Raynors HCA 2015-08
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/27/2015
Excellent content diary kept by Connecticut Civil War soldier Austin W. Bond (On 12/19/1862 he mustered into "I" Co. CT 12th Infantry. He died on 5/20/1863 in Louisiana.) Bond started this diary in 1860 and it was continued by his wife after he died in 1863. The book is titled in the front "Book of Remembrances by Austin W. Bond. South Groton, Sept. 22, 1860". The first leaf of the diary is missing and it begins with numbered page "3". His entries contain some great local 1860 Abraham Lincoln campaign and election entries such as "Oct. 25, 1860- Had a call from Henry Maxwell, and went to the Junction in the evening to see the Wide-Awakes parade in torch-light procession and they made a good display. We remember well the Presidential campaign of 1840, when log cabins, hard cider, coon skins, Tippecanoe and Tyler too, were all the go; but in 1860 the cry is Old Abe the rail splitter, and the Little Giant of the west and squatter sovereignty ding dong Bell and Breckenridge; but opposition is of no use; one week from today and Old Abe is elected by the people...Oct. 31 (1860)- Great torchlight, Wide-awake demonstration in Lowell; fifteen hundred in the procession, seven bands of music; all for the cause on honest Abe Lincoln. It appears that torchlight processions were designed more than two thousand years ago; for we read in Maccabees where the high priest Jason, escorted King Antiochus into Jerusalem with torchlight and great shouting...Nov. 4th (1860)...this week probably ends or decides the great political campaign; and glad am I, for we have heard nothing but politics for months. Nov. 6th. The great day has at length arrived when about six million of humans have cast their votes for the three candidates for the presidency of these United States, and we suppose that Abraham Lincoln is elected...". There is also some impending Civil War news in his entries "Dec. 20th (1860)...It is said that South Carolina has voted herself out the union; all right; let her go with her savory Niggars, and stay till the day of Judgement; but when the final consumation of all things takes place, South Carolina will probably come in for her share unless she can dodge Almighty power. Dec. 22d (1860)...Sucession and disunion, hard times and civil war seem to be the chief topics of conversation along all classes of men at this time; and even some of the female women venture to drop a word now and then, on one side or the other...". The diary has 14 pages of Austin's writing from September 22, 1860 to January 1, 1861. His wife, Juliet, continues the diary a total of 51 pages of moving entries of news of her husband death in Louisiana with 37 years of additional writing. This is where Juliet's writing and memorial poetry take over in her handwriting. One of the first of the 51 pages of Juliet's handwriting is dated at the beginning of the year 1863 in which she wonders and hopes that Austin is still alive. She writes "1863. This is the commencement of the new year...Ah! What to me, Austin, my Darling, where is he today? is he in the land of the living? or in a land of strangers, far from friends and home, has he found his grave and yielded his dear life, a sacrifice, a martyr, in this cruel, desolating war...". On the next page, she was been just informed of his death at the Brashear City, LA hospital: "My Austin, My Husband, He to whom I have looked for happiness, while life should last, Dead, Oh! Say not so to me, a dream, it must be from which I shall soon awaken, He will return to me, to his children, we shall again clasp his dear hand, and again our lov'd Home fire-side will be made pleasant by his presence. Stop! Read again! Austin W. Bond deceased in Hospital, Brashear City, La., May 29th 1863. Oh! My heart- can it be?... Far away he sleeps in a land of Strangers, stranger stood around his dying bed, no loved and loving face met his dying gaze, no friend to shroud his dear form for the grave, but in a far off land surrounded by strangers, my darling Soldier...Faithful to his country's cause, true to the blood-stained banner of Freedom, he left his Home, and friends and has now given his precious life to safe the 'Union' he so fondly loved". There are many similar moving and sad laments by Juliet on the following pages, a lot of it looks to be original, beautiful memorial poetry composed by Juliet herself (she was a very talented writer), some of which are signed by her with a few pieces of prose attributed by Juliet to other poets. There is a poem entitled "Where sleeps my Austin" and another "My Austin, Dead!!" where she writes "...And when back to hearts that loved them / Other war-worn heroes come / I will offer a tender welcome / For the precious sake of one / Who fell in his glorious man-hood / And rests 'neath a Southern sod / Who gave his life to his country / But his true, brave soul to God / Farewell, Farewell, my Soldier / Sleep well 'neath a southern sky- / I gave you to our country / 'Twas a glorious death to die / And though still her voice is calling / I whisper o'er and o'er / I have given my heart's best Treasure / And I cannot give her more- Juliet R. Bond". There are other Civil War death theme memorial poems by her dated in the later 1860's. Then there is a gap in time with the next dated poem dated 1878 where she begins "Mar. 3, 1878. It has been a long time since I have written in this (to me) precious book; Precious because much that is written herein, was written by dear hands...of him who once made my home, my heart and my life, happy!...Oh! the bitter yearning, the anxious wailing for the time when I shall meet him again...". Interestingly, at about this same time in places dated 1877 and 1879, her last name has now been changed to "Juliet R. Stone", so I might assume she remarried then, but she still writes about her desire to meet Austin again in Heaven some day with poems such as "Shall I know him in the hereafter?" and another moving poem in which she questions if Austin will still know and love her in the hereafter. Juliet's journal than jumps from the early 1880's to the last year of entries in 1900 in which she now writes in a much shakier hand in which she seems to contemplate her own death in various prose as well as still remembering her departed loved ones. The hard covered diary has a repaired/reinforced spine, pages a bit loose. Ink writing easily read, especially Austin's. Superb content relating to Lincoln, the Wide Awakes, and the campaign of 1860.
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