urn:taro:utexas.cah.02121 A Guide to the Albert C. Fitch Diary, 1861-1862, 1960 Original EAD encoding by Bethany Anderson according to TARO 2 EAD 2002 Editing Instructions. December 2010 Finding aid written in English. Descriptive Summary Fitch, Albert C., 1829-1917 Fitch, Albert C., Diary 1861-1862, 1960 Materials are written in English. 73-51 1 vol. Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin The Albert C. Fitch Diary, 1861-1862, 1960, documents Fitch’s experiences as a soldier in Company E of the 13th Illinois Infantry Regiment during the Civil War. Spanning from May 5, 1861, to June 16, 1862, the diary describes marching throughout Illinois, Missouri, and the trans-Mississippi area. Biographical Note

A carpenter by profession, Albert Clark Fitch (1829-1917) was born in Ashville, New York on May 21, 1829. Fitch lived in Somonauk, Illinois , with his wife Ellen Amelia Beardsley (b. ca. 1831), whom he married in 1852. The couple had four children, none of whom survived into adulthood. During the Civil War, Fitch enlisted in Company E of the 13th Illinois Infantry regiment, under Captain Frederick W. Partridge. Fitch’s unit was known as the “Sandwich Rifles.” After he mustered out on June 15, 1864, Fitch and his wife moved to Hiawatha, Kansas. Shortly after Ellen’s death in 1884, he married Eliza Jane Mosely, with whom he had two children. Toward the end of this life, Fitch lived in Hugo, Colorado, where he died on March 25, 1917.

 Scope and Contents

The Albert C. Fitch Diary, 1861-1862, 1960, documents Fitch’s experiences as a soldier in Company E of the 13th Illinois Infantry Regiment during the Civil War. Spanning from May 5, 1861, to June 16, 1862, the diary describes marching throughout Illinois, Missouri, and the trans-Mississippi area. Additionally, Fitch discusses guarding Confederate prisoners and his encounter with General Nathaniel Lyons, among others. Also included is an annotated transcript of the diary by Thomas L. Charlton in 1960.

 Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research use.

 Index Terms Subjects (Persons) Charlton, Thomas L. Fitch, Albert C., 1829-1917--Archives Lyon, Nathaniel, 1818-1861 Subjects (Organizations) United States. Army. Illinois Infantry, 13th (1861-1865) Places Chicago (Ill.)--History--19th century Rolla (Mo.)--History--19th century St. Louis (Mo.)--History--19th century Sandwich (Ill.)--History--19th century Somonauk (Ill.)--History--19th century Springfield (Mo.)--History--19th century United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Military life--Union Preferred Citation

Albert C. Fitch Diary, 1861-1862, 1960, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.

 Processing Information

This collection was processed by M.J. Ellison, March 1976.

Basic processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with funds from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Briscoe Center’s History Revealed: Bringing Collections to Light project, 2009-2011.

 Detailed Description of the Papers Inventory 2D146 Diary, 1861-1862 3F176 Annotated transcript of diary, 1960