Smith, Richard, 1839-1920
Person
Biography
Richard Smith (July 10, 1839-August 14, 1920) was born and raised in England. In 1858, Richard immigrated to the United States and found work as a farm laborer for Russell Bishop of Schoolcraft, Michigan. After the Civil War broke out Richard decided to enlist in Company I, First Michigan Volunteer Cavalry. In his diary of the last months of the war Smith discusses the weather, duties he performed on a daily basis, when and where his unit's camp was moved, and briefly mentions skirmishes with the rebel forces.
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Richard Smith Diary
Collection
Identifier: RH-A-3761
Scope and Contents
During his time as soldier Richard Smith keep a diary of the last months of the Civil War in 1865. In the diary, Sargent Smith mostly discusses the weather, duties he performed on a daily basis, when and where his unit’s camp was moved, and briefly mentioned skirmishes with the rebel forces. The writing for each date seldom goes over a single line on the paper and is usually written in sentence fragments. The diary is good way to see the different duties performed by a soldier and track the...
Dates:
January 1-April 1, 1865