Edwin R. Osband diaries

Collection

Identifier: c-00136

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of three diaries (1861-1864) of Edwin R. Osband of Wayne County, Michigan, kept during his service in the Civil War.

The diary entries express alarm at the "profanity and wickedness" among the soldiers (December 23, 1861), describe exorbitant prices in Nashville (February, 1862), and predict that "the war will not be of long duration" (January 9, 1862). There are also comments on a dispute over pay among members of the regiment (1862), and reports on food shortages (October, 1864).

The last journal contains the names and addresses of the men in Company H who were discharged with Osband. After the war, the last volume was used to record mileage charts, home remedies, and financial records.

Dates

Creation: 1861 - 1866

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to publish material from this collection must be obtained from University Archives & Historical Collections, Michigan State University.

Biographical Note

Edwin R. Osband enlisted in Company H, First Michigan Regiment of Engineers and Mechanics and was elected second sergeant in November 1861. He saw duty in Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Georgia before his discharge in October 1864.