I think it gets down to a personal level...'is it worth it to you?'
I can only speak from my own personal experience. A soldier's diary had come down through my family...It's a long story (I won't go into detail here, it's not the point of this thread).
I ended up with the item when I was about 15 yrs. old...and it launched me on my own ACW journey. It started out with the basic question "Is this thing for real?"...Yes, it is...but that was just the first question to be answered. Once I had gathered enough evidence to prove to myself (and interested others) that it was the real deal, I moved on to studying and corroborating it...a lifetime of fun ensued...What an adventure!
I may have been very lucky, as well, that I have a rather fun one to do this with...There is nothing earth shaking or new in the diary. However, the author name drops wonderfully...is surprisingly good at trying his best to document his units movements and brief descriptions of engagements. So,...as the onion gradually unpeeled, I began to realize what I had on my hands.
I'll leave it here, but just a brief listing of what is in it:
Of course camp life, mentions of family (very helpful in tracking down lineage and corroboration efforts)
A who's who of Union ACW personages he dealt with or met: Lincoln, McClellan, Meade, McCall, FJ Porter, King, Banks, Butterfield, Martindale, Seymour, Reynolds, etc...
Engagements personally involved in:
- 7 days (Mechanicsville, Gaines Mill, Glendale / Frayser's Farm/ Charles City Crossroads / White Oak Swamp, & Malvern Hill)
- 2nd Bull Run (and Groveton)
- South Mountain
- Antietam (both days)
- Fredericksburg (all 3 days)
...and the troops (his) movements for these engagements...this was good stuff!...Dig out the maps! (and I did).
There are other things I subsequently deciphered which was a lot of fun to discover...a turn of a phrase that you discover what he's talking about....etc...fun stuff!