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THEODORE JANSEN, MATTHEW JANSEN : 1905 SUPERB ORIGINAL HANDWRITTEN MANUSCRIPT RETROSPECTIVE JOURNAL OF THE DETAILED AND ENGROSSING BIOGRAPHY OF CIVIL WAR CAPTAIN MATTHEW JANSEN, BY HIS LOVING BROTHER AND COMRADE IN ARMS WHO SERVED AND FOUGHT IN OVER 100 BATTLES AND SKIRMISHES WITH HIM

Folio - over 12" - 15" tall. On offer is a truly remarkable Civil War document: A deeply detailed and fascinating retrospective journal of Matthew Jansen, Captain of the Union Army's 27th Illinois Regiment during the Civil War. It was handwritten in 1905 by one of Jansen's brothers, Theodore, who served alongside of him. It is over 60 over sized pages long and very densly filled with original content some of which was published in "The Biography and Reminiscences of Matthew Jansen, 1905". [The manuscript was oddly created; some portions in a cardboard folio some sewn and otherwise attached forming double sheets. The brittleness of the paper resulted in some loss to the edge and joins but since we received the item a master conservator has made repairs and stopped the losses.] It gives significant first hand details about the life he lived and the many battles fought with the 27 Illinois Regiment. It begins the years before the War in Quincy, Illinois (where Jansen and his brother were from) to the enlistment of Jansen as a private until 1865 all the way to fighting with General Sherman in Atlanta. It is an incredible piece of American history with in depth and vivid descriptions of battles fought, lives lived, and sights seen. Theodore writes lovingly and engrossingly about his brother, constantly praising his skills and acumen in battle and in life. Much of the diary are the facts of battle, but there are also passages that speak of why the brother's are fighting the war in the first place. They seem staunchly anti-slavery. Speaking on the Emancipation Proclamation, the journal reads: "no thank God its dead yes slavery now from this day over is dead, Lincoln's Proclamation killed it…one an undivided Democrat and Republican Volunteer Soldiers who are now going to give a backbone to the Emancipation Proclamation by going on Picket Guard…" There are also passages that describe in horrid detail the horrors of war, death, hunger, and disease. There are harrowing passes of the suffering brought up all (soldier, civilian and even the horses) during the bloodiest war in U.S. history. Here is a very small portion of what is in this incredible journal: "Kansas border ruffianism was republished daily and constantly inferred to either for or against both political parties until October 13th, 1859 the great political orators Abraham Lincoln and Steven A Douglas arrived in Quincy and next day they engaged in a joint debate which attracted thousands of both parties from far and near and the amount of light their joint debate defused…subject was certainly of the greatest value to all who heard it, understandingly as it clearly defined the position of the south and the north…Brother Matthew had the advantage of most young men of that age as his experience at the P House at Leavenworth Kansas had taught him many things…and when abruptly after the Lincoln and Douglas debate a polished club known as the 'Wide Awakers' was organized become one of the principal aids in formation and was thereafter elected by a large majority as its First Lieutenant…" (The Wide Awakes was a teen and young adult organization cultivated by the Republican Party during the 1860 presidential election in the United States.) "The Captain of this Wide Awake Company was Joshua R Wood, son of Gov John Wood of Illinois, a man of fine military training and almost daily did he drill his military company during the spring and summer of 1860… The election of Abraham Lincoln to the Presidency did not at all quite the public of the South nor a very large number of our people here in Quincy…" The Civil War begins shortly after: "three days later came the Proclamation of the President calling for Seventy Five thousand volunteer soldiers, and at once the Old Mexican War hero Captain B.M. Prentiss of Quincy began the work of enrolling young able bodied men on that same Saturday afternoon…Thousands of people accompanied our march to the train and the city of Quincy seemed aflame with patriotism, cheer after cheer was given for the first company of soldiers starting out for the war…" Matthew and his brother Theodor enlist as privates and are mustered into the 27th Illinois Regiment, Company A. "we began our first march to Camp Butler…" Here the Regiment would be mustered into Federal Service on August 10, 1861. "Captain Prentiss remarked It would be strange indeed if in a military company as large as this one or two cooks could not be found, but remember boys that Uncle Sam is not running a hotel… at 6 o'clock awaking us for roll call and on looking Eastward the Ohio River disclosed to us the heavily timbered western front of Kentucky while directly westward across the broad expanse of the Mississippi River we could plainly see the Confederate Camp on Birds Point Missouri just established there with the intention of crossing over and fortifying Cairo, Illinois had not our little army been sent here before they could do so…" And so begins the lead up to and the actual 'Battle of Belmont,' in early November, 1861 in Mississippi County, Missouri. In addition to this being the Jansen Brother's first combat, it was also the first combat test in the American Civil War for Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant, the future Union Army General in Chief and eventual U.S. president." Jansen writes detailed and engrossingly of the battle, and no action is taken without being remarked up: "[we] Plainly could see several large rebel flags floating over their camp and then out past our Picket Guards extended fully a mile up and down the river…At 9 o'clock the bugles sounded the Guard for both Camp and Picket guards as soldiers must not be allowed to stray away into the many saloons and other demoralizing places… Expedition to Cape Girardeau, Missouri Regiment was sent out under command of Col Tilson on an expedition up the Mississippi River on the Steamer Alex Scott, left Cairo at 6 AM passing the Rebel garrison on Birch Point which never as much as hailed us evidently under strict military orders as ourselves…arrived at P Landing on the Missouri Side, disembarked and deployed as skirmishers hiding behind bushes rocks and trees and had not waited long before we heard ? approaching quite a body of rebel cavalry some 200 or more were allowed to come quite into our semi-circled net spread for their reception…they were disarmed and put on board the Alex Scott guards placed over them…shot being fired another complete surprise...these prisoners were also taken on board the Alex Scott…with these prisoners we decided our three days rations when it became supper time which was only appreciated by all these unfortunate confederate boys…" "Evacuation of Birds Point Missouri by the Confederates… Accordingly a reconnaissance from both above and below Birds Point that the enemy had departed and immediately General sent 8000 troops from Cairo to the place and also on the Kentucky side opposite of Cairo was placed of 5000 around Fort holt…Meanwhile twenty four gunboats and several monitors had been built at St Louis and were sent to Cairo was soon as complete… Commodore Foot in command of this naval squadron kindly insisted all the troops at Cairo, Fort Holt and Birds Point to visit…"; "November 1st 1861 while on Picket Guard our boys spied a small white flag being waved across the Ohio River on the Kentucky side.. they met a ? in Confederate uniform who proved to be a deserter from the rebel army at Columbus, KY this deserter asked in broken english if any of their number could speak. Sherman requested to be taken to General Grant's headquarters. he was not tell why but insisted on seeing General Grant first…on being conducted to General Grant the remained there about half an hour when he emerged with one of our corporal with a written order from General Grant to be conducted to Capt Schmitts Company A 27th Illinois and then questioned more definitely…He stated his name was William Allie and he had deserted from the rebel army at Columbus Kentucky and now wanted to enlist in the Union Army and asked for the proper officer to administer the oath. This being down a uniform and rifle was furnished him…for at least ten days he would tell us anything about the rebel army at Columbus but simply said General Grant knows all and commanded me not to tell others for at least ten days…Comrade Allie proved to be a good soldier…" "Battle of Belmont Missouri. November 6th our entire brigade suddenly received marching orders…at 6 o'clc came the call in undertones, Fall In, and off we marched directly to the wharf where lay the Alex Scott…Col Buford saying twenty seven Illinois Rise! Fall in take arms, shoulder arms prepare to load…Attention Battalion Soldiers we are about to attack the enemy, your Colonel hopes that you have prepared your minds and hearts for the worst if this day slain in battle…now commend your souls to God because we are less than two miles from the enemy at Belmont…General Grant is our commander but the Lord of Hosts is our leader and our Guide…Battalion! Attention! Soldier Arms! Right Face! Forward March!…about half a mile from our landing a halt was ordered as it was still too dark to make the attack…we are commanded to crouch behind bushes to avoid being seen by their camp or picket guards. No our Colonel is in our midst and gives instructions to our captains to keep the men all together… Just at this moment on our right our battery of six cannons opens fire with shells...we now see the rebel guards retreating and though fleeing for their line we catch up with them and overtake them they throw away their guns and surrender…we can see the shells from our battery burst directly in their camp…between the line of battle and the rebel camp is a deep hollow of considerable width we rush down the sides and quickly cross and up the steep east side…are met with terrific rifle fire from the enemy who though taken on a surprise and had not even time to dress yet make a determined stand and load and fire

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