"rich yesterday, poor today"

[major bill]

I just finished reading I to the Heart of Dixie: Franklin Fox and the 15th Michigan an article by H. Jason Combs, Donald Maness and Sally McVey. This was published in The Michigan Historical Review Spring 2014 issue.

The article is about the discovery of Fox's diary and covers a few of the entries. Fox was part of Sherman's Army and the diary covers from January 1, 1865 to May 9, 1865.

What strikes me is how causal Fox writes about what he sees. He witnesses some hard things, but seems not overly concerned. For example near the South Carolina and North Carolina he writes "inhabitence were rich yesterday, and poor today and we made them so" . Thus he describes what must be a shocking sight in the words of a young man who had seen plenty of hard things, perhaps too many hard things.

He later describes a woman begging for food after the destruction of of her city. So was Fox a hardened veteran who took this kind of thing in stride, or was he a damaged young man who had seen too much evil?

 

[BlueNGrey]

I just finished reading I to the Heart of Dixie: Franklin Fox and the 15th Michigan an article by H. Jason Combs, Donald Maness and Sally McVey. This was published in The Michigan Historical Review Spring 2014 issue.

The article is about the discovery of Fox's diary and covers a few of the entries. Fox was part of Sherman's Army and the diary covers from January 1, 1865 to May 9, 1865.

What strikes me is how causal Fox writes about what he sees. He witnesses some hard things, but seems not overly concerned. For example near the South Carolina and North Carolina he writes "inhabitence were rich yesterday, and poor today and we made them so" . Thus he describes what must be a shocking sight in the words of a young man who had seen plenty of hard things, perhaps too many hard things.

He later describes a woman begging for food after the destruction of of her city. So was Fox a hardened veteran who took this kind of thing in stride, or was he a damaged young man who had seen too much evil?

 

[JCK]

I live on the SC/NC Border. Sherman was here the first week of March 1865. He would be charged as a war criminal today for the things they did here! What Corp was fox in.

 

[major bill]

If I am not mistaken the 15th Michigan was in the 15th Corps. If a soldier was with Sherman on his March to the Sea and then on through South Carolina, by the time the soldier reached North Carolina, they would have seen plenty of hard sights.

 

[JCK]

The 14th Corp came right where I live and camp here on the 2nd or 3rd of March. the 15th, 17th, an 20th were spread out over 20 miles to my east. Lot of terrible stories about them around here.

 

[JCK]

The 15th came in to Cheraw which is 20 miles east of me.

 

[JCK]

How can I find his diary to read?

 

[Copperhead-mi]

I live on the SC/NC Border. Sherman was here the first week of March 1865. He would be charged as a war criminal today for the things they did here! What Corp was fox in.

Yeah, well so would Lee and a whole bunch of others, both Federal and Confederate. The thing is that many of the war crimes of today weren't war crimes back during the Civil War.

 

[major bill]

The article state that the Fox diary was found when crews updated the duct work in the Frank House located on the University of Kearny-Nebraska. The archivist there have transcribed it and electronically preserved it. How the diary got from Michigan to Nebraska is unknown.

 

[Seduzal]

Thanks for sharing this interesting article. Another mystery in the making unsolved...

 

[JCK]

How did you read it? Where can I find it?

 

[gary]

How did you read it? Where can I find it?

C above.

 

[major bill]

How did you read it? Where can I find it?

The article in The Michigan Historic Review has quote from a few of the diary entries which h is all of the diary I have read. The entire diary is probably interesting, but I have found diaries to often be about thing the soldier was doing and not real great on the big picture of the War.

What I find interesting in many diaries is the switch from amazement in seeing things to discussion of fairly common things. An example of later War entries of a major battle along the terse lines of "We drove back the rebs and captured the city". While the diary author goings into some detail about crossing a cold river at night. To the soldier him being wet and cold is more important than capturing yet another city.

 

[Belle Montgomery]

Reading from Southern women's diaries he was feared, hated and his underlings caused unnecessary destruction and starvation to innocent women and children. Today it is called "looting" or historically "pillaging" After all, he's quoted as "war is hell etc..."

 

[Lubliner]

The 15th came in to Cheraw which is 20 miles east of me.

@JCK your area anywhere close to Wagram? I passed through there backpacking out of Fayetteville in the summer of 1999. The actual entrenchments were visible, and I pitched camp on sandy soil in a pine grove hoping I was within my own lines. I was headed against Sherman's travel, and one historic marker designated the time in March he passed through. Further down the highway close to where Seal Road crosses tangentially I came upon two earthworks thrown up and a shallow trench. Trees were growing up through it, and it was encompassed by an open field. I was surprised at what I found. Hope this bit of 'on the ground' knowledge interests you to take a look.

 

[mofederal]

Rich yesterday and poor tomorrow sounds like the life of a soldier to me. It was that way when I was in, and I am sure was also that way back then. I think soldiers in war seem more open to the begging children, more than adults. Just an observation on life after the fighting stopped for brief or longer periods. I think some men tried to ignore the ugly sights or war while others wanted to remember them always, so they didn't forget why they were fighting.

 

[JCK]

I am 45 minutes south west Wagram.

 

[CSA Today]

I am 45 minutes south west Wagram.

Where do you live? I'm 9 miles from Wagram about midway between Wagram and Laurel Hill.

 

[Tin cup]

Reading from Southern women's diaries he was feared, hated and his underlings caused unnecessary destruction and starvation to innocent women and children. Today it is called "looting" or historically "pillaging" After all, he's quoted as "war is hell etc..."

Where were all those Fathers and Husbands that joined up into the Confederate Forces to protect "Hearth and Home"?

Kevin Dally

 

[Tin cup]

The article state that the Fox diary was found when crews updated the duct work in the Frank House located on the University of Kearny-Nebraska. The archivist there have transcribed it and electronically preserved it. How the diary got from Michigan to Nebraska is unknown.

The article state that the Fox diary was found when crews updated the duct work in the Frank House located on the University of Kearny-Nebraska. The archivist there have transcribed it and electronically preserved it. How the diary got from Michigan to Nebraska is unknown.

A quick look on Amazon, but nothing came up, is their a source on the net to be able to read it?

Kevin Dally