Richard Calvin Stanley diary

This diary was kept by Stanley from March 8-June 1, 1864, during a trip to New York City and Washington, D. C. taken while he was Principal of the High School in Nashua, New Hampshire. Stanley records his daily activities in these cities during the Civil War. Stanley visits his college friend, Walter Gibson, in New York and writes about his opinion of New York during the era. Gibson has just gotten out "of Rebeldom," and Stanley is concerned that his friend is too focused on making money in New York. Stanley also mentions various activities such as voting and listening to notable speakers such as Dr. Thompson and Henry Ward Beecher in New York.

Eventually Stanley goes to Washington D.C. as a "delegate of the Sanitary Commission." The Sanitary Commission was a private organization that worked to provide aid and comfort to soldiers in the Union Army. Stanley writes about army camp and hospital life in the area around Washington. He also writes about notable Washington politicians that he encountered. Stanley mentions a personal encounter with Abraham Lincoln. He also writes about the debates he witnessed in Congress mentioning such prominent figures as Thaddeus Stevens and Charles Sumner, as well as several "notorious Copperheads" (Southern sympathizers). Stanley frequently records notable daily activities such as attending a "negro prayer meeting" in Washington.