Beschreibung:

Confederate diary of Robert I. Battle, CSA surgeon turned Morgan's Raider and Confederate spy. Diary measures 3.5 x 5.5 in., black cloth, 75 pp, in pencil. Entries are dated April 26, 1864, to June 18, 1864, then September 27, 1864, to January 4, 1865, with near daily entries during these periods during which Battle served as a scout and spy. Fascinating content details his movements through enemy lines, skirmishes with Union soldiers, the hospitality of Southern sympathizers, Union efforts to apprehend him, references to the Battles of Franklin and Nashville, and more. Robert Irvine Battle (1842-1921) was born near Nashville, Tennessee, to Col. William Mayo Battle and Sarah Jane Smith Battle. After graduating from the Nashville Medical College in 1860, he enlisted in the Confederate Army on 6/1/1861 as a surgeon in Company B, Tennessee 20th Infantry Regiment. Sometime after the Battle of Shiloh (April 6-7, 1862), Battle was captured and taken prisoner in West Tennessee. Records list him as a POW on 5/1/1862, and indicate he was confined at Johnson's Island prison camp in Ohio on or around 5/10/1862. After six months in prison, a prisoner exchange landed the young surgeon in Richmond, VA, where he then joined General John Hunt Morgan's forces as part of the Tennessee 9th Cavalry. Battle's 1921 obituary indicates that he was with General Morgan on his famous summer 1863 raid into Ohio, and that he was among the men of Co. C led by Captain J. D. Kirkpatrick who escaped capture at Buffington Island. These men then made their way on foot through West Virginia and back to the Confederate Army. The obituary then states that upon reaching the Confederate Army, Battle was made headquarters scout for General Benjamin J. Hill assuming the role with a hand-picked group of men of whom he was made captain. In the summer and fall of 1864 and 1865, General Hill served various roles in the CSA, but remained in the Tennessee region. Like Robert Battle, General Hill was a Tennessee native, and no doubt the General selected Battle as a scout in part because of his familiarity with the territory in which they were fighting. Robert Battle's diary begins in Tennessee in April 1864. At this time Battle appears to be serving as a "partisan" scout and Ranger, conducting officially sanctioned guerrilla activity in coordination with the local military commanders and with the support of local Confederate sympathizers. This sanctioned guerrilla activity includes providing reconnaissance, conducting raids, and attacking small groups of enemy soldiers. He writes in his diary of multiple encounters with the enemy, including this one on Tuesday, May 10th, "Made a raid to Columbia Pike between Spring Hill and Franklin finding the enemy in force, retreated killing one and capturing another which we paroled./11th Wednesday. Met with several rangers. The Yanks in hot pursuit. Attacked three more while feeding their horses but were surprised they made their escape. 12th Thursday. Lying in concealment rode at night...." These notes are typical of Battle's daily diary entries in which he frequently details skirmishes, his location, distances traveled, and meetings with other CSA fighters. Interestingly, he also makes frequent reference to the names and locations of the individuals who assist him along the way providing meals, information, shelter, and good company. Battle is fortunate in that he is serving in his own "backyard," allowing him to visit family and friends during the course of his non-traditional service to the Confederacy. Following the June 18, 1864, entry, Battle writes, "The proceeding diary was taken while upon a scout in Tennessee/ Robt. I. Battle 1864." Here ends the first segment of the diary, approximately 17pp in length, with Battle making his way south, crossing into the Confederate lines, and heading eagerly towards Cassville, GA. The reason for his much anticipated journey is one Miss Mary Frances Gibbons. On July 13, 1864, Battle married