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 27, 1861
We failed entirely in getting our logs Hauled today We put on the finishing Strokes today puling of the Bark &c The wind began to blow furiously this afternoon we are got the Promise of having our logs Hauled in the morning
Check back for the next entry on December 28.
Diary entries provided by the Monroe County History Center.
