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Octave Bruso Diary: Week of May 15, 1864

Note: This is one week’s worth of many diary entries of Octave Bruso, who participated in the Petersburg Campaign as a member of the 50th New York Engineers.1

Sunday May 15, 1864

Cloudy. Wrote to my Wife. Struck Tents at 9 A.M. for the front again. Fell trees at the first pickett line.

Monday May 16, 1864

Foggy day + Pleasent. Cut roads all the afternoon. No fighting of any account.

Tuesday May 17, 1864

Foggy + damp. Got marching orders at 9 P.M. and marched all night. Mailed 3 letters for my wife. Wrote to Capt. Geo. Montieth (sic: Monteith).

Wednesday May 18, 1864

Pleasent + warm. Marched until 3 P.M. Heavy fighting all the forenoon. Returned to our old campground near the Anderson farm.

Thursday May 19, 1864

Pleasent day. Struck tents at 3 o clock A.M. and left camp. Sent out in charge of the Entrenching Tools (one wagon). At the breast works all day.

Friday May 20, 1864

Beautiful day. Received four letters from my Beloved wife. One from my uncle. One from my Brother. And some paper from Washington. Worked until two o clock entrenching.

Saturday May 21, 1864

Beautiful day. Wrote to my wife, to my Uncle and my Brother. Moved in the afternoon. Heavy battle at evening. Marched all night.1

Source:

  1. “1864 Diary of Private Octave Bruso, 50th NY Engineers, Company E” edited by Tom Bauerle, Buffalo, NY, 2010.
  2. “1864 Diary of Private Octave Bruso, 50th NY Engineers, Company E” edited by Tom Bauerle, Buffalo, NY, 2010.
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