Levi C. Worster diaries and papers
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Levi C. Worster diaries and papers
- Date
- 1863-1913 (inclusive)
- Bulk, 1863-1865 (bulk)
- Creator
- Worster, Levi C., b.1841
- Extent
- 0.45 Cubic feet
- Subjects
- Chickamauga, Battle of, Ga., 1863
- Soldiers--Kentucky.
- Stones River, Battle of, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 1862-1863.
- Preferred Citation
- 87M18 : [identification of item], Levi C. Worster Diaries and Papers, 1863-1913, bulk 1863-1865, University of Kentucky Special Collections.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Union soldier. Levi Worster was born on March 21, 1841, in Grant County, Kentucky. He volunteered for service, Company G, 7th Regiment of the Kentucky Cavalry and served from July 10, 1862-July 10th, 1865. His duties as a corporal included picket, scouting, building and protecting camps, and fighting rebel soldiers. He was 21 when he received his discharge papers on July 10, 1865.
- Scope and Content
- The Levi C. Worster diaries and papers (dated 1863-1913, bulk 1863-1865; 0.45 cubic feet; 1 box) primarily comprise three diaries that provide an eyewitness account of life as a Union cavalry soldier during the Civil War, 1863-1865. Diary entries describe scouting parties, skirmishes, and marches through Kentucky and Tennessee. They also include vivid accounts of combat at Chickamauga and Stone River (Murfreesboro), harsh weather, and details of wounded and ill soldiers. When not in combat, his duties as a corporal included picket and scouting assignments, as well as building and protecting camps. Some diagrams of the works and fortifications are included. Other descriptions of ordinary military life include food and drinking, visits to hospital, life in camp, and Worster's ailments. In addition, Worster recorded a running tally of his correspondence at the end of the 1863 diary. The collection also includes his discharge papers, July 10, 1865; a pension certificate, June 24, 1913; a copy of Mumford & Co.'s The Historical Map (Cincinnati, Oh.); and advertisements for soldier's pensions and patent solicitors, undated. The third diary (entries are written in a Planters & Merchants Insurance Co. leather covered notebook) includes military, patriotic, and love song lyrics transcribed by Worster, 1865-1866; an 1878 insurance certificate; and additional handwritten notes in pencil, apparently by a child, dated 1881-1913.
Restrictions on Access and Use
- Conditions Governing Access
- Collection is open to researchers by appointment.
- Use Restrictions
- Property rights reside with the University of Kentucky. The University of Kentucky holds the copyright for materials created in the course of business by University of Kentucky employees. Copyright for all other materials has not been assigned to the University of Kentucky. For information about permission to reproduce or publish, please contact Special Collections.
Contents of the Collection
"Planters & Merchants Insurance Co." diary and song lyric book, 1865-1913
Discharge papers, 1865 July 10
United States Department of the Interior pension certificate, 1913 June 24
The Historical War Map (Mumford & Co., Cincinnati) blue cover, [1862]
The Historical War Map (Mumford & Co., Cincinnati), [1862]
Washington, D.C., advertisements for J.H. Sypherd & Co. (soldier's agency); R.S. and A.P. Lacey (patent solicitors); and the Scientific Record subscriptions, undated
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Table of Contents
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UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. Appointments are encouraged but not required. Schedule an appointment here.
Researchers must have an SCRC Researcher Account to request materials. View account set-up and use instructions here.
Questions? Contact SCRC via our Contact Form.
Requests
No items have been requested.
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
