John Withers diaries, 1856-1862.

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John Withers diaries, 1856-1862.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/156269412

Begun while Withers was serving as U.S. Army quartermaster in Oregon, the diary's earliest volume describes a leisurely military life on the U.S. frontier characterized by dances and dinners with locals, hikes and horse-riding, troop inspections, travel by steamer to Portland and Vancouver, and occasional squabbles with members of the Yakama Indian tribe. The San Antonio passages of the diary, written after Withers was transferred to Texas in 1858, are a record of the active social life of an unmarried army officer eager to partake of the city's amusements, and tell of opera-going and social calls, masquerade balls at Casino Hall, dining out, and attendance at both Episcopalian and Catholic church services. The San Antonio diary closes with a description of Withers' courtship of Anita Dwyer, their subsequent marriage, and the birth of their first children. Writing while based in Washington, D.C., in 1861, Withers describes the worsening political crisis created by the secession of Deep South states. He comments on William Seward's conciliatory speech in the Senate proposing compromises to preserve the Union, describes President Lincoln's inaugural address and festivities, and reports his own decision to resign his commission from the U.S. Army in March of 1861 in order to work for the Confederate cause. In the final pages of the diary, written in Richmond, Va., after the beginning of the Civil War, Withers describes the outcome of nearby battles, the nervous unease of a city close to the front lines, the serious illness of his wife, frequent church attendance and his renewed commitment to the Catholic faith, and the death of his youngest son. The diary breaks off abruptly in 1862 with a report of his own worsening health.

3 v.

Louisiana State University, LSU Libraries

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SNAC Resource ID: 6901688

Louisiana State University, LSU Libraries

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