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This collection contains a diary chronicling Hiram W. Coppernall's service in the 24th New York Cavalry Regiment throughout 1864, as well as a photograph. Coppernall recorded his daily movements and activities with the regiment, which saw action at the Battle of Petersburg.

The Hiram W. Coppernall collection pertains to his service in the 24th New York Cavalry Regiment, Company H, during the Civil War. Throughout 1864, he kept a diary (120 pages), which concerns his military training, his unit's marches through Virginia, his participation in the Battle of Petersburg, and his affliction with severe sunstroke. He began writing shortly after his enlistment, and a woman named "Eliza" contributed some early entries in which she apologized for intruding and encouraged Coppernall to remember and write to her. After training and performing police duty in Washington, D.C., the regiment left for Virginia in late April. On May 7, they constructed a breastwork, and on May 18-19 they traveled to Spotsylvania Court House. Coppernall occasionally reported on military engagements that often ended in Union defeats. On June 18, he participated in an assault on Petersburg, Virginia, and on July 30 he mentioned a tunnel explosion and the resulting Battle of the Crater. He wrote less frequently after August 6, when he suffered from severe sunstroke, and he spent much of the rest of the year recuperating and on furlough in New York. He rejoined his regiment in December. In addition to Coppernall's diary entries, the volume has a list of men in his regiment and financial accounts, which include a list of the clothing he received from the United States government for his military service. The diary is accompanied by a carte-de-visite photograph of Coppernall and a framed photograph of two Union cavalry officers, with the message "Same here" (1864).

John Byrd Hall, Jr., of Fredericksburg, Virginia, was a Confederate soldier who enlisted in the Fredericksburg Light Artillery (Capt. Pollock's Company Virginia Light Artillery) on August 6, 1861. His short diary, covering a 43-day period between August 10th and September 20th, 1861, describes his time spent at Camp Braxton near Aquia Creek, Va. He did not see combat during this time, but filled his days with drills, guard duty, reading books, a "Philos Lodge" discussion group, prayer meetings, and chess. This diary is a handwritten copy of the original made by Capt. John P. Reynolds, a Union officer, in 1888.

The back cover of this diary declares it to be "a copy of a Rebel diary." The copy was made in 1888 by "J.P. Reynolds, formerly a Capt. in the 19th Mass." from the original, at that time, in the possession of Mrs J. C. F. Because it is a handwritten copy of a handwritten manuscript, the transcription may have errors. For example, the name "Stallard" is written as "Stalland," and the name "Thorburn" as "Therburn." This could have been the mistake of Hall or Reynolds, or both. A single drawing on the first page of the diary is a Christian cross with the letters IHS.

This is a short diary covering a 43-day period between August 10th and September 20th, 1861. It starts the day John B. Hall, Jr., first arrives at "Camp Braxton" near Aquia Creek, Va., joining his younger brother Marshall and several other friends from Fredericksburg. They do not see combat during this time, but fill their days with drills, standing guard, and waiting for something to happen. John spent a good portion of his leisure time reading moral philosophy, the Bible, the works of Goldsmith, and history books (Napoleon and Charlemagne), although he did read Edgar Allen Poe's "The Gold Bug" while on furlough in Fredericksburg. He and some of the other soldiers formed a "Philos Lodge," where they engaged in frequent discussions. He also attended the prayer meetings held in one of the mess tents. Chess was popular, and after playing three games in one day, he decided to cut back on the amount of time he spent at the chess board.

This typescript consists of extracts from the diary of Major Richard Bailey Crandall, pertaining to his service with the 6th Vermont Infantry Regiment from January to May 1864. Crandall wrote about visits to Vermont and Washington, D.C., his religious beliefs, his romantic feelings for a female correspondent, and his regiment's engagements with Confederate forces during the Overland Campaign.

This typescript consists of extracts from the diary of Major Richard Bailey Crandall, pertaining to his service with the 6th Vermont Infantry Regiment during the Civil War. From January 1, 1864, to June 5, 1864, Crandall wrote brief entries about his daily activities, with a few gaps. In mid-January and early February, Crandall discussed his social activities while visiting friends and family members in Montpelier, Vermont, and New York City. In New York, he remarked on his pleasant friendship with a woman (identified by the initial "L"); he wrote about his romantic feelings for and correspondence with L. throughout the remainder of his diary, often wondering whether she reciprocated his sentiments. In early April, Crandall spent 10 days' leave in Washington, D.C., where he described members of the House of Representatives. Crandall often attended religious services and otherwise commented on his faith. His diary contains a few brief religious and patriotic poems.

The majority of Crandall's entries concern aspects of military life, such as camp life, picket duty, and leisure activities; he occasionally referred to academic debates and prayer meetings. By early May, he wrote primarily about his regiment's movements and encounters with Confederate forces. The diary contains brief descriptions of Crandall's participation in the Battle of the Wilderness, the Battle of Cold Harbor, and several skirmishes; he often recounted his regiment's movements during the fighting and reported on casualties. By mid-May, Crandall and other soldiers were exhausted by the constant fighting, though he maintained his commitment. He made his final entry on June 5, 1864, two days before his death. The volume includes two additional entries made by one of Crandall's parents on June 7 and June 17, 1864, regarding his death at the hands of a Confederate sharpshooter and his burial.

The original diary is located at the Vermont Historical Society.