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HISTORIC 1860s JOURNAL ENTRY BEGINNING IDEAS?

For my humanities class i have to write a journal entry from the perspective of another person. I am Thomas Norton and i am a union solider. ANY IDEAS HOW TO START THE ENTRY? i need a beginning but i don't know how to start. here are some details about Thomas Norton: -AGE: 31 -Corporal -Hometown: Springfield, illinois -Education: poor -wife: harriet Beecher

Public Comments

1. maybe something about the uncertainty of going to war OR something about how hopeful he is about victory
2. Start with the date he enlisted. How far did he travel? Did he travel by train? If so, it may have been the 1st time he'd ever been in one. Describe it. Did he get a whole uniform? Did it fit? Did it itch? He is bunking with 2 or 3 other guys - where are they from? One of them snores. Another one has feet that smell bad. He's missing Harriet and he doesn't even have a pillow. It's starting to rain. He's got "the miseries" but he met ol' Honest Abe once and wants to be a part of his war. He also wants to show them "d...n" Johnny Rebs that they can't just make up their own rules. Won't take long. Bound to be home in a few months. He doesn't know a thing about slavery. He's never had the money or the inclination to buy a slave.