The Diary

There is no writing on the right rear inside page of the diary. On one red blotter page is stamped: "Camp Winder, Andersonville, July 17, 1864." On four blotter pages, he has written in pencil a poem entitled "'St. Patrick's Day"; on one half of a blotter page an untitled poem, and on the second half of that page, an essay entitled "Morale". On the rear blue page, he wrote in ink the poem entitled "Abide With Me". The poem is actually the hymn "Eventide" composed in 1847 by Henry Francis Lyte and set to music in 1861 by William Henry Monk. It is not known if the other four poems are James' original composition or if he copied them from other sources.

The journey of the physical diary is somewhat sketchy. The final hand-written entry by James was in Andersonville on August 23, 1864. Possibly his very good friend, shipmate and "nurse" in the prison hospital at Andersonville, Richard Tinker, was responsible for its survival and return to East Boston. We do know that by some manner the diary reached the hands of his widow, Ellen Foster James. The second clause of her will (Middlesex probate), probate 82,000 states: " to Benjamin F. Merritt, my old desk and care of late husband's civil war journal, and at his death to go to Loyal Legion." Benjamin Frederic Merritt was a nephew by marriage to Ellen Foster James. His father was Benjamin Merritt, Jr. and his mother was Walthea Alden James, a sister of Frederic Augustus James. The nephew was born on March 14, 1865 and thus was 44 years old at the time of Mrs. James' death in 1909.

In January of 1969 Norman Flayderman, a well-known Connecticut dealer now residing in Florida, was offering the James' journal for sale and I was fortunate enough to acquire it. The annotated diary was accepted for publication in 1971, and as we approached the actual printing time in 1972-73, Paul R. Gordon, Official Historian, National Park Service, Andersonville, Georgia, graciously agreed to write the preface to the diary about to be published. We include it here believing you might be interested in reading it.

Preface

Immediately following the Civil War, and for thirty or forty years thereafter, there appeared dozens of books reporting to be diaries of prisoners-of-war at Andersonville. A number of these were plagiarized from other authors. Also, a number of so-called diaries were actually based on testimony obtained during the trial of Captain Henry Wirz, commandant of the prison, tried as a war criminal in 1865.

Around the turn of the century there appeared a great deal of writing by Southern apologists refuting the earlier books and diaries in attempting to explain away the events of Andersonville.

One thread is common in most of these writings, whether authentic records of experiences or highly imaginative accounts. There runs through them a violent hatred for the other side, with a judgment of them as barbarians.

Thus the discovery and presentation of the diary of Frederic James is a refreshing change. James was a witness to scenes that would, and did, brutalize many. He saw the last crust stolen from starving men, and the blanket taken from men in the agony of death. Yet, through the unbelievable hell that was Andersonville, he kept his sanity, his manhood, and his humanity.

The prisoners-of-war in the last year of the Civil War found themselves pawns of the move and countermove of the Federal and Confederate governments. There were threats and reprisals carried out. There was a calculated decision by the Federal government to cease exchanging prisoners in 1864. This led men to rail against not only their captors, but also their own government whom they felt had abandoned them. Yet James remained objective until the time of his death, and did not curse his fate. His calm, almost detached response to his situation and approaching death reflect an inner strength of spirit that can be found only in rare individuals in times of great stress and set them apart from other men.

Today, Andersonville has been declared a National Historic Site. This was done to remember not only Frederic James and the other 12,912 men who perished at Andersonville, but all Americans who have died as prisoners-of-war from the Revolutionary War to Viet Nam.

The now serene prison site provides a beautiful setting to contemplate the sacrifices of the men who died there. It also provides food for thought as to what form of insanity drives men of war and allows such places as Andersonville, Camp Chase, and Elmira, also of the Civil War period, and the Nazi stalags of World War II to come to be. Dominating the site which saw such hardship and degradation of human life is the Wisconsin Monument. The simple inscription on it echoes the ancient dream of man, a dream not yet come true. The inscription simply states: "Let us have peace."

Paul R. Gordon
Official Historian, National Park Service
Andersonville, Georgia
August 21, 1972

As a long-time student of American History and the Civil War, I welcomed the challenge of discovering who Frederic Augustus James really was. After several years of research, I believe I've come to know who he was and is. The Internet now gives me the opportunity of sharing this little-known individual with you.

Jefferson J. Hammer, Editor