WILLIAM A. SPAULDING:
An Inventory of His Civil War Diaries at the Minnesota Historical Society
Manuscripts Collection
OVERVIEW
| Creator: | Spaulding, William Augustus, 1842-1913, creator. | |
| Title: | William A. Spaulding Civil War diaries. | |
| Dates: | Undated and 1861-1865. | |
| Abstract: | Three pocket diaries with brief entries describing Spaulding's enlistment and service in the Second Minnesota Light Artillery Battery during the Civil War. Accompanied by typed transcripts of the diaries and genealogical and biographical information. | |
| Quantity: | 0.1 cubic feet (1 box, including 3 volumes). | |
| Location: | P2636 |
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
William A. Spaulding was born in Maine in 1842 and settled with his family in Monticello, Minnesota in 1856. He served in the Civil War from 1862 to 1865. Following the war he worked in railroad surveying and construction and went on to study dentistry. In 1875 he graduated from the Ohio College of Dental Surgery. He returned to Minnesota to practice and in 1883 he became a professor of prosthetic dentistry at the Minnesota Dental College, later becoming dean. From 1893 to 1912 he practiced dentistry in Europe. He returned to Minnesota in 1912 and died on October 17, 1913.
SCOPE AND CONTENTS
The first diary (January 1, 1861-January 10, 1862) was written in Clearwater and Monticello, Minnesota and contains entries about Spaulding's activities and his plans to enlist. The second diary (April 19, 1862-Feb. 27, 1863) covers Spaulding's early experiences during the Civil War including camp life, marches, and battles including Pittsburg Landing (Shiloh, Tennessee), Perryville (Kentucky), and Stones River (Murfreesboro, Tennessee). The third diary (June 5, 1864-August 16, 1865) includes entries for the end of the war, Spaulding's return to Minnesota and being mustered out.
Also included are typed transcripts of the diaries, a genealogical chart of the Spaulding and related families, and a biography, "Life Sketch of Dr. W. A. Spaulding" that gives information on his experiences following the war, his career as a dentist in Minnesota and Europe, and his family.
ARRANGEMENT
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Availability:
The collection is open for research use.
Preferred Citation:
[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. William A. Spaulding Civil War Diaries. Minnesota Historical Society.
See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.
Accession Information:
Accession number: 16,050
Processing Information:
Processed by: Anne Levin, December 2005
Catalog ID number: 990037407630104294
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
DIARIES
| P2636 | January 1, 1861-January 10, 1862. | ||||||||||||
| In daily entries Spaulding gives brief information on the weather, his activities, and the people he sees. He works in a store from January to September, 1861 and at the end of September starts going to school. He writes about military meetings, drilling, and in May 1861 he writes that he has enlisted for the war. | |||||||||||||
| April 19, 1862-February 27, 1863. | |||||||||||||
| This diary starts with Spaulding in the Second Minnesota Light Artillery Battery at Fort Snelling preparing to go to St. Louis. Spaulding describes daily camp activities, marches, and battles including Pittsburg Landing (Shiloh, Tennessee), Perryville (Kentucky), and Stones River (Murfreesboro, Tennessee). He gives information about other soldiers and officers, his health, and letters he has sent and received. | |||||||||||||
| The entry for February 27th says "Sent this book home by the captain." Includes notes and lists at back of diary. There are lists of his clothing costs, what pieces of clothing he has, messmates, and a list of camp locations. | |||||||||||||
| June 5, 1864-August 16, 1865. | |||||||||||||
| Includes brief entries about camps, marches, other soldiers, being hospitalized, and arrests of soldiers. Later entries describe his work proving muster rolls at headquarters in Chattanooga, entertainment, his transfer to Philadelphia, Tennessee, the assassination of President Lincoln, and the return trip to Minnesota as Spaulding leaves Tennessee, receptions for soldiers in St. Paul and Wright County, and mustering out of service on August 16, 1865. | |||||||||||||
TRANSCRIPTS
The transcripts (27 pages) were prepared by Katherine Barrows Moule and Elizabeth Barrows King, descendants of William A. Spaulding.
| P2636 | January 1, 1861-January 16, 1861. | ||||||||||||
| There are no typed transcripts for the period of January 17-December 31, 1861, though the diary itself does have entries for those dates. | |||||||||||||
| January 1-10, 1862; April 19-December 31, 1862. | |||||||||||||
| January 1-February 27, 1863. | |||||||||||||
| June 5-July 30, 1864. | |||||||||||||
| January 1-August 16, 1865. | |||||||||||||
GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
| P2636 | Genealogical chart, undated. 1 page. | ||||||||||||
| A genealogical chart of four generations of Spaulding's family. The chart starts with his parents' generation and spans from 1809 to 1969. | |||||||||||||
| The chart was prepared by James Moule. | |||||||||||||
| Biography of William A. Spaulding, undated. 2 pages. | |||||||||||||
| The "Life Sketch of Dr. W. A. Spaulding" details his life, work, family, religious background, and his involvement in Masonry. | |||||||||||||
RELATED MATERIALS
CATALOG HEADINGS
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.
- Topics:
- Perryville, Battle of, Perryville, Ky., 1862.
- Shiloh, Battle of, Tenn., 1862.
- Stones River, Battle of, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 1862-1863.
- Places:
- Clearwater (Minn.).
- Monticello (Minn.).
- United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Personal narratives.
- Persons:
- King, Elizabeth Barrows.
- Moule, Katherine Barrows.
- Moule, James.
- Organizations:
- United States. Army. Minnesota Light Artillery Battery, 2nd (1862-1865).
- Types of Documents:
- Diaries.
- Occupations:
- Soldiers.
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