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.
March 9, 1862
The Regt went on Picket on the 8 th yesterday the Regt Returned from Picket at noon Did nothing unusual: no succest to be seen we played for them as them come in went to Bed early
Check back for the next entry on March 10.
Diary entries provided by the Monroe County History Center.
