The transcribed journal
entries of
Private Chauncey A. Cronk
“Chancey”
from June 1863 – December 1863
64th Regiment, Company D
New York State Volunteer Infantry
ARMY OF THE POTOMAC
HANCOCK’S II CORPS
BARLOW’S (Caldwell’s) I DIVISION
BROOKE’S 4th BRIGADE
Enlisted August 14,1862 –
June, 1865
Transcribed and
written
by
2005
Section 1
Section 2
Section 3
Section 4
Section 5
Marching Routes taken by Chauncey Cronk June through December, 1863
Photo of Chauncey's gravestone
Dedicated to the memory of:
(link from Chauncey's name is page with larger version of photo of Chauncey and photo of his gravestone)
Company D, 64th Regiment, NY State Volunteers. Age - 24 years.
Enlisted at Rushford to serve three years; mustered in as Private, Company D,
August 14, 1862; promoted Corporal, May 30, 1865; returned to ranks, no date;
mustered out, June 22, 1865 at Elmira, NY
Reference: Adjutant General's Report, 1901
Born March 13, 1838 - Died June
8, 1917
He is buried in Pine Grove Cemetery, Fillmore, Allegany Co., NY.
Chester B. Cronk
(link from Chester's name is page with larger version of photo of Chester and photos of his gravestone)
Company
D, 64th Regiment, NY State Volunteers. Age: 22 years. Enlisted at
Rushford to serve three years and mustered in as Private, Co. D, August 14,
1862; wounded in action, lower right leg, non-amputated July 2, 1863 at
Gettysburg, PA; transferred to Veteran Reserve Corps, March 15, 1864; mustered
out with detachment, July 14, 1865 at Cleveland, OH, as of Co. G, Sixth
Regiment, Veteran Reserve Corps.
Reference:
Adjutant General's Report, 1901
Born 1840 – Died November 4, 1904
He is buried at
Pine Grove Cemetery, Fillmore, Allegany County, NY.
Forward
We are, all of us, the product
of a grand odyssey, an epoch written across the face of a measurable yet
indefinable element, time. We stand alone in our unchosen role cast by a higher
entity and yet connected to the chapters before us by a physical bloodline and
circumstances of their choices. Influencing, not determining, the next chapter
by our own life’s actions. Most of us leave but little trace of our chapter within
this epoch, content to focus on our own needs and desires, lost to the memories
of our descendants in two generations. It is a strange irony that one does not
need to know anything about what transpired by direct individuals before them
to gain any measure of success or to write their own chapter of the epoch we
are passing through. Ones desire to delve into the chapters of those directly
connected to them is driven then by the same desires that we would connect to
the reading of any story whether for guidance, curiosity, contempt,
entertainment or legalities. It is the purpose of history to preserve the story
for what purposes any individual may want. I have found myself drawn to the
story of those who have passed before me fueled by the telling of remembrances
around dining tables at family gatherings, I suppose mainly out of curiosity.
One telling in particular was my Grandmother’s stories of her Grandfather’s
service during the Civil War. It is from the desire to preserve an accurate
record for my descendant’s curiosity into the chapters of their ancestor’s
contributions to the forming events in American history that this project has
taken form.
On August 14, 1862 at Rushford, New York, two brothers,
Chancey A. Cronk, and Chester B. Cronk, enlisted in the Union Army during the
American Civil War. Together they were mustered into Company D of the 64th
New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment and saw service in the eastern theater of
the war with the II Corps of the Army of the Potomac. As many soldiers did, Chancey
kept a daily journal of the events going on around him. Presently for five
generations that journal has been preserved and passed down through members of
the Cronk family. Entries made in haste on battlefields of current lore and
those made carefully while in still or sometimes pensive camps have quietly
slipped on through time carrying their writers perspective, now a glimpse into
a famous era, long past.
Chester is my Great-Great Grandfather and Chancey my
Great-Great Uncle. I can sum up my motivation for this transcription project by
relating a poignant sentiment I once heard, paraphrased as:
The greatest
fear of any soldier is that he may be forgotten,
that the cause
for which he stands may become unimportant
in the eyes of
his countrymen.
It is my opinion
that the descendants of these two men should not put aside Chancey’s writing,
they are their connection to this great American refining. The lines of script
in his journal hold a treasure of information that spill forth a tale of a
young soldier caught in the day to day struggle to serve his country and
survive to see his home once again. The same strands that ran through those
brothers have passed to us and we will be poor custodians of the family name if
we do not bear witness to their struggles that preserved freedom.
For all readers there is a lesson on serving the American
cause, that is larger than the individual person, with commitment and courage.
Chancey’s experiences allow us to gain a perspective for our own lives, one
that hopefully will remind us to venture forth with the same commitment and
courage into any of our present struggles. History since the 1860’s has shown
threats to our National freedom rising in every generation to the present, thus
calling us to take up their struggle and serve the cause of freedom once more,
as our forefathers did.
I hope you enjoy reading this transcription and that at
some level you gain an appreciation of the efforts sustained by a courageous
generation and an individual soldier.
Physical description of the journal
The journal is a small book manufactured by A. Liebenroth
+ Von Auw, 25 Beekman Street, New York.
The book has closed measurements of .375”x 3”x 4.75”
containing currently 70 pages of white paper. The individual pages measure
.005”x 2.8125”x 4.75”. Each page is formatted with space for three dates of
entry. Each entry space contains six ruled lines of light blue color running
horizontally across the entire page with no vertical margins. The ruled writing
guidelines are spaced 11/64” apart. There is a space between each entry spot
with a single number centered over the entry space indicating the date. Each
number is flanked on either side with a small filigree embellishment. Each
numbered date has parallel light red ruled lines running across the page that
separates the entry spaces. The name of the month is printed centered at the
top of each page flanked on each side by a small decorative filigree
design.
There are three pages that have been removed close to the
binding. The missing pages are between May 13th to the 30th. They have been cut out of the book by what
looks like scissors or a knife along a jagged edge but clearly cut not torn
out. There is one loose page that has been stored in its proper position in the
book, covering the dates September 28th through October 3rd.
The outer covering consists of a card stock center
sandwiched with cloth on either side. The outer side is painted with a dark
brown coating and is embossed with a fine diamond check pattern that is framed
with two embossed parallel grooves running the entire perimeter of the edge.
The cover is cut flush with the top and bottom edges of the book pages. There
is a closer flap which extends the back cover and wraps around the front of the
book and originally tucked under a retaining strap on the front side of the
book. The retaining strap is gone but two slits remain where the strap was
fastened to the cover.
The pages are bound by cotton thread at four evenly
spaced locations along the inside edge. The first and last pages are face glued
to the inside of the front and back cover forming the binding of the book.
The current condition of the journal is fair. The outer
cover is very worn from daily use and the closer flap shows the most wear along
its folded edge with many cracks in the coating and being quite thread bear in
many places. The book handles well, without having crumbling or flaking
problems. The pages are yellowed but not too fragile when handled.
About one third
of the entries have been made in what appears to be graphite pencil lead. The
remaining entries are done in varying ink colors of brown, blue, black or red,
with brown being the most common. All entries are written in hand script
typical of the period.
Notes to the reader
I have assembled this transcription of Chancey’s writing
to reflect the original layout within the journal. Throughout this
transcription, standard text that appears center aligned is a direct
transcription of Chancey’s writing. I have
maintained his spelling, grammar and punctuation, or rather lack thereof, and
kept the characters per line the same as they appear in the actual diary. Any
transcribed text enclosed in parenthesis or with question marks encased in
parenthesis indicate writing that is too faded to make out or too difficult to
decipher and therefore the text is questionable as to the accuracy of this
transcribers interpretation. Any left aligned text contains historic context
notes, corrected spellings, text clarification and notes about the type of
writing medium being used. Any text placed in Italic designates information
printed in the dairy by the publisher, such as the dates. The dates that are
preceded with the month indicate the top of a new page within the actual diary
itself.
Chancey’s daily entries were of a brief nature. In order
to expand the readers understanding of the experiences written by Chancey, I
have chosen to include supporting documentation written by Martin Sigman. A
fellow Veteran of the 64th N.Y.V.I. in Company C, several years
after the war, Martin wrote a remembrance of his experiences in the 64th
based on his own diary account. Martin’s diary entries over-lapse all of the
time recorded by Chancey in his diary. It is very likely that Chauancy and
Martin at least knew each other considering that the 64th NY Inf.
Regiment consisted of about 208 soldiers by the time of Gettysburg. Through
illness and causalities each Company in the Regiment would have been reduced to
about 20 or 25 soldiers from a normal aggregate of 100 men per Company. Chancey
being in Company D and Martin in Company C, the two men would have been within
several feet of each other during most of their recorded events. It is
interesting to compare the two viewpoints. Martin’s writings are formatted
within this transcription to appear directly after events mentioned by Chancey
offering the reader a more rounded and complete telling of the events of the
noted day. Martin’s writings are left
justified, set off in quotations and noted at their closing as (Sigman).
There are four distinct sections within the journal. As
you read through the transcription there are divider pages that separate the
sections. Each divider page includes notes about the content and structure of
that section of the diary. The transcription of three surviving correspondences
to and from Chancey appears at the close of this document. One letter is
written by Chancey, the other two were written by Chancey’s wife Mary.
BV2