Translator’s Comments and Observations In translating Carl Roos‟ Civil War Diary, I have attempted to be as faithful to Mr. Roos‟ style and his nuances as far as possible. I have however taken the liberty to make it flow and be readable to the present day American reader. Where I have changed and/or added words or text, I have enclosed such additions in bracket as such []. Where Carl Roos used English words, I have followed the same with (sic). Where I am in doubt about a word, I enclose the translation in ??. Roos also has frequently capitalized such words as “Camp”, “Overcoat”, “Regiment”, etc. and I have retained his capitalization. However, he frequently did not capitalize words that generally are capitalized in English, and so I have taken the liberty of doing so. He especially did not capitalized peoples titles. I have done this. In Sweden, titles were and are still very important. In Section 16, Mr. Roos claims to have only several weeks of formal education during his youth. This is conceivable, but generally and in even the most rural of Swedish parishes, children attended school for several years, although the school year was generally short, being four to five weeks during the winter season. In the Clerical Survey or annual parish census known as the “husförhör”, everyone, adult and child, was questioned as to their ability to read, write, figure and comprehend. As these “förhör” were public events, there was probably an incentive for people to try to master “the reading, writing and arithmetic” to avoid embarrassment. But if Mr. Roos is not a formally educated man – in the Swedish sense this would mean to have been degreed from a formal institution of higher learning – he is a self-educated individual. He appears to be well acquainted with Norse mythology and to a certain extent with the Greco/Roman mythology as well and with Swedish history and politics, even American history In a brief biography on him in a genealogy of he and his decedents, the author states, “he had a library of some two thousand and sixty pages on various subjects such as History, Geology and Astronomy….”1 Mr. Roos is also not a simple man, and in translating his journal, I have come to see him as quite a remarkable individual. He comes across as a definite “free thinker”. He obviously has strong opinions and prejudices as well, especially as regards many of the people of Vasa, his fellow emigrants, religion and regarding many of his fellow Swedes in Company D of the 3rd Minnesota Volunteer Infantry. These should be bourn in mind for he was one of the three original 1 “Descendents of Carl Roos and Clara Sophia Persdotter”, Arthur Louis Fumell, Bloomington, MN, 1992. 1 Swedish settlers of the Vasa community and was a charter member of the Vasa Lutheran Church. I have compared his daily account of his service with the history of the 3rd Minnesota in “Minnesota in the Civil and Indians Wars”2. I note no significant discrepancies between the two. In fact, Mr. Roos‟ diary offers significant detail and substance to both the story of the 3rd Minnesota and to daily military life, which should be of value to historians. Of special note I think are his descriptions of the Battle of Murfreesboro and the relief to Fort Abercrombie in what is now North Dakota. And then there are the enigmas, at least for me, to wit: Why or what motivated a man with a wife and children and being over age, to hide his age and enlist as a private in the 3rd Minnesota Infantry? And what motivated him to try to persevere over all the trials and hardships of the military life? Is Roos‟ diary an actual wartime compilation or did he write it from a more abbreviated field diary after his return to Vasa? It is hard to comprehend his writing so extensively and also being able to keep the documents continually protected in its relatively good condition under field conditions. In conclusion, I am indebted to the many Swedes who have helped me with translating words through the Swedish genealogical Internet website, “Rötter” where I was able to post my cries for help. Other sources I have been fortunate to have access to have been the Internet edition of the Swedish Academy‟s Dictionary, in Swedish, and the on-line edition of the “Nordisk Familjebok”, a very comprehensive Swedish encyclopedia published in the very early 1900s, plus of course the resources of the Minnesota Historical Society. I should also note that my footnotes are not properly sourced. But I am confident, that anyone who wishes to verify them, will find them to be accurate. Charles John LaVine August 2006 2 “Minnesota in the Civil and Indian Wars, 1864-1865”, Prepared and Published under the supervision of The Board of Commissioners, Appointed by the Act of the Legislature of April 16, 1889, St. Paul, 1890 2 Unbound Diary Sections Section 1. These notes, from memory, by Carl Roos of the 3rd Minnesota Regiment, Co. D, 1861. At the end of August 1861, Hans Mattson3 held a meeting at the Vasa4 schoolhouse to enlist recruits for a company. Although I then already had seen sixty-nine5 winters of snow, there arose, even in me, the old Viking spirit [so] that I also allowed myself to sign up to share my younger comrades‟ fate on Mars‟ field. TRANSLATOR COMMENT (The bottom half of this page and the next two and a half pages contain visible but mostly illegible text. Portions can be made out but they are disjointed. The following however has been deciphered and does contribute to the diarist‟s story.) …. I was born at Långbanshytten6 in the Filipstad bergslag (sic)7 on the 24th of August 1802 night before a Saturday bell …. in the middle of the spirits‟ hour. When eight days old, my godparents passed me [there with]... in the freezing waters, not without danger to plunging me under …..(portion illegible) (Illegible as noted above to this point)…. Who could now not be other than to be so fortunate and blessed? Some prehensile grip of the fabulously sweet majesty, the self-ruler of the sea of sulfuric-invented waves now blessed me, and that did not embitter me. For thereupon this day, the 1st of October, we had received marching orders to assemble in Red Wing8. At the Vasa schoolhouse, we took departure from our friends, where at for the sake of effect, the females‟ dark blue eyes were filled with tears. The Vasa 3 Hans Mattson emigrated from Sweden ca 1852 and settled in the Red Wing area where he encouraged other Swedes to settle. He organized Co. D and became its captain. Mattson had received military training at the Kristianstad‟s Artillery School in Sweden and served in the Swedish Army prior to emigrating to America. After the Civil War, he was active in Minnesota politics and served as Minnesota‟s Commissioner of Immigration where he was very active in promoting Scandinavian emigration to Minnesota in the 1870s. He also was employed by the Northern Pacific Railroad as a land agent. He also served as Minnesota‟s Secretary of State in 1870-1872 and was U.S. Minister to Calcutta. 4 Vasa in Goodhue County was settled by Swedish emigrants in 1853 and organized in 1858. 5 The author claimed his age in the “Dear Carolina Letter” as being fifty-nine and that being the reason for his discharge. 6 Långbanhyttan was a small village in Fernebo Parish, Fernebo härad (district) in Värmlands län (county). 7 “bergslag” = mining district which was a unique Swedish civil administrative district. 8 Red Wing, Goodhue County, Minnesota is a port city on the Mississippi, a significant grain terminal at that time and a principle Minnesota city. 3 residents paid for the 12 soldiers‟ trip to Red Wing, which as it turns out, was all the bounty they paid us for (illegible) the first of their new fatherland‟s defenders. After the end of the evening meal at the Killehaus (sic), we were invited by the residents of Red Wing to a beer party at which song and speeches were presented. We spent that night at the above-mentioned place. Oct 2 – Took departure from our friends of Red Wing and became tipsy with the help of the honorable beer of the hotel. In Red Wing, our party was augmented, in part [by a detachment from the city] and partly by 10-11 Norwegians under Lars Aakers‟ command. We departed from Red Wing late in the evening on the steamer “Frank Steele”, were billeted and fed “uppstairs” (sic). Oct 3 – Arrived in St Paul. And departed some hours later to Fort Snelling. Got lodging in an unfurnished farmhouse outside of the fort‟s walls. Rained the whole time of the trip. Oct 5 – Nice weather began somewhat to appear. We moved in the evening into the fort on the bottom floor of a caserne. Oct 6th – Visited Minneapolis. Took part in a church service at a Methodist church. After the end of the service, the preacher invited 7 candidates to an explanation of the Word according to the Bible‟s dark lessons. On the 7th saw the famed waterfall Minnehaha, so praised by the red children of the woods. Oct 8 – [We were] mustered in and were passed with distinction by a General Nelson. Some were dismissed because they were unable to answer questions in the English language. I was even, in this respect, a “greenhorn” (sic), however I was able to prepare myself [and succeeded] to not be noticed.