Friends and acquaintances, we thank you for returning for more transcriptions from the George F. Parry Civil War diaries (George F. Parry family volumes, Collection 3694). If you're just joining us, in 2012 HSP acquired the diaries of Bucks County resident and Civil War veterinary surgeon George F. Parry. In that collection are three diaries he kept during the Civil War dating from 1863 to 1865, when he served with the 7^th Pennsylvania Cavalry. In celebration of Parry's work and the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, I'm providing monthly posts on Fondly, PA of transcripts of entries from his diaries.

To see other posts in the series, check out the links over on the right-hand side of this page.  Clicking on the diary images will take you to our Digital Library where you can examine the volumes page by page, along with other digitized items from the Parry collection.

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As winter weather gave way to warmer temperatures in March of 1865, Parry's regiment was on the move south. Near the beginning of the month, he noted passing through Frankfort, Mississippi, located just across the northern Alabama border. By the end of the month, Parry found himself on the southeastern outskirts of Birmingham, Alabama, on the Cahaba River. Most notable among Parry's entries this month are those that pertain to the regiment's horses, a few of which recount the aftermath of them being given spoiled feed.

Notes about the transcriptions: I've kept the pattern of Parry's writings as close as formatting here will allow, including his line breaks and spacing. My own additional or clarifying notes will be in brackets [ ]. Any grammatical hiccups that aren’t noted as such are Parry's own.

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Thursday, March 2
Horses in bad condition from poor
feed – musty corn. suffering  from
Diarrhoea[,] Colic and Indigestion
made out report of the bad condition
and sent it in.
                             Rain most all Day
dull in camp.

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Friday, March 10
Cold and clear. Inspection and
testimony in regard to Forage
issued to Horses of the command
since March 1^st. testimony of L. M.
Forage Master and veterinary Surgs[sic]
number of Horses died from bad
feed – Diarrhoea (20)
Since March 1^st. all feed Issued to
the Regt in bad condition. Spoile[d?]
Horses done well up to that date.

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Wednesday, March 15
Issued Sixty Nine Horses to a Dis-
mounted company.
                                    Rode out to River
with Lt. Conner.
                                    Wrote a Letter Home
turned over our three Wagons with
orders to move on a three months
raid at moments notice[.]
                                    Herring, Cabbage
and other Sanitary stores issued to
our Regiment in abundance.

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Monday, March 20
Orders to move at Day Light – Order
co[u]ntermanded and in camp all day
rode down to the Tennessee River
with Lt. Breckbill – came up a
rain[,] got wet through &c.
                                          Wagon train
Moved out with Escort.
                                           Hard rain
and continued all night.

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Tuesday, March 28
Reveille at four O'clock. Rainy morn'g—
sick all night with Diarrhoea. And after
Breakfast seized with Spasms and Vomiting
as if Poisoned. [Danl?] Lucy held in
the same way. Slept till noon. Foragers
returned with abundance of Corn[,] five fine
Hams & sweat[sic] Potatoes &c. march at two O'
clock[,] passed through Jasper [Alabama] and on to the
north branch of the Black [?] river
distance fourteen miles – roads very bad – camped
at ten O'clock. Jasper entirely destroyed

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