Civil War archive, Brigadier General Oliver Edwards. Oliver Edwards (1835-1904) became the commander of the 37th Massachusetts Volunteers in 1862 and rose to the rank of Brigadier General by the end of the war. He fought at Gettysburg and led a dangerous charge at the Battle of the Wilderness. He also fought in the Battle of Spotsylvania and the Sheridan campaign in the South. The present archive includes his 1864 pocket diary with around 20 pp. of entries, notable for its remarks on the Battle of the Wilderness. Also includes an 8-page written memoir of his Civil War experiences with his horse "Mac" (ends with Mac's death); notably includes a one and a half page account of the time when Lincoln inspected his troops, reading in part, "What a grand face covered by such a sad expression! Was it the shadow of his own death, at the hand of the cowardly assassin, or the thoughts of what his beloved soldiers had yet to suffer, to endure, before the war could end, and that so many of us in full vigor of manhood must die on the morrow." Also includes a requisition order for the 37th Mass., signed by Edwards, a tintype mounted to leaf, a letter from Edwards (1864) to his mother, an 1861 letter from him to his wife Annie, and a letter from Annie 1864 with a description of Gen. Custer attending a grand horse race. Two with transcriptions.

Varies, some items with tears, mostly Good or better, diary ink pencil and portions are smudged and illegible, refer to photos, offered as-is.