In August, 1862, William L. Aughinbaugh left Delhi Twp., Ohio, to enlist in Company E of the 5th Ohio Infantry, serving initially as a guard at the Provost Martial's office in Cincinnati, helping to enforce martial law. As an ideologically motivated, optimistic soldier, Aughinbaugh was pleased when, in November, 1862, he and the 5th Ohio were finally assigned to the seat of war in the eastern theatre. During the next six months, he served mainly at Bolivar Heights, W. Va., and Dumfries, Va.
Aughinbaugh's optimism began slowly to erode during the winter of 1862-63 under the weight of the chronic inactivity of camp life and crushing military defeats at the hands of the Confederates. The dismissal of McClellan and the resignation of the defeated Union soldiers at Fredericksburg had a particularly negative effect upon his morale.
The 5th Ohio fought under Hooker during the Chancellorsville Campaign, during which Aughinbaugh was taken prisoner. He was held at Castle Thunder in Richmond for only a few days before being returned to the North, where he remained at a parole camp, unexchanged, until August. He then rejoined the 5th Ohio, serving to the end of the war.
From the description of Diary, 1862 September 8-1863 August 19. (University of Michigan). WorldCat record id: 122357658
