Sergeant Frank E. Nevins' Civil War Diaries

Collection

Identifier: MSS-4380

No requestable containers

Scope and Contents

Contains two separate Civil War manuscript diaries of Union Orderly Sergeant Frank E. Nevins, including 135 hand-written and illustrated pages detailing descriptions of camp life, troop and officer movements, skirmishes, his musings on life and death, and multi-page accounts of both the Battle of Mount Zion Church and the Battle of Corinth. He also celebrates two birthdays during the time covered in these journals.

Dates

Creation: 1861 - 1863

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Due to the nature of certain archival formats, including digital and audio-visual materials, access to certain materials may require additional advance notice.

Conditions Governing Use

Researchers are responsible for using the materials in conformance with United States copyright law as well as any donor restrictions accompanying the materials. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any copyright claimants in collection materials. Copyright for official University records is held by The University of Alabama. The library claims only physical ownership of many manuscript collections. Anyone wishing to broadcast or publish this material must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of literary property rights or copyrights. Please contact Special Collections (archives@ua.edu) with questions regarding specific manuscript collections.

For more information about copyright policy, please visit: https://www.ua.edu/copyright/. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.

Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals without the consent of those individuals may have legal implications, for which the University of Alabama assumes no responsibility.

Biographical / Historical

Frank E. Nevins was born on February 7, 1839, in Versailles, New York. He enlisted into military service on November 4, 1861, at Vernon, Wisconsin, and mustered in a month later on December 5, 1861, for three years of service at Benton Barracks, Missouri. His military unit was originally called the 66th Illinois Infantry, but later became known as the Western Sharpshooters 14th Missouri. He was discharged on March 7, 1864, at Peoria, Illinois. During his time in the military he was promoted to orderly sergeant.

After his service with the Western Sharpshooters, Nevins became an officer for the 61st U.S.C. Infantry. He was commissioned as an officer in Company S, U.S. Colored Troops 61st Infantry Regiment on March 8, 1864. His term in the 61st ended in December 1865.

After the war, Nevins married Augusta C. McCrellis in 1877 at Niles, Michigan. At the time of his marriage, Nevins was listed as a reporter and was living at Indianapolis, Indiana, and his wife at Lagrange, Tennessee, where she was born in 1845. They lived in St. Louis, Missouri, from at least 1900 to 1914. Nevins died in St. Louis on August 7, 1914, and was buried at Bellefontaine Cemetery.

Extent

1 folders

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The University of Alabama Libraries Acquired the Sergeant Frank E. Nevins Civil War Diaries from Michael Brown Rare Books in June 2021.

Physical Description

Volume 1 containing entries from December 1861 to August 1862, lacks binding, dis-bound, several leaves and signatures loose, with edge wear and minor toning. Front page has the following inscription: "Diary of F.E. Nevins, Centralia Mo Dec 17th 1861."

Volume 2 is bound in full limp calf, and has minor wear, some rubbing and small tear to rear board. The final 3 pages consist of a "Letter Register," showing to whom and where he wrote, or letters received. Front flyleaf is inscribed: "Private Journal Frank E. Nevins, Orderly Sergeant Co. A, Western Sharp Shooters, 14th Missouri Vols. In Camp at Corinth, Miss. Aug 26th 1862