James Miles Diary
Scope and Content
The collection consists of the Civil War diary of James Miles. The diary's entries date from January through March 1865 and include descriptions of battles and the deaths of soldiers by snipers. Miles' short entries relate the physical and emotional difficulties of being a soldier as evidenced by an entry about a fellow soldier who had deserted, "supposed to shoot him but didn't have it in me". The last entry is on the day before Miles was killed in action which was ten days before the end of the war.
Dates
- Creation: 1865 - 1865
Creator
- Miles, James, d.1865 (Person)
Access Restrictions
Collection is open to research.
Use Restrictions
Permission to publish material from the James Miles Diary must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.
Biographical/Historical Information
James Miles enlisted with Company K of the 185th Regiment, New York Infantry at Syracuse, New York on September 3, 1864. The 185th regiment was organized at Syracuse, New York and Company K was mustered in September 21, 1864. The regiment left for Petersburg, Virginia on September 27, 1864 and was attached to the 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 5th Army corps of the Army of the Potomac until May of 1865. During the term of service, the regiment lost 59 soldiers by death from wounds and 39 enlisted men by death from diseases. Miles was killed in action on March 29, 1865.
Much of this information was found at http://www.itd.nps.gov/cwss/index.html. Additional information on the 185th Regiment of the New York Infantry can be found at http://www.dmna.state.ny.us/historic/reghist/civil/infantry/185thInf/185thInfMain.htm
Full Extent
0.1 Cubic Feet (1 folder)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The collection consists of the Civil War diary of James Miles, an enlisted soldier in the 185th Regiment of the New York Infantry. The diary describes soldier life and spans from January to March 1865 until the author was killed in action.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged by material type.
Acquisition Information
The James Miles Diary was purchased by Special Collections in 2009.
Alternate Form Available
This collection has been digitized and is available online.
DIGITAL CONTENT
This collection has been digitized and is available online.
Processing Information
The processing, arrangement and description of the James Miles Diary commenced and was completed in February, 2010.
- Title
- A Guide to the James Miles Diary, 1865
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Carmen Boggs-Parker
- Date
- © 2010 By Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. All rights reserved.
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- Description is in English
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections, Virginia Tech Repository
Special Collections, University Libraries (0434)
560 Drillfield Drive
Newman Library, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg Virginia 24061 US
540-231-6308
specref@vt.edu