Opening Hours
Daily: 10 A.M.–5 P.M.
Closed on Tuesdays
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108
Manuscripts
Ditson, -----. Affidavit of his Civil War service
- Description
- Letters that Hardy wrote to his parents during his Civil War service constitute the bulk of the collection. The letters describe the work on the defenses of Washington, D.C., including Forts Massachusetts (Stevens), DeRussey, Talbot, Ripley, Alexander, Franklin and Sumner; life in camp, particularly the food, healthcare, and various sports and amusements; the men of his regiment, including the hated regimental surgeon suspected of killing off "weak soldiers" and an "old Hypocrite" of a chaplain' encounters with fugitive slaves, slaveholders, Confederate prisoners, Union conscripts, etc. Hardy also discusses the affairs at home, (including the fate of his dog), and renders his opinion on war news and state and national politics, e.g. the draft and the Copperheads. Longing for a battle, he also shared various schemes that would allow him to be transferred to cavalry or the Navy. The letters also contain accounts of the beginning of Grant's Overland campaign and the battle of Poplar Springs where he lost his arm as well as descriptions of the Columbian Hospital in Washington, D.C. and the Beverly Hospital in New Jersey.
