Title: Diary of Francis W. Knowles

Identifier: 0164-b1   (https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/27481)

Description: Diary of Francis W. Knowles, Company "B", 36th Mass. Vols. in the War of the Rebellion, 1862 to 1865. Rewritten in the years 1885-86 and illustrated with maps, sketches etc. 190 p. A diary scrapbook (1862-1865) written by Private Knowles while serving in Company B of the 36th Massachusetts Volunteers. The diary records the activities of Knowles, who was mainly a clerk, as he participated with the IX Corps at Fredericksburg (December, 1862), in the District of Indiana and Michigan (June-September, 1863), the Knoxville Campaign (November-December, 1863), the Wilderness campaign (May, 1864), the Spotsylvania Courthouse campaign (May, 1864), at Cold Harbor (June 3-4, 1864), and in the Petersburg campaign (June, 1864-April, 1865). Entries of interest include a description of camp life at Camp Wool in Massachusetts (August, 1862), the activities of the Confederate raider John Morgan in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana (June-July, 1863), and the activities of the Knights of the Golden Circle in Kentucky (September-November, 1863). Also included are a report by General Edwin V. Sumner of the Battle of Fredericksburg in which he commanded the Right Grand Division, a newspaper clipping entitled "The last night of Fredericksburg" by Joshua L. Chamberlain, autographs of Ambrose B. Burnside, Lewis Richmond, and John G. Parke, maps of the various campaigns in which Knowles participated, battlefield sketches, and field orders. Knowles was mustered out of the army in June of 1865.