Archive of Civil War Union veteran Corporal Alfred Stafford of Company A, 85th Indiana Volunteer Infantry and the 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, 20th Army Corps, which participated in General William T. Sherman's March to the Sea from November 15 to December 21, 1864. The items in the archive are from Stafford's time as a soldier during the war and after the war, when he was an active member of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) fraternal veterans organization. Displayed in two riker mounts.
Civil War items include:
- Stafford's leather daily journal with entries from April 1, 1864 to January 1, 1865. Stafford writes about the weather and the movements of the regiment as they marched with General Sherman. The end of the journal has a detailed description of Stafford's military service during the war.
- In the entry dated September 2, 1864, Stafford writes about the surrender of Atlanta saying, "I was on the skirmish line and was one of the first ones in the city...."
- Stafford noted on November 15, 1864, the first day of Sherman's March to the Sea, "A cloudy day we started on a raid destination not known but supposed to Savannah."
- On December 21, 1864, Stafford remarks about the surrender of Savannah, GA, saying "The rebels evacuated Savannah and crossed the Savannah River into South Carolina and marched in and took possession the city was surrendered to General Geary at six o'clock in the morning. We captured several large guns and a great amount of rice and other articles too tedious to mention. This looks like an old place. It is a large city much larger than Atlanta and a more important place on account of the Savannah River....."
- Tintype three-quarter length portrait of Stafford in half of a union case; 1/9 plate, size 2 x 2.5".
- Alexander Sheffield bowie knife with sheath. Blade and sheath have New York markings. Blade length: 5.5". Total length: 9.25".
- Pin with a star cut into the center. The pin is made from an 1854 U.S. Seated Liberty Half Dollar. The obverse of the coin is faintly visible on the back of the pin.
Grand Army of the Republic items include:
- Membership badge.
- Badge with "F.C.L." suspension bar.
- Official badge of the Department of Kansas with a sunflower pendant. Suspension bar marked on reverse by J.K. Davison of Philadelphia, PA.
- Topeka Post, No. 71, Department of Kansas "Honor the Noble Dead" badge.
- 1901 Department of Kansas encampment badge. The encampment took place in Junction City, KS. The badge pin features the Civil War Memorial Arch in Junction City. Pin marked on reverse by the Baltimore Badge & Novelty Co. of Baltimore, MD.
- 1909 Memorial Day committee badge with GAR suspension bar.
- 1911 Department of Kansas encampment badge. The encampment took place in Lawrence, KS. The hanging pendant features a bust portrait of Governor Charles Robinson. Marked on reverse by The Whitehead & Hoag Co. of Newark, NJ.
Also included is research compiled from the consignor about Stafford's family history, military career and pension records, and a handwritten transcription of Stafford's diary.
Alfred Stafford was born in Annapolis, Parke County, Indiana to Thomas and Edith Stafford on June 7, 1844. He enlisted as a private in Company A of the 85th Regiment, Indiana Volunteers at Annapolis, IN on December 23, 1863. The regiment went from Kentucky to Tennessee before moving into Georgia. In April 1864, the regiment was attached to the 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division of the 20th Army Corps and fought in the Atlanta Campaign through the summer. After the surrender of Atlanta in September, the 20th Army Corps went with General William T. Sherman during his March to the Sea. From January to April, 1865, the regiment participated in the Campaign of the Carolinas, moving into South Carolina and then North Carolina. Stafford was promoted to corporal on June 1 and was briefly transferred to the 33rd Indiana Volunteers before being discharged in late June. In the years after the war, Stafford relocated to Kansas. He married Sarah Ann Quakenbush (1848-1914) on December 23, 1869 in Valley Falls, Jefferson County, Kansas, and they had one son, Terry (1874-1925). Stafford was an active member of the Grand Army of the Republic, Department of Kansas for the rest of this life. He died in 1924 and is buried in Topeka, KS.
Condition:
Good to very good. Fraying and discoloration to ribbons. Oxidation to knife blade, loss to leather sheath and handle is cracked.