00882.xml Ransom Chadwick: An Inventory of His Andersonville Prison Diary at the Minnesota Historical Society Finding aid prepared by Christopher G. Welter. Minnesota Historical Society
St. Paul, MN.

Manuscripts Collection

 Finding aid encoded by Christopher G. Welter, June 2011. Finding aid written in English OVERVIEW Minnesota Historical Society Chadwick, Ransom A., 1831-1925. Ransom Chadwick's Andersonville Prison diary. 1864-1915 (bulk 1864). Materials in English. Chadwick's 2-volume diary written mostly while in Andersonville Prison, Georgia, as a member of the Eighty-fifth New York Infantry; a typed transcription of the diary's narrative portion; and ephemera. 2 volumes and 6 items in a folder. Reserve 116: See Detailed Description for shelf locations. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

Ransom Augustus Chadwick was born on August 22, 1831, in Granville, New York, to Hosea and Mary (Derby) Chadwick. In September 1861, both he and his brother Hosea Napolean Chadwick enlisted in the 85th New York Infantry Regiment, Company K, at Ischua, New York.

Under command of Brigadier-General Henry W. Wessell, the 85th New York Infantry Regiment helped defend the siege of Plymouth, North Carolina (April 17-20, 1864). Outnumbered five to one, Wessell's brigade was forced to surrender on the fourth day. Chadwick and his regimental mates were taken to the Andersonville Prison (Georgia), arriving on April 30, 1864. He was held captive in Andersonville, Georgia (April-September 1864), Charleston, South Carolina (September-October 1864), and Florence, South Carolina (October 1864-March 1865). Chadwick was granted his release on March 1, 1865.

Chadwick was mustered out on June 7, 1865, at Elmira, New York. He eventually lived in Winona, Minnesota, and was a member of its Grand Army of the Republic's John Ball Post #45.

 ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION Access Restrictions:

Access to and use of reserve materials requires the curator's permission.

 Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Ransom Chadwick's Andersonville Prison Diary. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession number: 4098

 Processing Information:

Processed by: Processing staff

Digitized by: Patrick Blaine, May 2011

Digitization of reserve material was made possible by the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the vote of Minnesotans on November 4, 2008.

Catalog ID number: 001732030

 CATALOG HEADINGS

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics should search the catalog using these headings.

Organizations: Andersonville Prison. United States. Army. New York Infantry Regiment, 85th (1861-1865). Places: United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Prisoners and prisons. Document Types: Diaries. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Reserve 116 Andersonville Prison diary and transcript:

Access Restricted.

Chadwick's diary contains almost daily observations of prison life—including a grim accounting of prisoners' deaths. The entries are not in strict chronological order: volume 1's first written entry is its last, chronologically while volume 2 contains his initial entry (April 20, 1864).

 Volume 1, April 26-July 20, 1864.

Volume 1 covers the regiment's surrender, capture, and movements through Tarboro, Goldsboro, and Wilmington, North Carolina; Florence and Charleston, South Carolina; and Savannah, Americus, and Andersonville, Georgia. It concludes roughly halfway through Chadwick's Andersonville imprisonment.

Digital version, part 1

Digital version, part 2

Digital version, part 3

Digital version, part 4

Digital version, part 5

Digital version, part 6

Digital version, part 7

Digital version, part 8

Transcript (volume 1), Digital version

 Volume 2, April 20, July 22, 1864-March 2, 1865.

Volume 2 covers Chadwick's relocation from Andersonville to the other prisons. His last entry states that he was admitted to a hospital in Wilmington, North Carolina, a city captured by Union forces eight days prior.

Digital version, part 1

Digital version, part 2

Digital version, part 3

Digital version, part 4

Digital version, part 5

Digital version, part 6

Digital version, part 7

Digital version, part 8

Digital version, part 9

Digital version, part 10

Digital version, part 11

Digital version, part 12

Digital version, part 13

Digital version, part 14

Digital version, part 15

Digital version, part 16

Digital version, part 17

Transcript (volume 2), Digital version

 Ephemera:

Access Restricted.

 Minnesota Association Union Ex-Prisoners of War membership application, 1894.

Digital version

 85th New York Infantry Regiment reunion pamphlet, September 4, 1912.

Digital version

 Civil War reminiscences, circa 1915.

Digital version