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ARTHUR NOBLE MOULTON : 1863 HANDWRITTEN CIVIL WAR ERA MANUSCRIPT DIARY WRITTEN BY A HARDWORKING MAINE MAN THAT BATTLES TO JOIN THE FIGHT

48mo - over 3" - 4" tall. On offer is an interesting original handwritten Civil War era pocket diary kept by Arthur Noble Moulton of Greene, Maine, who served in the U. S. Navy during the Civil War. The diary contains entries beginning in January 1863 through September 1864, with later entries for January 1866 ending December of that year. Research finds that Arthur was born in 1843 to Joel and Elizabeth Moulton. He died at age 32 in 1875, and is buried in Peare Cemetery in Greene, Maine. Though small in format, 3 x 4 inches, there is a remarkable amount of content on the fully written pages and most uniquely this is a diary of many parts - a diary of local Maine historical record, a genealogical record, a Civil War home-front diary and the diary of a young man determined to serve his country and even when rebuffed he eventually does so in the US Navy. Arthur records and details personal, regional and national moments in time: that his brother Alden returned home from the war after serving 21 months, fighting in battles in Port Hudson, Donaldsonville, and skirmishing on the Mississippi. May 28, 1863 "Rebels entered Portland". On July 4th, 1863, "Vicksburg taken". Arthur engaged in farming during these months, and also attended Bates College. He was a member of the Literary Fraternity and the Soldier's Aid Society. He attends church regularly, often in Sabattusville, and often records the minister's name and theme of the sermon. In Sept. 1864 he decided to leave Bates College and enlist in the Navy, so he travelled to Kittery (with several named colleagues), however, his attempt to enlist "did not succeed." Later that month, he went to Portland and did enlist in the U. S. Navy for one year. He was put on the U. S. Frigate Sabine, taken to Charleston, MA and put on the "U.S. Rec. Ship Ohio". Other notes include; the "Unionists" won all the votes at the town meeting; on July 3rd, 1863 the 23rd Regiment came home; July 9, 1863, "Port Hudson surrendered"; records the return home of the 10th Maine regiment, and lists several names, including Wright, Knowles, Bond, Richardson, and Dwelley; he attended a lecture at Bates by E.B. Fairfield (one of the founders of the Republican Party); July 1866, he went to Portland to view the ruins of the great fire; Feb. 21, 1866 he mentioned that the President vetoed the Freedmen's Bureau Act. The diary is full of notable Maine names, including Lowell, Chadbourne, Longley, Farnham, Pratt, Lord, Libby, Wright, Given, Pratt, and more. Place names include Greene, Sabattus, Boothbay, Litchfield, Wales, Auburn, Lewiston, Pittsfield, Mechanic Falls, among others. The diary gives an interesting account of farming in the mid-ninteenth century. Sheep's wool brought 75 cents per pound in 1863. Arthur worked hoeing potatoes, sowing buckwheat, haying, and "killing caterpillars", when he was not studying at Bates College or attending church services, often at the Free Baptist Church. The diary is in very good condition, and is fairly easy to read. Entries are in pencil or brown ink and generally legible.. Manuscript. Book Condition: Very Good

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