| Scope and content |
The diary of William W. Perry, a 13-year old Pennsylvania soldier who joined the Union Army at the age of 13, is an account of his year and a half of military service during the Civil War. Of particular interest is Perry's description of the medical treatment he received for his wound. Perry was transported to Carver Hospital in Washington, D.C., where he was visited regularly by the Sisters of Charity and met President Lincoln and his wife. Also of interest are Perry's comments on the election of 1864 when soldiers, if close to home, were permitted to return to vote; desertions on both sides, particularly Confederate deserters near the war's end; rations and pay in the Union Army; life on the picket line, particularly conversations with Confederate pickets from North Carolina; and descriptions of Washington, D.C., and Alexandria, Chancellorsville, Petersburg, and Richmond (Libby Prison), Va. Perry also states that on April 8, 1865, in a camp recently vacated by Lee, he found Lee's orders to General Ewell to burn the city of Richmond. |
| Access restriction | No access restrictions. |
| Cite as |
William W. Perry Diary (#338), Special Collections Department, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA. |
| Terms of use | Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law. |
| Acquisitions source |
Joyner- Gift of Mr. Ronald Fochler. |
| Biographical note | William W. Perry was a Pennsylvania soldier who joined the Union Army on January 4, 1864, at the age of 13. He participated in the Battle of the Wilderness and the Battle of Dabney's Mill, was on regular picket duty from February 1865 until the war's end, and was present at Appomattox when General Robert E. Lee surrendered on April 9, 1865. He was involved in the pursuit of General Johnston's forces into North Carolina following Lee's surrender. |
