From masslive.com
Preserved Massachusetts Civil War diary commemorates a ‘glorious fourth’ on July 4, 1863
Most, if not all, of the antiques are owned by Farrell’s wife, but the 71-year-old Worcester native has his own historical piece — one that is directly tied to his family.
Farrell owns one of several copies of a diary featuring the manuscripts of his great-grandfather, Civil War sergeant Henry W. Tisdale of Massachusetts.
A member of the 35th regiment of the Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, Tisdale participated in several campaigns, including in Vicksburg — the last major Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi river.
The original diary was made by Farrell’s grandmother, who copied the transcripts Tisdale wrote during the Civil War. Seven copies of the original diary were subsequently made, with one eventually being given to Farrell by his mother.
Though the diary is currently locked in a safe, members of the public can view its contents online at civilwardiary.net, a website Farrell has overseen since the early 2000s.
Farrell said that people wanted him to publish the diary in book form and make a profit but he refused — saying his great-grandfather wouldn’t approve.
“He would roll over in his grave, if I did something like that,” he said. “I can put this thing online.”
Who was Henry W. Tisdale?
Born in Walpole, Massachusetts, in 1837, Tisdale was the son of a woodcutter and the oldest of seven children. Raised between Walpole and West Dedham, which today is known as Westwood, Tisdale’s first job was as an apprentice at a trading business, according to Farrell.
By 1862, Tisdale turned 25 years old. At the time, President Abraham Lincoln sought 300,000 volunteers in the area for the ongoing Civil War. Tisdale would enlist in the effort, becoming the first person from Dedham to sign the roster for Company I of the 35th Regiment for the Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry.
“Soon after the President’s call for the 300,000 volunteers felt it my duty to be one of them, feel it as much a Christian as a political duty, and feel that every citizen ought to feel it so,” Tisdale wrote. “And certainly have never felt more peace of mind as flowing from a sense of duty done, as in this matter of enlistment into the service of our country.”
After spending nearly a month in training camp, Tisdale left Massachusetts for the front in August of 1862. The man from West Dedham found himself in Maryland and Virginia. Tisdale was very religious and faithful, according to Farrell. His writings mention the importance of living a Christian life and he attended Bible classes.
He also detested slavery, saying it was a system that brutalizes humanity.
On Sept. 14, 1862, Tisdale was shot and wounded in the thigh at Fox’s Gap during the Battle of South Mountain in Maryland. He then missed participating in the Battle of Antietam, the bloodiest battle of the war.
By February, 1863, Tisdale was healed and returned to the front. He took part in more campaigns, including the Siege of Vicksburg.
“The news had come to us at noon that Vicksburg had surrendered with General Pemberton, 27,000 prisoners, 280 guns with small arms and it is difficult to describe the joy with which the news was received in the camp,” Tisdale wrote on July 4, the day Vicksburg fell. “We had counted upon nothing of note to occur by which we might celebrate the day, but with such news it could scarcely be otherwise than a ‘glorious Fourth.’”
On July 12, near Jackson, Mississippi, Tisdale was giving instructions to a sergeant from a Rhode Island regiment when a bullet passed through the sergeant and killed him.
The bullet, however, struck Tisdale’s rifle, sparing him.
“Looking at my gun I saw that the middle band was partially broken and the woodwork close to it dented upon the barrel, thus showing that the bullet after passing through his body had struck the gun and by it was glanced aside,” he wrote. “Thus has God again preserved me in the day of battle.”
On May 24, 1864, Tisdale was captured after the Battle of North Anna River. He was held at several confederate prisons, such as Libby Prison in Richmond and Andersonville Prison in Georgia.
While in Andersonville, Tisdale oversaw 90 other men, obtaining rations, roll call, and taking the sick to the hospital.
On March 3, 1865, Tisdale was returned to the Union in a prisoner exchange and was discharged on June 13. In 1868, Tisdale married Abbie Frances Cheney. The two wound up living in Boston and had seven children. Tisdale never spoke about his experiences during the war in his later years, according to Farrell.
In May 1922, Tisdale died at the age of 85. He is buried in Norwood.
Keeping the legacy alive
Farrell found out about his great-grandfather’s legacy in the 1960s when he and his family visited the house of Tisdale’s daughters for Thanksgiving.
Tisdale’s knapsack, haversack, blanket roll and rifle had all been preserved by his daughters. In fact, Farrell and his brother used to play with the rifle when they were children.
“Something you should never do,” Farrell laughed. “But when you are 8 years old, you have no idea.”
The rifle, along with Tisdale’s other belongings, are now part of the Dedham Historical Society along with one hardbound typed copy of the diary.
In high school, Farrell became a fan of history and mentioned the diary to his teacher.
“I brought it in and he liked it,” Farrell said. “So he did a mimeograph.”
Around 2000, Farrell received a notice from his teacher, who told him that his AP class had digitized the diary. Farrell decided to put the diary online, showing his great-grandfather’s history for the world to see.
Today, Farrell is still overseeing the digital copy of the diary, paying $50 a year to keep the website up. The responses he gets from people reading the diary have been positive, he said.
“Every once in a while, I get an email and they’ll say, ‘Hey Mark, thank for putting it up. I read the whole thing,’” he said.
The history of Farrell’s great-grandfather was inspirational for Farrell. It was part of the reason he taught history at Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical and at Grafton Middle School.
At some point, however, Farrell will have to turn over the duties of keeping the website, and his great-grandfather’s diary alive. As he has no children of his own, Farrell plans to ask his nephew to take up the task.
“I’m gonna leave some money to pay for the web hosting,” said Farrell. “All you gotta do take it over and pay the 50 bucks a year.”
