Michigan in the Civil War
Bechtold family.
This family collection includes a diary and letters of Frederick W. Bechtold. He enlisted in Company B, 12th Missouri Infantry, August 8, 1861. The diary contains brief, concise entries concerning the movements of the regiment, the battles fought, and casualties suffered--Pea Ridge, Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge, Ringgold, Resaca, Kennesaw Mountain, and Atlanta. The original diary is partly in English and partly in German, but an English typescript has been made. The letters (Jan. 1862-July 1864) are photocopies of typescripts only. They were written from Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee,and Georgia.
Bechtold was sixteen years old when he enlisted, but left his regiment to join a cavalry unit camped near them. He thought it proper as long as he was serving the Union Army. He was court-martialed, but released from confinement October 1, 1863.