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Detailed Battle Content & Lincoln’s Assassination in Civil War Diary!
Detailed Battle Content & Lincoln’s Assassination in Civil War Diary!
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Description:

Abraham Lincoln
various, ca. 1862-1865
Detailed Battle Content & Lincoln's Assassination in Civil War Diary!
Diary/Journal

[LINCOLN ASSASSINATION.] Unknown Soldier and John J. Kelley, 6th New York Heavy Artillery Regiment, Autograph Diary, September 1862-June 1865. 100 pp., 3.75" x 6".

This pocket diary includes descriptions of several battles in Virginia in 1864 in which the 6th New York Artillery regiment participated. These entries are written by a yet unidentified soldier in that regiment. The handwriting and spelling changes with the March 6, 1865, entry, and is the work of Private John J. Kelley, who joined the regiment on April 1, 1864.

The front leaf of the book has the inscription, "John Kelly / Co [?] / 6 N.Y. Heavy Arty / [born?] James Horsefield / Whitefield / Near Manchester." Whitefield is a suburb of Manchester, England. Other records indicate he was born in Prestwich, which neighbors Whitefield in Greater Manchester.

Excerpts
[May 6, 1864:] "We resumed the march at 2 AM and marched up to Wilderness Tavern and halted for about one hour when we was ordered up to the front and support the 5th Corps that was then engaged with the enemy we had just got formed in line of Battle when the enemy made a charge on 1st Line and drove them back on us but as soon as they saw the 2d line they retreated back again We remained under A heavy fire until noon when we left the woods and took up A position in another part of the line behind A line of earth works This was called the Battle of Wilderness tavern The 6th N.Y. lost quite A number of men wounded." (p31-32)

[May 12, 1864:] "We started and marched up to the front at 2 AM and took up A position behind A line of earth works and layed there until 9 am when we started and left the works at A double quick and marched about 4 miles when we came up to A place where they was fighting and halted and formed A line of battle and layed down on our faces under A heavy fire it was raining very hard we are the 2d line of Battle the fighting lasted all day We left the our position and marched about one mile further to the left and halted for the night the fighting was kept up all night the regiment lost about 50 in killed and wounded this was called the Battle of Salient or Slaughter pen, Va." (p34-35)

[May 19, 1864:] "The regiment changed camp at 9. am we layed still until 4. P.M. when the pickets commenced to fire and we formed in line of Battle the enemy made Several Charges on our line but where finally driven from the field with great loss we also lost A large number in killed and wounded the regiment Built A line of Breast works on the Battle field it was an open field fight today and A hard fought Battle this was called the Battle of Spottvilania Court House, Va." (p37)

[May 23, 1864:] "We Resumed the March at daylight and marched all day and halted at 4 P.M. but before we had time to get any thing to eat the enemy commenced to shell us and then A general engagement ensued we was marched up to the front at A double quick we crossed the North Anna River and marched in to the Battle the fight lasted until dark when the enemy withdrew from the field the 6th N.Y. lost quite A number in killed and wounded this was called the Battle of North Anna River We remained on the field all night intrenching our position." (p38-39)

[May 30, 1864:] "We resumed the march at 9 AM and marched very slowly until 2 P.M. when we halted we was ordered to charge the Rebel skirmish line in A piece of woods as we suppose we doubled quicked into position we advanced on the position of the enemy and when we had got within pistol shot of them, the rebels rose up in fire line of Battle on three sides of us and poured A withering fire upon us we had to fall back about A half of a mile we being under A very galling fire we halted in the edge of A woods and made A stand we commenced to built A line of works out of rails and before we could get any thing done towards them the Rebels made A charge on us but they was soon driven back leaving their dead and wounded in our hands the regiment lost about 100 in killed and wounded this was called the Battle of Bethsada [Bethesda] Church, Va." (p41-42)

[June 1, 1864:] "We started and advance our position about one mile at 1 AM and commenced to build A line of works under A very heavy fire we started and marched to A point in the lines where there was some very heavy fighting going on and we arrived at dark but most of the firing had closed we returned back to A line ow works on the Mechanicksville Pike we lost some 30 men in killed and wounded at dark but most of the firing had ceased we returned back to A line of works on the Mechanicksville Pike we lost some 30 men in killed and wounded today this was called the Battle of Mechaicksville pike about 9 miles from Richmond Va. [part of Battle of Cold Harbor]" (p42-43)

[July 30, 1864:] "We left our camp at 2 AM and marched up to the front on the Petersburg and Norfolk Rail Road and layed down on the track we was startled at day light by A terable explosion and convulsive shaking of the earth then all the artillery opened on our side and the[n] our troops made A charge on the enemys position it was one of the rebels forts that was blown up in front of Gen Burnsides line the fighting was kept up until noon when our forces had to retire to their works without gaining anything of importance we lost about six men wounded today we was active as support to the Ninth Corps. [Battle of the Crater]" (p49-50)

[October 19, 1864:] "We was ordered to fall in at 4 AM and where we got out on the color line we was ordered back to our quarters but before we reached them the Rebels Cavalry made A charge on our camp and took us all by supprise and we had to retire leaving everything in the hands of the enemy we formed A line of Battle near our camp and layed down but we had to retire from our position and we tried to form A line in A small piece of woods but it was impossible but when General Sheridan came riding up it put new courage in the men and we formed in line of battle and drove the enemy far beyond where they had started from in the morning We lost nearly one hundred men in killed and wounded today out of our Regiment without Colonel and one Major. We encamped at night near our old position. This was called the Battle of Cedar Creek, Va." (p58-59)

[April 16, 1865:] "a report came in in to day that pres lincon had got shot but wether it is so or not I can not say." (p78)

[April 17, 1865:] "i received a paper from hom a dispatch came in that lincon was not shot it was sewards son" (p78)

[April 18, 1865:] "presidend lincoln was killed in a theater at Washingtion last Friday Night wee have had no mail since then" (p79)

[April 25, 1865:] "also received a letter from home the city is in mouring for the president a salut was fired this eving" (p82)


James Horsefield / John J. Kelley / Kelly (1846-1913) was born in Manchester, England, as John Horsefield, to William Horsefield and Martha Siddall. He moved to the United States during the Civil War. He enlisted as John J. Kelley in Company H in the New York Heavy Artillery on April 1, 1864, in New York City. On June 27, 1865, he transferred to Company A, and he mustered out on August 24, 1865, in Washington, D.C. In January 1869, he married Elizabeth N. Dunlop (1845-1916), and they moved to Virginia, where he was employed by the United States government for work on national cemeteries. They then moved to Washington, D.C., where he worked in the Navy Yard until 1870. They moved to Illinois, where they lived in Chicago (1870-1878, 1881-1882) and Streator (1878-1881). They moved to the Dakota Territory, later South Dakota, where he lived until his death in October 1913.


This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 3.75" x 6"
  • Medium: Diary/Journal

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