Now after 141 years, these diaries originally compiled in two manuscripts, are being published for the first time unedited and in thier entirety. Rarely are any new discoveries made of the written material on the American Civil War and this may be the last major find of Civil War period literature.

On a crisp fall day in October of 1862, a precocious seventeen-year-old boy went into a bookshop in his hometown of Hagerstown, Maryland, and purchased a composition book. Into his new diary, John R. King would steadfastly record what he did, saw and heard daily, as the Civil War raged around him. During May of 1862, after learning the photography trade, John took portraits of Union soldiers stationed in the Shenandoah Valley. Then, on May 23, 1862, when he heard the sounds of battle, he attempted to flee on a wagon. He was soon captured by Stonewall Jackson's troops. His treasured diary was taken. Force marched to a Confederate prison, John vowed revenge. Two weeks after escaping from captivity, John joined the Union Army. He fought with fury, courage and valor, was wounded three times and became a war hero. Later, John was not only appointed by two presidents to prestigious positions in the Pension Bureau, but he also became leader of the Grand Army of the Republic. After being lost for 150 years, his diary was recently discovered and is now being published.

Meandering plots, dead ends, and repetition, diaries do not conform to literary expectations, yet they still manage to engage the reader, arouse empathy and elicit emotional responses that many may be more inclined to associate with works of fiction. Blurring the lines between literary genres, diary writing can be considered a quasi-literary genre that offers a unique insight into the lives of those we may have otherwise never discovered. This edited volume examines how diarists, poets, writers, musicians, and celebrities use their diary to reflect on multiculturalism and intercultural relations. Within this book, multiculturalism is defined as the sociocultural experiences of underrepresented groups who fall outside the mainstream of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, and language. Multiculturalism reflects different cultures and racial groups with equal rights and opportunities, equal attention and representation without assimilation. In America, the multicultural society includes various cultural and ethnic groups that do not necessarily have engaging interaction with each other whereas, importantly, intercultural is a community of cultures who learn from each other, and have respect and understand different cultures. Presented as a collection of academic essays and creative writing, The Diary as Literature Through the Lens of Multiculturalism in America analyses diary writing in its many forms from oral diaries and memoirs to letters and travel writing. Divided into three sections: Diaries of the American Civil War, Diaries of Trips and Letters of Diaspora, and Diaries of Family, Prison Lyrics, and a Memoir, the contributors bring a range of expertise to this quasi-literary genre including comparative and transatlantic literature, composition and rhetoric, history and women and gender studies.

This work investigates the facts and fictions of the South's victories and defeats during the American Civil War. It debunks long-standing legends, offers evidence explaining Confederate actions and considers the idealism, naivete and courage of military leadership and would-be founding fathers.

Intro -- Contents -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- We Will Strive to Do Our Duty as American Soldiers -- The Loss Is Great, the Confusion Greater -- McClellan Moves Slow but Sure -- We Shall Go into the Storm of Battle with Brave Hearts -- A Whirlwind of Bullets, Yells, and Shrieks -- At It We Went Tooth and Nail -- The Sight Was Horrible and One I Hope I Never See Again -- Three Cheers for Colonel Jeffords -- Christ How the Canister Flew -- They Were Soon on All Sides of Us -- We Have Seen a Pretty Hard Campaign -- They Say Let the War Go On -- I Am Well but Don't Know How Long -- The Regiment Is in a Bad Situation at Present -- We Have Broke the Backbone of the Rebellion -- I Saw Passing a Great Army -- Roster of the 4th Michigan Infantry Regiment -- Notes -- Bibliography.

Civil War scholars and genealogists alike will be interested in Massachusetts Volunteer Private Berea M. Willsey's three-year account of his Civil War experiences and his comrades in arms. Private Willsey, who was present at many of the significant military engagements of the Civil War, kept a faithful daily record noting the weather, troop movements, food, marches, battles, his impressions of his commanding officers, visiting clergy, and "the use of spirits" by the troops. Serving as a nurse during part of his tour of duty, he also described particulars of the field hospitals. Private Willsey identified soldiers specifically by their full names and company numbers wherever possible. The appendix gives an account of every soldier mentioned in the diary who was a member of the 10th Massachusetts Volunteers. A brief biography of Berea M. Willsey, a history of the regiment, a poem, and a genealogy chart precede the diaries for 1862, 1863, and 1864. An appendix; letters and obituaries; an index to full names, places, and subjects; and, an addendum complete this work. (1995), 2021, 51/2x81/2, paper, index, 208 pp

Taylor looks behind the Civil War metaphor of "brother against brother" to the real experiences of families, particularly in border states, whose households were split by divided loyalties. She studies letters and diaries to understand how families coped with division between husbands and wives, fathers and sons, and she traces the adoption of the image of the "house divided" in newspapers, government documents, and popular fiction to describe the divided nation.