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Page from typed copy of Alfred Harrison's diary [detail]

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: World War, 1914-1918
  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Service Unit/Ship: 1st Battalion Sanitary Detachment, 22nd Engineer Regiment, 27th Division, New York Army National Guard; 102nd Engineer Regiment, 27th Division, New York Army National Guard
  • Location of Service: France
  • Highest Rank: Corporal
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/26380

View full service history

"Cannot express myself in my letters home the way I should like to; Old Boy Censor is all eyes and has no regards for sentiment." (Diary, page 52)

Like many combat soldiers, Private First Class Alfred C. Harrison kept a diary of his experiences, writing descriptions of the French people and countryside, noting variations in the weather, and recording the constant boom of guns in the distance. In order to disguise his diary in the event that he was captured behind enemy lines, he wrote his journal entries on scraps of paper and kept them tucked into the lining of his trousers. After the war, he was awarded a Silver Star for his bravery in the trenches.

View 126 images in sequence.
[ "My Diary: Being a chronological record of my experiences in the World War" by Alfred C. Harrison ]

More Resources

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[ Letter from Steve Steitz to the Veteran's History Project describing Alfred C. Harrison's materials [undated] ]

About this Item

Title

  • Alfred C. Harrison Collection

Names

  • Steitz, Steve
  • Harrison, Alfred C.

Headings

  • -  Harrison, Alfred C.
  • -  World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.

Form

  • Diaries and journals

Extent

  • 1 item

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Male

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1914-1918

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Service Unit/Ship: 1st Battalion Sanitary Detachment, 22nd Engineer Regiment, 27th Division, New York Army National Guard; 102nd Engineer Regiment, 27th Division, New York Army National Guard
    • Location of Service: France
    • Highest Rank: Corporal
    • Dates of Service: 1917-1919
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: veteran

Materials

  • Manuscript: Diaries and journals [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 1917-1919)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/26380

Online Format

  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Steitz, Steve, and Alfred C Harrison. Alfred C. Harrison Collection. 1917. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.26380/.

APA citation style:

Steitz, S. & Harrison, A. C. (1917) Alfred C. Harrison Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.26380/.

MLA citation style:

Steitz, Steve, and Alfred C Harrison. Alfred C. Harrison Collection. 1917. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.26380/>.