1861 Civil War Soldier's Diary - Pvt. George H. Dole, 17th Mass. Vols.

Description

1861 CIVIL WAR DIARY of  Pvt. George H. Dole, Co. C, 17th Mass. Vols.
DIARY and Memorandum Book for 1861 "CONTAINING A BLANK SPACE FOR EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR..."; published by N. Little & Co., Boston.  Classic type of Civil War diary; closed with a wraparound leather strap passing through a keeper.  Inside cover stenciled "Geo H DOLE."  Gold embossed "DIARY. 1861." on outside of flap and "GEO. H. DOLE" on inside of flap.  Diary shows age and wear consistent with use.  Apart from a few missing pages (discussed below), it is in good condition.
George H. Dole resided in Danvers, Mass., and was a 25-year-old shoemaker when he enlisted as a Private on 11 July 1861.  On 22 July 1861, he was mustered into Co. C, 17th Mass Vols.  He re-enlisted on 1 Dec. 1863.  At some point, he was transferred to Co. B of the regiment.  He was mustered out at Greensboro, N.C. on 11 July 1865 (four years to the day after his first enlistment).
The 17th Mass. was organized at Lynnfield, Mass. on 22 July 1861, and left the state for Baltimore Md. on 23 August 1861.  It remained on duty at Baltimore until March 1862, when it was ordered to Newbern, N.C.  The 17th Mass. spent the rest of the war on duty at Newbern and other locations in N.C. until being mustered out at Greensboro, N.C. on 11 July 1865.  The regiment fought in several skirmishes in N.C. and at the Battle of Wyse's Forks near Kinston, N.C. on March 8-10, 1865.
Dole made daily entries in his diary beginning on 1 Jan. 1861, while still in civilian life.  The earlier entries mention, e.g., making shoes, and visiting.  Beginning in early May, he frequently mentions drilling with his company (e.g. 20 May
"went to the town hall and drilled got our pay 4.50."
).   Soon after his actual enlistment, on 30 July, he notes
"got Uniform given to us... ."
On 12 Aug., he states that
"Mary [his wife] made me a present of a drinking cup and drinking tube"
(likely some type of patent filtration device).  Other entries mention, e.g., being on guard duty.  As noted, the regiment initially moved to Baltimore; Dole's 25 Aug. entry states
"arrived in Baltimore at 5 went out in a field staid [sic] all night."
Although the diary entries end before the regiment's 1862 transfer to Newbern, Dole took his diary with him; the accounts section at the rear has a page titled
"Newbern June 10, 1862.”
The diary page for Nov. 9-14 has a piece missing from the top, while the next three pages (for Nov. 15 - Dec. 2) have been roughly torn out, with only fragments remaining.  On 13 Nov., Dole wrote
"staid [sic] in the guard house,"
and the intact portion of the Nov. 20 entry reads
"for stealing..." and “under guard... ."
The entries resume for Dec. 3-31, with no further mention of this incident.   I suspect that the missing sections were intentionally removed post-war by some family member.
A nice example of an early-Civil War diary from a soldier who served a full four years in defense of the Union.
Please inspect all photos carefully.