Gramling Civil War Diary

The two items in this collection are a copy of a typescript made by Clifton Paisley from the original holograph diary and a biographical sketch of the author of the diary, Wilbur W. Gramling. The original of the diary, which the donor described as being in "small handwriting and some of it is illegible because the ink has badly faded," was found among the belongings of the late Owen Irvin Gramling Sr. of Tallahassee, founder of O. I. Gramling and Company and nephew of the author. The original has subsequently come into the possession of O. I. Gramling Jr. of Tallahassee. Wilbur Gramling joined Company K of the 5th Florida Infantry Regiment, which eventually became part of a small brigade commanded by Brig. Gen. E.A. Perry, later a governor of Florida. Perry's brigade participated in the opening days of the Wilderness campaign in May, 1864, and Gramling's diary begins with his own capture on May 6. The diary relates prison experiences in several Federal hospitals or prisons at Washington and at Elmira, New York, where most of his 15 months of prison life were spent. The diary, however, covers only one year of this.