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THBCivil War 12th Iowa POW Diary of Private Elijah Overocker
About Seller
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Cincinnati , OH 45232
United States
With offices in Cincinnati, Cleveland and Denver, Cowan’s holds over 40 auctions each year, with annual sales exceeding $16M. We reach buyers around the globe, and take pride in our reputation for integrity, customer service and great results. A full-service house, Cowan’s Auctions specializes in Am...Read more
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About Auction
LiveJun 22, 2018
Cowan’s American History: Premier Auction, scheduled for June 22, 2018 is comprised of early photographs, documents, manuscripts, broadsides, flags, and more dating from the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, Late Indian Wars, World War I and II and beyond. Cowan's Auctions dawnie@cowans.com
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- Lot Description
1862 diary begun by Private Elijah Overocker of Company F, 12th Iowa, with battle of Shiloh content including his regiment's capture there at 4 pm on April 6, 1862. Diary kept by Overocker as a POW at Montgomery, AL until May 16th when his school pal and comrade, Augustus L. Manning begins recording events in the diary. Manning records Overocker's death and then continues with his experiences as a POW in Montgomery, GA until his return home in early December 1862. The back of the diary contains a map of the 12th's position from their campground up until the time of their capture at Shiloh, marking their camp in relation to the Union lines, the location of their last charge, and the spot of their capture. There are also lists of those killed and wounded at Fort Donelson and Shiloh, including a list of the "cowards" at Fort Donelson, located toward the back of the diary.
Highlights from the diary include:
Descriptions of Overocker's experience in the Battle of Fort Henry, the first major Union victory in the Western theater, led by Brigadier General U.S. Grant. On February 5, Overocker records that he "embarked on the steamer Ill[inois]...for Ft. Henry, intending an attack..." Just two days later on February 7, Overocker writes, in part, "Weather Cloudy & cold, rebels completely routed...stacked arms & broke ranks in our new fort..."
Details of Overocker's participation in the Siege of Fort Donelson, including his entry on February 14 that reads, in part, "...fight commenced early in the morning...kept on until 3 o'clock P.M. when the gun boats, commenced on them. Very heavy cannonading which lasted 1 hour, skirmish[ers] kept on [into the] night." The siege officially ended on February 16, on which date Overocker writes that the "secesh surrendered unconditional[ly]..." Notably, the victory at Fort Donelson won U.S. Grant considerable popularity, along with the nickname "Unconditional Surrender."
Overocker's account of being taken prisoner at Shiloh, including his entry on April 6 reading, in part, "our forces being attacked again, went out - got into a bad place, and were taken prisoner..." Overocker continues to relay his experiences as a prisoner, including riding through the night, receiving scarce rations, prisoners being divided into "messes," some prisoners receiving medical care at the hospital, reading the Bible, attending roll call, hearing news that prisoners might be exchanged soon, making a basket, digging a well, and keeping tabs on his "partner" whose health wavers with the passing days. About a week before his death, Overocker's handwriting becomes nearly illegible, and in his foreboding entry on May 13, he writes, in part, "I am worse today..." Once Private Augustus L. Manning begins keeping the diary, he notes Overocker's poor health and announces his death in an entry on May 20, writing, "Elijah died this morning at 5 O'clock. The news was received with sorrow by all (he was a noble boy) (a lamb in peace, a tiger in war)." The friendship between the two men is evident even after Overocker's passing, as Manning records in an entry from July 10, "...did not feel very well today, a little lonesome. my old friend and school mate E. M. Overocker is not with me. I miss him all the time."
Private Manning's entries as a POW at Montgomery, AL, including his eventual return home to Manchester, IA, on December 2, 1862. His accounts mention news of the war, including a curious entry on June 29 in which he writes, "...we have ran out of rations entirely and will have to [indecipherable] enough to last till next Tuesday or go without. we hear that McClellan has won a great victory at Richmond." His struggle with insufficient rations and illness are present throughout his accounts, while news of home and possible prisoner exchanges continue to raise and lower his hopes. In one rather heartbreaking entry from May 31, Manning describes, "...the boat came in late last evening, went aboard at 10 O'clock this morning, ran down to our lines, but Gen. Mitchell would not receive us so we were obliged to go back. What a disappointment." Manning maintains some hope, however, as he imagines his return home to Manchester as a "joyous meeting" in an entry from July 19, after hearing news of an expected exchange. Once the prisoners are finally paroled and allowed to begin the journey home, Manning's entries become more positive and hopeful, though he continues to suffer from maladies including "shakes" and a "cold cough." Though Manning is in Manchester by the date of his last entry, December 11, his words leave no doubt as to the condition in which his imprisonment has left him, writing, "...had the hardest shake of the Ague that I ever had it left me so weak that I could scarcely stand."
Diary cover with significant wear and loss to finish, though flap and loop are still in tact and functional. Diary pages with fading and discoloration throughout. Overall condition consistent with use and age of item.Condition
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