Robert Moore of Kewanee, Illinois used this diary to record his experiences as a Private with the 124th Illinois Infantry during the Civil War. His account begins when he enlists in the regiment on 1862 August 14 and goes on to describe the unit's movement from Illinois to Jackson, Tennessee and Corinth, Mississippi. Moore notes that they served under General John A. Logan's division of the Army of the Tennessee and mentions many of their responsibilities, including guarding the railroads, foraging for food, picketing, marching, and seizing supplies. Later, he describes their participation in maneuvers preceding the Vicksburg Campaign and the burning of Hopefield, Arkansas. Moore goes on to document his time in the hospital (where he was sent when his face began to swell), his discharge as an invalid on 1863 April 15, and his return home to Illinois. The diary also includes a table of distances listing the mileage between strategic waypoints on the Mississippi River.