Two Civil War soldiers, Gould D. Molineaux and Basil Messler, served in the Union Army near Vicksburg, Mississippi. Molineaux, a member of the 8th Illinois Volunteer Infantry, participated in the Siege of Vicksburg in 1863; Messler, whose unit was the Mississippi Brigade, enlisted in Davenport and arrived in the Vicksburg area in 1864. Their original diaries, with transcriptions, are supplemented by information and maps showing the movement of the troops. If you want to investigate the Civil War further, visit these sites.
- Illinois Civil War history collection
- Letters from an Iowa Soldier during the Civil War
The G. D. Molineaux Diary
Portrait of G.D. Molineaux Gould D. Molineaux's diary G.D Molineaux's
gravesite at Springdale Cemetery, Peoria, Illinois
Troop movements of the Eighth Illinois Volunteer Infantry 1861-1865
The Basil H. Messler Diary
Basil H.
Messler of Canton, Illinois wrote this diary during his
service in the Mississippi Marine Brigade from
February, 1864 until January, 1865. New as of
9/4/96