James A. Goble diary, MSS.0574

Abstract: Civil War diary of a soldier in the First Alabama Infantry who was born in New York and later lived in Auburn, Alabama, before moving to Chelsea, Massachusetts.Scope and Content Note: The collection contains the Civil War era diry of James A. Goble. The diary begins in March 1862 and documents his brief service with the First Alabama Infantry, his time in prison in Illinois, and return to Louisiana. He served with his regiment at Port Hudson, Louisiana, where his wife joined him from Auburn, Alabama. Diary entries from this period are filled with descriptions of injuries. His diary documents the Confederate surrender and his and his wife's subsequent journey from Louisiana to their family home in Chelsea, Massachusetts.Biographical/Historical Note: James A. Goble was born in New York around 1830 and by 1860 was living in Auburn, Alabama, where he was a painter. He was married to Emma L. Goodwin. He served in the First Alabama Infantry regiment, but in 1863 sailed from Louisiana to New York. From New York, he and his wife returned to their home in Chelsea, Massachusetts, in late July 1863