Robert Cromwell, Civil War Diary, 1864

Robert Cromwell’s diary, collected as part of the Library of Virginia’s Civil War Sesquicentennial Project, illustrates the ways in which average soldiers experienced the Civil War. A New Yorker from a large Quaker family, Robert Cromwell had moved to Illinois before the war began. He and his New York-based brother enlisted in the United States Army in April 1861 as hostilities broke out between the Confederate States and United States. Cromwell remained in the army until the war’s conclusion ultimately serving as brigade quartermaster. His diary, as well as letters in the collection, provide important details to understand the mindset of soldiers during the war.

By the time he wrote in his diary in 1864, Cromwell was a seasoned veteran. He had seen action in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama. He had seen Confederate spies executed and had purchased supplies from southerners to restock his brigade. He had debated southerners about slavery. He and his comrades had marched hundreds of miles and engaged in battles, destroyed railroads, and claimed territory.

Cromwell's diary encompasses the period of the Atlanta Campaign, led by U.S. Army General William Tecumsah Sherman. Atlanta, Georgia, was a major supply center for the Confederacy, and the U.S. Army wanted to destroy the railroad and other critical infrastructure there. The campaign lasted from May to September 1864 and was marked by aggressive fighting, terrible rainstorms, and thousands of casualties. United States troops, about 110,000 strong and twice the size of Confederate troops, ultimately flanked and bombed the area into submission, forcing the city's surrender. The campaign was costly. The U.S. lost 37,000 troops and the Confederates lost 32,000. Seven in ten soldiers fell ill during this campaign.

Cromwell saw all of this action, and his diary reflects the daily toll the Atlanta Campaign took on both individual soldiers and the regiments involved in the fighting. His diary concludes early in September 1864, about the same time that Confederates surrendered the city. 

Cromwell participated in Sherman’s subsequent March to the Sea in November–December 1864, in which U.S. troops destroyed railroad lines and bridges, burned mills, cotton gins, and farms, and foraged for food, horses, wagons, and other supplies from civilians in a scorched earth campaigned intended to end the war as quickly as possible. Cromwell mustered out of the army on July 4, 1865. He settled in Savannah, Georgia, from where he had written a letter to his family at the conclusion of the March to the Sea. There he worked in the lumber industry with his brother until he left for California to work as a postmaster. 

Citation: Robert Cromwell Diary (1864), Cromwell Family Papers, 1861–1864, Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War and the Augusta County Sesquicentennial Commission, James I. Robertson Jr. Civil War Sesquicentennial Legacy Collection, Library of Virginia.

View the complete diary and letters online in the James I. Robertson Jr. Civil War Sesquicentennial Legacy Collection. 

See a photograph of Robert Cromwell.

Preview Activity

Map It: Using a Googe map, place a pin in all of these locations that Robert Cromwell mentioned in his diary and letter in this order: Cairo, Illinois; Commerce, Missouri; Fort Jefferson, Kentucky (Wickliffe, KY); Mound City, Ohio; Bird’s Point, Missouri; Nashville, Tennessee; Murfreesboro, Tennessee; Athens, Tennessee; Huntsville, Alabama; Stevenson, Alabama; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Rossville, Georgia; Marietta, Georgia; Savannah, Georgia. Trace his route with the regiment. What do you think of his journey? What does this map tell you about the experience of an average soldier during the war?

Post-Activities

Analyze: Read the selected entries from Robert Cromwell’s diary. What seem to be his major concerns? How would you describe Robert Cromwell after reading this passage? What does this diary tell you about the everyday concerns of soldiers?

Dig Deeper: Read about the Atlanta Campaign here: https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/atlanta-campaign. Compare what was happening in the field of battle with what Robert Cromwell describes. How does his diary entry affect how you think about war and the campaigns that take place during wars?

Be the Journalist: You are a reporter writing an article to inform the public about what Sherman’s army is doing. You are interviewing Robert Cromwell. What would you like to know about him?  What questions would you ask him about the campaign, and why?