Edwin R. Osband Diary (January 1-December 2, 1861)

In this diary, Osband details his daily life just prior to and in the beginning stages of the war. Osband mainly tracks his health and that of his ailing father, his chores, and social functions. The diary comes to an abrupt end shortly after October 23, when Osband notes that he enlisted in the 1st Michigan "Fusilars." There are no diary entries after October 28th, with the exception of an entry for December 2nd that mentions his furlough is over and he is shipping out for duty.