Thomas A. Clark Diary, CW 22
Abstract
The Thomas A. Clark Diary consists of a diary kept by Private Thomas A. Clark of Orange County, North Carolina from January-September 1864. Thomas Clark served in the 44th Infantry Regiment, Company G of the Confederate Army from 1862 until his death at Petersburg in October 1864.
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Thomas A. Clark Diary
- Call Number
- CW 22
- Creator
- Thomas A. Clark
- Date
- January-October 1864
- Extent
- 1 items
- Language
- English
- Repository
- State Archives of North Carolina
Restrictions on Access & Use
Access Restrictions
The diary is currently in the Conservation Lab for treatment. Please contact the Military Collections Archvist if you wish to view this collection.
Use Restrictions
There are no restrictions on using this collection.
Preferred Citation
[Fill In Missing Information], Thomas A. Clark Diary, CW 22, Civil War Collection, Military Collection, State Archives of North Carolina, Raleigh, N.C.
Collection Overview
The Thomas A. Clark Diary consists of a diary kept by Private Thomas A. Clark of Orange County, North Carolina from January through September 1864. In the diary, Clark lists some troop movements and weather on specific dates, as well as some more personal information, such as when he was sick and/or hospitalized and on which duty he served.In much of the diary, the dates appear to be irrelevant, and the diary functions much like a notebook. On the first few pages, Clark wrote a list of fellow members of the C.S.A.'s 44th Infantry Regiment, Company G. He also writes prayers and short letters to his wife and sister throughout.The diary ends on October 2, 1864, with a letter from an unknown writer to Clark's wife, Nancy, informing her of his death at Petersburg.
Biographical/Historical
Thomas A. Clark was born in Orange County, North Carolina in 1839, to John Clark and Barsheba Dowdy. Before the war, Thomas was a blacksmith, like his father. He married Nancy Jane Pickard on Aug 3, 1861, and the couple had one child, Thomas Alexander Clark (1864).
Clark enlisted in the Confederate Army at 23 years old, on March 3, 1862, in Oaks, Orange County, NC. He mustered in as private on April 3, 1862, at Camp Mangum in Raleigh and was assigned to the 44th Infantry Regiment, Company G. Shortly after, he was appointed a musician on May 22, 1862, but was reduced to ranks in late 1863. In January or February 1864, he was promoted to Corporal but was reduced to ranks again in late 1864. Thomas Clark was shot at or near Petersburg, Virginia and died on October 2, 1864.
Contents of the Collection
Acquisitions Information
The diary was donated to the State Archives of NC on May 26, 2026, by Victoria Clark Earnhardt, a direct descendant of the subject.