Excerpts from the Diary of
Henry P. Soxman
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Henry P. Soxman, of Co. D, kept a diary during his Civil War service
from the last quarter of 1861 through 1863. Two diary books were sold
at auction
in 2003 along with the other pictured items:
In case that web site disappears, here are the transcripts of a
sampling of entries presented there.
- First pages
- The first pages show that the winter of 1861-62 was spent
drilling.
- Peninsular campaign
- April 5, 1862: "We started for Yorktown...came
within reach of the rebel guns...we were drawn up in line when a shell
came and wounded three of our men..." In the following days, he
mentions shellings, picket duty, seeing dead bodies left from the
fighting, marching, setting up and striking tents
- May 27 (Hanover Court House): "...we started on
the march...and went 12 miles when we got up with the rebles and had a
little fite but drove them away there were a good many killed on both
sides....
- June 27 (Gaines Mill): "...we went near new
bridge...the rebels made an attack on us and we fought till dark when
we had to fall back and Col. [Black] got killed in the commencement of
the fite...."
- July 1 (Malvern Hill): "...the rebles came out
to make a charge on our batteries but we met them and drove them back
apiece when they sent in more men and the battle commenced and raged
terribly all day we still held our ground and in the night fell back in
the direction of city point..."
- Antietam
- Sept. 16-20: "...we arrived on the battlefield
where we stayed all night there was some firing done all the time...we
were called to reinforce Sumner's Corps....we still lay under fire till
evening...some of our troops crossed the river but we were back by the
rebles with considerable loss...."
- Fredericksburg
- Dec. 11-14: "they were fiting with the artillery
all day terribly...the fite commenced about noon we went into the fite
in the evening and got 10 men wounded...we lay there all day...and kept
up a fireing...."
- Chancellorsville
- April 30-May 5: "We formed a line of battle
and then throwed up brestworks...They were fiting all day...We relieved
the 11 corps...our regiment was sent out on skirmishes.we had several
wounded...fiting most of the day...our Brigade was sent out to feal for
the rebles. John Buckly was mortally wounded and 4 more wounded in our
company...The Army was ordered to fall back...our Division was left for
rear guard."
- Gettysburg
- July 1: "...got to Hanover at 3 in the
afternoon. Eat supper and started for Gettysburg...They told us that
McClellan had command of the army, great cheering."
- July 2: "Went to Gettysburg. Fiting commenced at
noon. We went into the fite at 5 P.M. We had a very hard fite. I got a
lite wound in the right thigh. We lost very heavy. Slept on the field
all night. Major Lowrey was killed. There were 19 of our company killed
wounded and missing."
- July 5 [while in Division Hospital]: "The fifth
and sixth corps moved after the rebles in the evening..."
- July 6: "heard cannonading."
- Back home
- From the Division Hospital he was evacuated to Baltimore, then to
a hospital in Philadelphia. On the 24th of July, he arrived home. The
rest of the diary contains farm and weather notations.
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62d Infantry Regiment page?
This page authored and maintained by John R. Henderson (jhenderson @
icyousee . org), Lodi, NY.
Last modified: 19 December 2013
URL: http://www.icyousee.org/pa62d/soxman.html