Van Buskirk, Philip C. unidentified

Description

This diary chronicles events from 1863 to the later part of 1865 during the American Civil War. Van Buskirk served as a Confederate infantryman and later deserted. An earlier volume detailing events from 1861 to 1862 was taken from him when he was captured by Union forces. Some attempts were made by him to reconstruct those years when he transcribed his smaller journals into this larger format in the 1890s. He enlisted in the 13th Virginia Infantry in June of 1861 and was stationed at Camp Walker near Manassas, Virginia. He deserted in 1862 and wrote in his diary that he had made an "escape from his regiment" most likely because he failed to gain a commission. Captured shortly thereafter by Union forces he was sent to Camp Chase military prison in Ohio. Released during a prisoner exchange later that year he wandered northward chronicling the everyday face of civilians caught in the warfare that surrounded them. In particular he documents the wartime activities and struggle for...

Record Contributed By

University of Washington

Record Harvested From

University of Washington