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Washington Evening Journal
111 North Marion Avenue
Washington, IA 52353
319-653-2191
First-Person Civil War events presented July 20 at Dover Museum
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
Tiffany and Matt Hauptman presented a very interesting and personal view of the Civil War. Tiffany read selections from her great great grandfather’s journals. Henry Clay Seymour, a Danville farmer, enlisted and wrote daily notes about his experiences. Tiffany’s mother spent months copying the journals to preserve his words and thoughts. Fading ink and sometimes difficult to decipher, it is truly a fantastic record.
The journals definitely follow the custom of the day. The first entry of the day is about the weather. As a professional farmer, the next entry many times described the land the regiment was traveling through as they marched across the south. The military entries ranged from a description of the clothes and equipment received as the regiment formed to sentry duty, shots fired and the incredible miles walked by the Union Army. Henry Clay Seymour walked from Vicksburg to Atlanta. He was allowed to go home one month during his time of service.
Six journals were found and preserved. The family has often wondered if there were more and what happened to them if so. Soldier Seymour was unimpressed with the quality of the land he traversed. One believes he saw little reason to try to farm it. As one listened to the words Tiffany had chosen to share, one was struck by the sheer boredom of most of the days, the terror in many of the nights and the scarcity of supplies.
Mark and Tiffany found pictures of the war that went along with her great great grandfather’s descriptions and carefully put together a PowerPoint presentation. The PowerPoint also contained family pictures and notes. As the program concluded, the discussion opened to the audience for questions and comments. Mark related his experiences being introduced to the family heirlooms. The rifle preserved by the family was found my Mark in the corner of the basement and had paint dripped on it. It turns out that Mark is a military armament expert. He was able to turn his dismay into a humorous story. It is not known what happened to the rifle given Recruit Seymour upon his enlistment. The preserved rifle is clearly marked Springfield 1864. It was salvaged from a battlefield later in the war.
This personal view of the Civil War gave a new understanding of the courage and tenacity of Civil War veterans. Mr. Seymour became a dedicated member of the GAR and went to many reunions. Those who experienced this war in all its forms were bonded forever. The program shed new light on the importance of the relationships formed between all veterans.
