CIVIL WAR DIARY OF UNION SGT. JOHN CHRISTY DOTY War-date 1864 diary of Sgt. John Christy Doty of the 122nd N.Y. Vols., approx. 120pp. 24mo., three pencil entries per page and with entries from about March 17th until the end of the year. In small part (grammar corrected): "... [May 6] had a fight in the morning, lay all day on the front line, built brest works, at sundown the Rebs flanked us, cut our reg. all to pieces. Shot struck my napsack chest through the clothes under my left arms, cut [ting] my haversack off... [May 8] Halted at 12 AM near Spotsylvania Court House, has a fight there, lay behind breast works all night...very heavy engagement at center at noon. Heavy fighting till dark all along the line. We took a whole brigade of the enemy at night...4 miles beyond Fredericksburg...we took 9 thousand prisoners, 30 pieces of cannon...division surgeon gave me some medicine for fever...Read came in wounded in arm...Hospital packed up and moved...lay in the road all day till dark... [May 29] our division went out with Greg's cavalry to support them on a scout...17 miles from Richmond...rebs tried to shell our train...firing all day, our division engaged, some wounded and some legs amputated...our regiment engaged...cut all to pieces...Foster and Ben Breed killed...a good many wounded...everything [in hospital] filled...sent all of the wounded in the morning to White Horse landing... [June 5] sharpshooters shooting at us all day. Our regiment relieved from the front line...really made a charge at 8 PM...we sent in a flag of truce to the enemy to bury dead, it was accepted...rebs and our men all on top of rifle pits talking with each other, [ex]changing papers...then picket firing commenced... [June 19] marched across the Appomattox...Sgt. Glass (Co. A) killed in the pit...Lt. Hoyt shot in the mouth...killed instantly... [June 22] the whole army commenced fighting with skirmishing till night, then moved through the brush and woods...formed second line of battle on left of 2nd Corps...threw breastworks in front line...heavy connonading on the right...tore up a mile of track Petersburg RR... [July 12] skirmishing commenced 6 AM...our brigade went in on the right and made a charge. Drove the rebs 1/2 mile, had a hot fight, lost 5 killed......hung a deserter in 1st Division...thermometer 93 in shade, men fell dead all along road...ambulances full... [Aug 14] cavalry skirmishing across the other side...drove rebs beyond Strasburg...sharp skirmishing on left...army started on retreat on pike to Winchester...no rations at all, lived on green corn and apples... [Aug. 29] rebs drove our cavalry in at 3 PM, they got reinforced and went out again at 6 PM...Monroe of Co. C got arm knocked off by a shell...we found rebs in force on Oppequan Creek... [Sep. 19] moved out on pike towards Winchester...made a charge the whole length of line, drove them about a mile...charged again at 3 PM, drove them clear through Winchester, complete rout, we lost 40 men...crossed Cedar Creek, the enemy retreated before us...3 men in our reg. Wounded, fight till night... [Sep. 22] made a charge at 5 PM the whole line drove everything before us, took 22 pieces of cannon and a pile of prisoners, drove them all night to Woodstock...burnt the enemy's hospital...drove the enemy a mile beyond New Market...burnt all hay, grain and barns from Staunton to Harrisonburg... [Oct. 19] rebs made an attack on the 8th Corps at daybreak, surprised them, drove our whole line a mile...we drove them all back across the creek...Maj. Brower killed...I went and buried Charles Williams...had corps review by General Sheridan...had Thanksgiving dinner of duck and chicken... ". A few entries are a bit light, yet remain legible, covers loose, with full transcript, copies of service records, etc. Overall very good. A fine, action-filled wartime diary. The 122nd N.Y. was a three-year regiment and saw the bloodiest battles of the war: Antietam, Marye's Heights, Gettysburg (under Shaler), in the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, the slaughter at Cold Harbor, Petersburg, Cedar Creek, and in December, 1864 back at Petersburg. It fought its last battle at Saylor's Creek. $1,500-2,000