Diaries, 1861 - 1865

The first six diaries at this location were written during Jessee's service in the Civil War. They recount his experiences from his induction into the Army until his discharge and include observatrions on the course of the war, the routine of garrison duty, individuals from the South, and African Americans. The final diary relates his post-war experiences as a civilian living in Illinois.

Starting with the second diary, Jessee began using a code for large portions of the diaries. The code involved subistituting numbers for vowels and is described at the beginning of the second diary. The transcripts located at RH MS 878 have converted the code to standard English.