The 1863 Diary of William H. Carroll, Mess No. 2, Company D, 24th Indiana Volunteers

William H. Carroll came from a family of farmers. His father Dixon and mother Luticia moved with their family from North Carolina (variously, in the late 1820s or early 1830s) and settled on land in Daviess County, Indiana. Carroll (born in 1834 or 1835, depending on the source) grew up on the family farm with his five brothers. When war came, five of the six brothers fought for the Union: William and John in Company D of the 24th Indiana; Robert, Nathaniel, and Dixon in Company G of the 42nd Indiana.1 William was mustered into the 24th Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment on July 2, 1861. He fought at Shiloh; was wounded at Champion Hill and remained with his regiment through the siege of Vicksburg; reen-listed on December 31, 1863, in Louisiana; and fought almost until the end of the war, mustering out due to multiple disabilities on May 29, 1865. By that time Carroll had developed severe rheumatism and had impaired eye-sight and hearing "caused by the explosion of his Powder magazine at Mobile Alabama" just prior to his discharge. Despite his health problems, Carroll returned to farming. He married Mary Hovison on December 14, 1870, and they raised two sons, Benjamin and Ewin. Carroll died in May 1891.	1
William Carroll's 1863 diary Courtesy of Frank Carroll
In March 1863 Carroll purchased a small pocket diary bound in black leather. It was divided into days, with eight lines of space for each entry. Carroll wrote on the back of the righthand flyleaf: "Wm H Carroll His Diary price 65 ct Bought March The 10 1863." His diary entries begin on Monday, March 16; they continue regularly through October 19 but then for the remainder of the year, save for two entries on December 17 and 18, the record is empty. Carroll's handwriting is clear, but he strove to fit every possible word into his daily allotted space, and his hand sometimes grew minis-cule, pushed to the limits of the inside binding and the outside of the page, or curved up or down at the end of an entry.	2
Carroll's spelling is inventive and probably reflects his southern Indiana accent—his "helth is tolerble," and "the Wether is fine the contry Butiful." Letters drop out of words—his "brigad" is "orderd" to move; he sees fellow soldiers "wonded" and "kild." Unfamiliar words change spelling as Carroll learns about the South—"byough" becomes bayou, "Vixburg" becomes Vicksburg.	3
The little diary tells the story of only eight months of Carroll's long war service, and it begins slowly, with the regiment in camp at Helena, Arkansas, drilling and waiting for new orders. On April 11, Carroll wrote: "To day wee leave Helena for parts unknown to us." The brigade boarded a ship bound south on the Mississippi River and on the 13th Carroll and his comrades arrived at Milliken's Bend, "Whare wee found 2 Brigads more of Grants army." Carroll and the 24th Indiana were on their way to Vicksburg.	4
Monday, March 16, 18632
The Wether fare & Warm Brigade drill from 2 till 5 pm commanded bye Gen Wallace A Gormon3 the Birgade consisting of 4 Regiments the 24 and 34 Ind Regiments not in the drill but being directed Wrong Wee marched 6 miles Rested & then marched back 2 mile to camp no mail I am Well	. . .