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Dunham, W. H. (fl. 1864) [Diary of soldier W. H. Dunham, with drawings]

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC03351 Author/Creator: Dunham, W. H. (fl. 1864) Place Written: [various places] Type: Diary Date: 1864 Pagination: 1 v. : approx. 178 p. ; 17 x 10 cm. Order a Copy

Diary of W. H. Dunham, a soldier in Company D, 20th Ohio, during the Atlanta campaign. Entries cover period 1 April - 16 September 1864, and document Sherman's March to Atlanta and the Battles of Atlanta and Jonesborough. In the first part of the diary he describes his post as a surgical nurse in an army field hospital, discussing amputations, surgeries and deaths. At the start of the Atlanta campaign, Dunham was transferred to the front and fought in the Battle of Atlanta. Contains a vivid account of the decisive battle of Jonesborough, 1 September 1864. Pasted into the diary are 11 engravings and 3 drawings; diary also includes a hand-drawn map, a map clipped from a newspaper, a 4 page insert of places visited during enlistment, and 158 pages of diary entries, copies of orders, a record of Company D, and songs and poems.

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