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Dec28

“How delusive is hope.” The New Year’s excerpt from Captain Howard M. Smith’s Civil War Diary

Last week I posted several entries from Captain Howard M. Smith’s personal wartime diary and focused in on his Christmas Day entry about how he and his men celebrated the day. This week we take a look at the next few entries. Take some time to read these as they are a day by day summary of his life as an officer, intermingled with his letters home. Here are some of the excerpts from this week’s entries and letters that stuck out to me.

His letter home dated Friday December 26, 1862 ends on a hopeful note, saying “Fortune has smiled on me and my Company since I have been in the Service, and I only hope it may follow me. I feel sure that when we leave here we shall go into danger, but it seems just as certain that I shall return home all safe and sound.”

The opening words to his journal entry the next day (Saturday Dec. 27, 1862) are “How delusive is hope.”

New Year’s Eve, Wednesday December 31, 1862, he writes “The last day of 1862! What a bloody record this year has. God grant that 1863 may not exhibit such a page!”

On New Year’s Day 1863, he writes “The day has been a beautiful one. Oh, that it might be a type of what the New Year is to be. Everything is quiet in town today.”

This is a unique insight into the life and thoughts, hopes and disappointments of our 19th century protagonist. It demonstrates how much the war is internal as well as external.

I will continue to post more excerpts in the weeks and months ahead.

Captain Howard M. Smith’s inscribed Smith & Wesson Model 1

Letter to home dated Friday December 26, 1862

Diary entries December 27th & 28th, 1862

Entries through New Year’s Eve

Entry and letter through New Year’s Day

https://www.ancestryguns.com/shop/civil-war-idd-sw-model-no-1-second-issue-revolver-w-holster-diary-letters-research-engraved-by-captain-howard-m-smith-of-the-1st-new-york-dragoons/

in Uncategorized Tags: Civil War, Civil War Diary, Dragoons, S&W, S&W Civil War, Smith & Wesson

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Ancestry Guns considers all of our antique firearms as non-firing, inoperable and/or inert. Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 921(a)(16) defines antique firearms as all guns made prior to 1899. This law exempts antique firearms from any form of gun control or special engineering because they are not legally considered firearms. No FFL, C&R, or any license is required to posses, transport, sell or trade antique guns. All firearms sold by Ancestry Guns that were manufactured prior to 1899 are considered Antiques by the US BATF (United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms). Therefore, all of Ancestry Guns' antique guns may be shipped to all US States and most nations around the world.

These antique guns are not sold in “live” condition. They are sold as collector’s items for historical display. Any attempt at restoring an antique gun to be operational is strongly discouraged and is done so at the risk of the customer. By purchasing an antique gun from Ancestry Guns you thereby release Ancestry Guns and its employees from any and all liability associated with use of our antique firearms.

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