3.25x4.5" leather bound pocket diary of Horace S. Sawyer in Company I. The 45th Pennsylvania regiment consisted of volunteer soldiers and recruits from central PA including Lancaster, Mifflin, Wayne, and Tioga counties. Diary is handwritten in ink and is almost illegible but certain phrases and words can be made out such as Vicksburg on dates they were there. Dates and partial contents include: "May 10 Gloating Over The Capture Of The Confederate States, May 15 No Trouble With The Enemy At All, May 26 In Camp One Mile And A Half From Cumberland Ky In The Woods, May 29 Today We Get Marching Orders And March Fourteen Miles In Direction Then In Camp For The Night, June 2 Today The Enemy Attack Our Pickets, June 17 Today We Run Out Of Ammunition (with mention of Vicksburg), June 19 This Morning The Gun Boats Leave Us, June 21 Heavy Firing In The Direction Of Vicksburg, June 25 Today In Camp Gun Firing To Bombard Vicksburg Very Good, July 4 I Hear Vicksburg Has Surrendered To Our Force So We Pull Up And March Five Or Four Miles Then We Camp". Diary is completely filled out from January 1 to December 31 and several days afterwards. Including December 25 writing "Rather Dull Christmas For Soldiers". Covers are worn but leather binding still VG with Fine contents. The Battle of Vicksburg, May 18-July 4, 1863, was won by General Ulysses S. Grant and yielded command of the Mississippi River to the Union forces who would hold it for the rest of the conflict. The Battle of Vicksburg, combined with Lee's defeat at Gettysburg the previous day marked a turning point of the war. A fascinating account by a soldier who was actually there. More information on the Pennsylvania 45th Regiment can be found at the website http://www.pacivilwar.com/regiment/45th.html. Historic first-hand account. Greatly expanded description and additional photos online.