The collection consists of a Civil War diary of Lt. (later Capt.) Cornelius C. Platter from November, 1864 - April 27, 1865. Platter's diary details Sherman's march through Georgia from Rome to Savannah and the march north through the Carolinas. He gives dates, times, and lengths of marches; describes the weather, locale, scenery, and food as well as orders, rumors, positions, troop moral, and administrative duties. The diary includes a description of the burning of Columbia, South Carolina, the news of the Confederate surrender, and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.