Summer Lecture: The Lost Civil War Diary of William H. Hill
Join Schoharie County Historian Ted Shuart on Thursday, Aug. 8 at 7 p.m. at the Old Stone Fort Museum as he tells the story and shares the personal diary of Civil War Soldier and United States Army Signal Corps member 2nd Lieutenant William H. Hill.
Lost and forgotten for decades, the diary was discovered and purchased during a general store’s “going out of business sale” in the town of Richmondville nearly 60 years ago. What it holds is a faithful record of the daily experiences and personal observations of one member of a very small and little known segment of the armed services.
“Any Signal Corps item dating from the Civil War is rare,” stated Mr. Shuart. “Of the one and a half to two million men who served during the course of the war, less than 3,000 served in the Signal Corps.”
The first entry in the diary is dated Jan. 1, 1862, when Hill was a company officer stationed in Frederick, Maryland. It follows his story throughout the rest of 1862, through his training at the Signal Corps Camp of Instruction and his service on the field of battle, including the Peninsula Campaign, Antietam and Fredericksburg.
Mr. Shuart’s talk will focus on the history and role of the Signal Corps, as well as Hill’s rare personal observations and first-hand accounts of the historic events of 1862.
Admission to the lecture is $5 for adults and free for students and Schoharie County Historical Society members. Refreshments will be provided.
