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Civil War 123rd NY Infantry Combat Diaries

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:875.00 USD Estimated At:3,500.00 - 5,000.00 USD
Civil War 123rd NY Infantry Combat Diaries
<B>Important Civil War Grouping With Combat Diaries</B></I> Collection of six items pertaining to the Civil War service of Private Hiram T. Gay, Co. "G", 123rd New York Volunteers. This material centers upon the diaries of a typical three-year Union volunteer who left an atypically complete record of his wartime activities. The two pocket diaries described below cover the entire period of Gay's enlistment and are singular in that they record his experiences in both major theaters of the war. New York's 123rd Infantry Regiment fought initially at Chancellorsville as part of the Army of the Potomac and mustered out some two years later with Sherman's Army of the Cumberland. As such, Gay faced both Lee's and Johnston's hardened veterans on many bloody occasions. The young New Yorker participated at Gettysburg, in the siege of Atlanta, and on the March to the Sea. In the parlance of war, he indeed "saw the elephant". Included are the following:<BR><BR><B>Partially printed document,</B></I> 2 pp., 8vo, White Creek, New York, August 13, 1862. Hiram Gay's 3-year enlistment certificate signed by Recruiting Officer Charles Archer. Gay is noted as having been 27 years-old and six feet tall. The document has some light stains, overall browning and splits along folds. Good condition. <BR><B>Pocket diary,</B></I> 156 pp., 3.25" x 7", August 13, 1862 - December 31, 1864. Looking much like a wallet, this small book is bound with soft leather and has a flap extending out from the back cover. The diary is pre-printed for the year 1859 on lined blue paper with the entries being in pencil. In addition to noting daily events, the diary also contains pay records, lists of stores drawn, and registers Gay's personal expenses. The prospective bidder should note that the first diary entry is placed several pages into the book and that Gay, running out of space at the end, filled the blank front pages with later entrie