Shelly Diary

Web Author's Notes:
Images of the diary of Pvt. Peter Shelly were submitted to this website by Jon Fackler, great great grandson of the soldier. Excerpts were transcribed from the diary by the web author and reflect the actual diary text as accurately as possible. It should be noted that the 16th OVI left Morganza, Louisiana, on October 6, 1864, bound for home and mustering out of the regiment but Pvt. Shelly, along with others from the regiment, stayed in Morganza and were transferred to the 114th OVI. This is because they enlisted into the 16th OVI later than most of the regiment and had time left on their three year term of service. Also, please note that Peter Shelly was listed in various Civil War-era documents as Peter Shelby and is entered into the 16th OVI searchable database on this website as such (Shelby).

Page	From Date	To Date	Events
1-2	September 3, 1862	October 17, 1862	Left home for Wooster; Camp Dennison; joined regiment at Oak Hill (Portland), Ohio
3-4	October 21, 1862	December 27, 1862	Oak Hill, Ohio to Charleston, (West) Virginia; steamboat to Memphis; steamboat to Yazoo River, skirmishing at Chickasaw Bayou
5-6	December 28, 1862	May 1, 1863	Battle of Chickasaw Bayou, capture, prison in Jackson, Mississippi; parole, exchanged and transport to New Orleans
7-8	May 10, 1863	May 20, 1863	Arrival in New York, Annapolis, Camp Parole; transport home to Wooster, Ohio
9-10	October 20, 1863	November 22, 1863	Home at Wooster, Ohio; transportation to meet regiment , Cincinnati, Cairo, Memphis, Vicksburg, New Orleans, Algiers, Louisiana
11-12	November 25, 1863	April 24, 1864	New Orleans to Matagorda Bay, Texas; Indianola, Texas; drowning of 69th Indiana men; back to New Orleans; Alexandria, Louisiana
13-14	April 26, 1864	May 18, 1864	Skirmishing outside Alexandria; Rapides Bayou, hard fighting near Atchafalaya River
15-16	May 20, 1864	September 23, 1864	Atchafalaya River, Morganza Bend, Louisiana; Reviews by Generals Emery, Sickles, Reynolds; skirmishing
17-18	October 6, 1864	December 13, 1864	16th Regiment leaves for home; Shelly transferred to 114th OVI; scouting around Atchafalaya, Morganza, White River
19-20	January 8, 1865	April 11, 1865	Left Morganza, Louisiana; crossed Lake Ponchartrain to Fort Barrancas, Florida; Battle of Blakely, Alabama - last Civil War battle
21-22	April 21, 1865	June 20, 1865	Camp at Blakely, Alabama; occupation of Selma, Alabama; Galveston to Houston, Texas
23-24	June 20, 1865	August 7, 1865	Houston to Millican, Texas; mustered out at Houston; voyage home through Mobile, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Vicksburg
25-26	August 9, 1865	August 17, 1865	Passed Memphis, Cairo, Indianapolis and home to Columbus, Ohio