Basil H. Messler diary

Collection

Identifier: MSS 132

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Basil H. Messler diary, 1864-1865, includes a single volume containing Messler's diary entries during his time in the Civil War. Messler’s diary spans from late February 1864 to late January 1865. It mainly describes the non-combat life of Messler and his fellow soldiers. The Mississippi Marine Brigade patrolled the Mississippi River between Canton, Illinois, and Greenville, Mississippi, protecting local plantations from Confederate raids. Messler describes several raids and a battle. For the most part, however, he focuses on day-to-day events, including patrolling on the scout boat, looting and burning conquered towns, picking berries, shooting and butchering cattle, getting a haircut, visiting other regiments, celebrating President Abraham Lincoln’s reelection, and acting as a bodyguard for southern female college students. Later entries discuss a debilitating illness that kept him in and out of the hospital and taking a great deal of medication for several weeks.

Also included are preservation photocopies and transriptions of the diary and a folder of biographical information on the Messler family, including Census data.

Dates

Creation: 1864-1865

Creator

Messler, Basil H., 1834-1916 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

There are no restrictions on the use of this collection.

Conditions Governing Use

Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from Augustana College Special Collections and the copyright holder.

Historical Note

Basil H. Messler was born in 1834 in Dayton, Ohio. In 1852, when he was 18, he moved with his family to Canton, Illinois. He enlisted in the Union Army in 1864, at Fort McClellan in Davenport, Iowa. Messler served in the Mississippi Marine Brigade, which was commanded by Brigadier General Alfred W. Ellet. He saw action at Vicksburg several times. The Brigade was dissolved in August 1864, and Messler was reassigned as Commissary Sergeant of the First Battalion Calvary Regiment. He was later promoted to Corporal. After his discharge from the army, Messler married Mary J. Whitehall in 1866. He attended Lombard College and became a dentist, practicing in Canton, Illinois. Basil H. Messler died in 1916, at the age of 82.

Extent

0.2 Cubic Feet (/ 1 box)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Basil H. Messler enlisted in the Union Army in 1864, at Fort McClellan in Davenport, Iowa. Messler served in the Mississippi Marine Brigade, which was commanded by Brigadier General Alfred W. Ellet. He saw action at Vicksburg several times. The Brigade was dissolved in August 1864, and Messler was reassigned as Commissary Sergeant of the First Battalion Calvary Regiment. He was later promoted to Corporal. Messler’s diary spans from late February 1864 to late January 1865. It mainly describes the non-combat life of Messler and his fellow soldiers.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Immediate source of acquisition unknown.

Existence and Location of Copies

The Basil H. Messler diary has been digitized, transcribed, and made accessible in Digital Special Collections at http://collections.carli.illinois.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/aug_messler.