HANDWRITTEN CIVIL WAR SOLDIER DIARY-Lincoln Assassination & Lee Surrenders-1865

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HANDWRITTEN CIVIL WAR SOLDIER DIARY-Lincoln Assassination & Lee Surrenders-1865:
$955.00

FANTASTIC, HISTORICALLY IMPORTANT HANDWRITTEN DIARY KEPT BY WILLIAM BAKER OF MARLBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS. HE WAS A 4 YEAR VETERAN OF THE CIVIL WAR, AND WRITES OF THE LINCOLN ASSASSINATION & FUNERAL; SURRENDER OF GENERAL LEE; CAPTURE OF JEFFERSON DAVIS, &c. 1865. William Baker was a volunteer soldier in the Civil War in America and fought from 1861-1864, when upon his discharge he returned home to Marlborough, Massachusetts, and went to work for the S.H. Howe Shoe Company. This handwritten diary of Baker\'s is amazing as his entries include: \"Monday, April 3, 1865, I attended a party at J. Bradley\'s.There was a great time over the fall of Richmond; Friday, April 7, 1865, We got the news that Lee, with his army, had surrendered and there was great rejoicing by the bells that were ringing; Monday, April 10, The news came that Lee and his army had surrendered and it was a day of great rejoicing; Capt. Whitcomb had his hands blown off. We had some fireworks; (He repeats the surrender of Lee twice, as if it was too good to be true.) Saturday, April 15, 1865, This evening we received the news of the assassination and death of the President; April 19, The funeral of the President took place on the Thanksgiving day, appointed by himself; Sunday, May 14, We received the news of the capture of Jefferson Davis.\" These are excerpts from this revealing post bellum chronicle by Baker, who was a New England farmer, shoe maker cobbler, and a Yankee who used his words sparingly as most farming Yankees did in those days. Every entry in this year long 1865 diary begins with the weather; for farmers that was a crucial part of the day, and Baker has entries on every page for a year. (Diary written in pencil. Some of the pictures look blurry because of that, but they are clear.)
\"Jan. 5, 1865, I went fox hunting. I saw the fox but the dog was not good, and I did not get him. I began to sand the saloon for Perry. At night I went to Herberts and played cards. Jan. 11, I made a bargain with S.H. Howe to work for him. Jan. 13, I commenced working for S.H. Howe & in the evening I went to a dance and had a fine time. Jan. 19, I went to Sherborn. They had a nice entertainment. Mrs. Swift got the entertainment up. The following evening I went to Levi\'s. Jan. 26, I went to Forest Hill to a party and had a grand time. Feb. 2, I went over to Mr Dole\'s and played 7 games of backgammon. H.H. Perry was taken for getting a girl in a family way. Feb. 13, The Packard girl had a baby and it weighed 9 pounds. Feb. 18, I went to Concord in the afternoon. I gained two cases during the week. (I would imagine two cases of shoes). March 1, I went to the old folks dance and had a good time. March 3, I bought a Government Bond number 398,033. March 4, There was a fire in a house close by the house of the fire engine railroad. It froze.\"
Baker spends a lot of time in Feltonville, ( formerly Hudson, MA) Northfield, Northboro, Berlin, Clinton, &c; rents a horse and goes all over horse back riding for days at a time; goes out with a group of folks boating on the lake; the engine broke in the shoe factory and they are sewing shoes by hand; he is exhausted. Baker attends a lot of dances and goes to dancing school. He loves concerts and lectures and always spends every Sunday in church all day. He has a girlfriend named Mary Ann who comes to visit now and then. He hunts, fishes, does not seem to work an awful lot, more or less in spurts. He travels to Boston to buy his clothes and took a few days off to take the boat in Augusta Maine. Spends time on White Pond and at Red Springs. Attends the funerals of Mrs Eager on August 12; Sarah Howe on August 13; Mrs. Horn on Oct. 3, &c. In Oct. he goes to the great fair and the first day there were 10,000 people there. He gathers with a group of soldiers all in their uniforms and they carry out a ceremony. They are trying to form a Union Soldiers group, &c.
\"December 9, I left Northfield at 9 AM and arrived in Boston at 3 PM, and took dinner with Mary Ann. Dec. 12, I attended Dr. Leander Woods lecture. Dec. 13, I attended a lecture by Mr. Angell. Dec. 20, I started for Northfield and arrived there about 4 PM. It began to snow in the evening. Dec. 21, Snowing in the morning when I got up and there was about 6 inches on the ground. It cleared away before noon and the snow began to blow hard toward the evening. Four of us went to Mr. Chester and two were married.\" He is talking about his own wedding here! He and Mary Ann were married on December 21, 1865. He surely was a man of few words.
William Baker was the son of John Baker and Martha Dennis. He was born on August 14, 1826, and he was 39 years old when he wrote this post war diary. He married Mary Ann Stebbins on Dec. 21, 1865, and they had two children; Harry William Baker (1874-1944) and Lucy Newell Baker (1868-1957.) In 1865 Baker is listed as a shoemaker in the census. However in the 1870 census he is listed as an apothecary. He had 8 siblings. Baker died at the age of 72 in 1899, and is buried at Maplewood Cemetery, Marlborough, Massachusetts.
Condition: Fully leather bound diary is in good condition, internally fresh and tight. Outside leather shows scuffing, rubbing, but also remains in good condition and this piece of American history in the era of the Civil War in America is a very worthy acquisition indeed.
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On Apr-17-18 at 19:38:55 PDT, seller added the following information:

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