died at Andersonville on May 10, 1864. However, the very last entry in the diary, in another hand, reads: "M. M. Briggs Orange Apr. 26th 1864 became in possession of this book this day. M. M. Briggs". As Pvt. Briggs hailed from Orange, Mass., perhaps we can assume that he sent this diary home as he lay in the hospital (or otherwise dying) at Andersonville; it was presumably received by his wife who so annotated it two weeks before he died. Briggs now lies in Grave #993 at Andersonville National Cemetery. Covers detached, three pages disbound, else very good.
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