Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech
Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries (0434)560 Drillfield Drive
Newman Library, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia 24061
Business Number: 540-231-6308
specref@vt.edu
URL: http://spec.lib.vt.edu
John M. Jackson, Archivist
Administrative Information
Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use
The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials.
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Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], John H. Myers Memoir, Ms2009-061, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
Source of Acquisition
The John H. Myers Memoir was purchased by Special Collections.
Processing Information
The processing and description of the John H. Myers Memoir commenced and was completed in April 2009.
Biographical Note
John Henry Myers was born in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania around 1841. Census records indicate that Myers was the son of Henry H. and Maria Myers, and that he was living with his parents and siblings in Fulton County, Illinois by 1860. During the Civil War, Myers enlisted in Company G of the 55th Illinois Infantry of the United States Army and was mustered in with the company on October 31, 1861. He reenlisted as a veteran at Chicago on April 12, 1864, and mustered out as a corporal with his regiment on August 14, 1865. After the war, Myers returned to Pennsylvania. By his own account, Myers began practicing medicine around 1871, though he did not obtain a degree in medicine until graduating from the Baltimore Medical School in 1883. John Henry Myers died at his home in Lewiston (Mifflin County), Pennsylvania on March 6, 1919.
Administrative History
The 55th Illinois Infantry of the United States Army was organized at Chicago, Illinois and mustered into Federal service on October 31, 1861, during the American Civil War. The regiment, part of the Army of Tennessee, participated in many of the larger battles in the western theater of operations, including Shiloh, Champion's Hill, and the Siege of Vicksburg, as well as the Atlanta Campaign and Sherman's "march to the sea." The 55th Illinois was mustered out of service on August 14, 1865.
Scope and Content
This collection consists of an American Civil War memoir written by John H. Myers, a corporal in Company G, 55th Illinois Infantry of the United States Army. Rather than a strictly personal narrative, Myers' memoir provides an overview of military operations as he experienced them. He writes at length on military personnel (never naming individuals, however), likening officers to monarchs and privates to serfs, detailing several instances of injustices and incompetence committed by the former. Also discussed, often in a somewhat humorous manner, are army rations. (The writer particularly describes the soldiers' experiences with hardtack and the worms with which one shipment became infested.) Myers relates several anecdotes about foraging and the procurement of food, water and clothing. In subsequent sections, the former corporal describes the day-to-day experiences of the soldiers within an invading army--marches, encampments, picket duty, and battle preparation--providing specific details on army procedures. In the final section, Myers takes the reader step-by-step through the experience of battle, then its aftermath, as the dead and wounded are removed from the field.
Accompanying the memoir is a carte-de-visite, the verso containing--in modern-day ink pen--the name of Dr. J. H. Myers, Lewistown, Pa. The portrait was executed in the studio of F. R. M'Carthy of Philadelphia.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
- Civil War
- United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
- United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Diaries
- United States. Army. Illinois Infantry Regiment, 55th (1861-1865)
Rights Statement for Archival Description
The guide to the John H. Myers Memoir by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).