157 years ago, a Hoosier from Monroe County wrote about fighting for the Union in the Civil War in a diary he kept almost daily. Peter Thomas Matthews was 20 years old when he enlisted in the army and served as a drummer in the 19th Indiana Regimental Band.
Follow along as we publish his diary entries in real-time on the day they were written.
Read the first entry here. Learn more about Matthews and read all former and future entries here.
Editor's note: We have left Matthews' words as he recorded them, which means spelling and punctuation may not conform to modern standards.
December 28, 1861
Thornbury hauled our logs this morning we chinked the inside & daubed the out side and moved in it by supper time This was our first job of pioneering in virginia We’d feel miserable Bad if we’d get marching orders Cloudy and Cool today
Check back for the next entry on December 29.
Diary entries provided by the Monroe County History Center.
