Conditions Governing Use

Manuscript collections in the VMI Archives are made available for educational and research use. The VMI Archives should be cited as the source. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any copyright holders. Materials from our collections may not be redistributed, published or reproduced without permission from the VMI Archives. Contact the VMI Archives for additional information.

Conditions Governing Access

There are no restrictions

Online Access

The transcription of this diary is available online.

Biographical / Historical

J. O. Humphreys served with the 1st Independent Ohio Infantry Regiment during the Civil War. He was mortally wounded at Petersburg, Virginia.

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of a digital transcription of J. O. Humphreys' Civil War diary (April-July 1864). Private Humphreys was among the Union soldiers who briefly occupied Lexington, Virginia in June 1864, an event known locally as Hunter's Raid. The Union forces, led by General David Hunter, destroyed several VMI buildings, as well as much of the cadet library and laboratory equipment.

An unknown Union officer discovered the Order Book for the VMI Corps of Cadets, (containing administrative details of cadet life from January 17, 1862 to May 7, 1864) and it eventually came into Humphreys' possession. He used the empty pages in the back of the volume to record an account of his unit's activities and described the the events at VMI and Lexington in his entry on June 12.

Humphreys was subsequently mortally wounded at Petersburg, Virginia. Before he died, he gave the Order Book to his best friend, Private Harvey Rhodes. The book was cherished by Rhodes, who settled in Indiana after the War. When Rhodes died, the book was inherited by his son. The original Order Book, now including the diary, was returned to VMI in the 1970s, more than one hundred years after its disappearance.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Diaries
• Hunter's Raid—Virginia—Lexington
• Lexington (Va.)—History—Civil War, 1861-1865
• Shenandoah Valley Campaign, 1864 (May-August)—Personal narratives
• United States—History—Civil War, 1861-1865—Personal narratives—Union
• Virginia Military Institute—Civil War, 1861-1865