Thomas Hall diary, 1862-1863
Using These Materials
- Restrictions:
- The collection is open for research.
Summary
- Creator:
- Hall, Thomas, d. 1863
- Abstract:
- The Thomas Hall diary documents Hall's Civil War service with the 110th New York Infantry in 1862-1863, including camp life, encounters with African American vendors, health concerns, and his participation in the Siege of Port Hudson.
- Extent:
- 1 volume
- Language:
- English
- Sponsor:
- James S. Schoff Civil War Collection
- Authors:
- Collection processed and finding aid created by Shannon Wait, April 2011
Background
- Scope and Content:
-
The Thomas Hall diary is a pocket-sized volume containing entries for August 28, 1862, to August 20, 1863. The diary documents Hall's Civil War participation in the 110th New York Infantry, from the time of his enlistment until a few days before his death from heatstroke and disease on August 25, 1863. In a series of brief entries, Hall described his regiment's experiences in Virginia; Maryland; Ship Island, Mississippi; New Orleans, Louisiana; and Port Hudson, Louisiana.
The opening entries of the diary are quite terse, generally providing only one to two lines of basic information. They primarily concern such topics as Hall's location, the letters he received and wrote, his church attendance, and his military activities. However, beginning in November 1862, Hall wrote with greater detail about his surroundings and actions. On November 5, 1862, he described the regiment's departure by steamship from Baltimore, noting that the bay was "dotted with sail vessels and steamers." While onboard the ship, he noted mechanical problems, extreme weather, his ship-related duties, health concerns, his surroundings, and food. During mid-November, while the regiment sailed south for New Orleans, he mentioned regular drilling using "the manual of arms" (November 10, 1862), and a brief stint in the hospital (November 13, 1862). On November 20, 1862, he wrote that he had visited the Virginia plantation of Confederate General John B. Magruder.
Soon after his arrival in the Deep South, Hall noted his extreme dislike of Ship Island, Mississippi, which he hoped never to see again (December 29, 1862), and referred to his time with military and the inexperience of the officers in his regiment. In the same entry, he lamented that he saw "No better prospect of peace then [sic] one year ago" (December 31, 1862). He also discussed the capture of a Confederate plantation near Carrollton, Louisiana, including the confiscation of its ducks and chickens (January 13, 1863) and the arrest of a soldier, Thomas Lake, for intoxication, commenting, "The devil to pay generaly [sic]." By mid-March, operations against Port Hudson, Louisiana, had begun, and Hall's entries mainly focused on these developments. He noted that each man now carried six days' rations (March 11, 1863), described the bombardment of Port Hudson as "fire & explosion on river" (March 15, 1863), and gave an account of a march through knee-deep mud (March 18, 1863). On April 12 and 13, 1863, Hall briefly commented on the Battle of Fort Bisland, noting that fighting had ended at 6 p.m. and the Confederate band had played "Dixie." Subsequently, he mentioned the capture of Confederate prisoners near Franklin, Louisiana, (April 15 and 16, 1863) and the poor condition of the men in his regiment due to a lack of regular rations and the absence of the quartermaster (April 25, 1863). On May 26, 1863, he discussed a skirmish near Port Hudson, stating that "marshy ground" had caused the Union artillery to fail. Other entries note the surrender of Port Hudson (July 8, 1863), the suicide of a man in the regiment (July 8, 1863), and a Zouave's failed attempt to escape from Port Hudson (July 9, 1863).
In his diary, Hall also wrote about several experiences with African Americans. On November 20, 1862, he recounted tricking an African American who sold him "ginger cakes." According to Hall, the man "could not count" and Hall exploited him by taking more cakes than he had purchased. Near New Orleans, he described buying bread from "an old negress who had a Mexican man…. Her man was lame and she supported Both" (December 19, 1862). On another occasion, he noted that several friends had gone to the "negro quarters" in Carrollton, Louisiana, and danced nearly all night (January 10, 1863). On March 4, 1863, he mentioned that the "contrabands expect to march tomorrow," but he gave no further details.
- Biographical / Historical:
-
Hall, Thomas
Rank: Sgt.
Regiment: 110th New York Infantry Regiment. Company D. (1862-1865)
Service: 1862 August 10-1863 August 25
On August 10, 1862, Thomas Hall of Schroeppel, Oswego County, New York, enlisted in Company D, 110th New York Infantry Regiment. He was 30 years old and mustered in as a private, but was soon promoted to sergeant (August 19, 1862) and 1st sergeant (October 1, 1862). His regiment served in Virginia and Maryland then moved to Louisiana in December 1862, where they participated in the Siege of Port Hudson. Hall died of heatstroke and disease at Arsenal Hospital in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on August 25, 1863.
- Acquisition Information:
- 1971. M-1556 .
- Processing information:
-
Cataloging funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the "We the People" project.
- Rules or Conventions:
- Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)
Related
- Additional Descriptive Data:
-
Related Materials
The Clements Library also owns the Charles M. Byington diary, kept by the quartermaster sergeant of the 110th New York Infantry.
Bibliography
History of Oswego County, New York: With Illustrations And Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men And Pioneers. Philadelphia: Published by L.H. Everts & co., 1877.
A Record of the Commissioned Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers, and Privates, of the Regiments Which Were Organized in the State of New York and Called into the Service of the United States to Assist in Suppressing the Rebellion: Caused by the Secession of Some of the Southern States from the Union, A.d. 1861, As Taken from the Muster-in Rolls on File in the Adjutant-General's Office, S.N.Y. Albany, N.Y: Comstock & Cassidy, Printers, 1864.
Subjects
Click on terms below to find any related finding aids on this site.
- Subjects:
- Soldiers--Alcohol use.
- Formats:
- Diaries.
- Names:
- United States. Army. New York Infantry Regiment, 110th (1862-1865)
- Places:
-
Fort Bisland (La.)
Port Hudson (La.)--History--Siege, 1863.
Ship Island (Miss.)
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--African Americans.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Health aspects.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Prisoners and prisons.
Contents
Using These Materials
- RESTRICTIONS:
-
The collection is open for research.
- USE & PERMISSIONS:
-
Copyright status is unknown
- PREFERRED CITATION:
-
Thomas Hall Diary, James S. Schoff Civil War Collection, William L. Clements Library, The University of Michigan