Wellington C. Wells Diary — “So Much to Say”
A curated interpretive companion to the daily diary of Pvt. Wellington C. Wells,
Ninth Michigan Infantry, written between October 25, 1861 and March 31, 1862.
These highlights reveal the lived experience behind the letters, reports, and
official documents found throughout the Research section.
Wellington Diary — So Much to Say →
✦ Companion Source
Key Diary Entries for Researchers
Wellington C. Wells kept a daily diary from October 25, 1861 through March 31, 1862 — covering the same events, people, and places documented in the letters below. These landmark entries provide daily context that no single letter can.
Nov 7 — Birth of Fort Duffield
Nov 28 — Thanksgiving at the Fort
Dec 4 — Death of Pvt. Chamberlain
Dec 12 — “Half Underground” hut
Dec 14 — “50 houses, no two alike”
Dec 25 — Christmas Day ride
Jan 4 — Farewell to Fort Duffield
Jan 21 — Zollicoffer killed
Feb 17 — Fort Donelson falls
Mar 19 — Boarding the Jacob Strader
Mar 23 — Arrival at Nashville
Why This Diary Matters
Wellington’s diary is the most complete day‑by‑day account of life at Fort Duffield.
While letters capture moments, the diary captures continuity — weather, work,
sickness, construction, morale, rumors, alarms, and the daily rhythm of a regiment
building and defending a strategic position above West Point, Kentucky.
The diary also documents the creation of Fort Duffield itself: clearing the hill,
cutting timber, building huts, digging rifle pits, and the arrival of reinforcements.
It is the only firsthand source that describes the fort’s construction in real time.
When paired with the letters in the Research section, the diary allows researchers
to reconstruct the full lived experience of the Ninth Michigan Infantry.
Timeline Overview
- Oct 25, 1861: Regiment departs Fort Wayne.
- Nov 6–10: Arrival at West Point; clearing the hill.
- Nov 7: First mention of “Fort Duffield.”
- Nov 28: Thanksgiving at the fort.
- Dec 4: Death of Pvt. Chamberlain.
- Dec 12–14: Construction of winter huts.
- Dec 25: Christmas Day ride.
- Jan 4, 1862: Regiment leaves Fort Duffield.
- Feb 17: News of Fort Donelson’s fall.
- Mar 19–23: Movement to Nashville.
- Mar 31: Final diary entry.