Collection 019 .2 linear ft. Frank Smith Reader's 1864 Civil War diary is one of the most interesting and valuable items in our holdings. Reader (b. 1842), of New Brighton, Pennsylvania, was a private in the West Virginia 5th Cavalry Regiment of the Union Army. His diary covers the period from March 10th until June 25 following his capture. It includes the battle of New Market and the burning of V.M.I. and homes in Lexington by Union troops under the command of General David Hunter. It is a prime example of a valuable first hand account from a regular soldier of the Civil War and is of particular interest because of its description of wartime activities in the local area. Following the war Reader took up the ministry and the newspaper business and in 1890 wrote a history of the 5th West Virginia Cavalry. Click on the image of the diary at left to begin reading the diary.