John A. Bodamer was born on December 23, 1839 in Buffalo, New York.  His father, John J. Bodamer, was a native of Germany.  His mother, Elizabeth Stouder, came from the Loraine area of France.  At the outbreak of the war, Bodamer enlisted as a drummer in Company "B" of the 21st New York Infantry.  On December 22, 1863, Bodamer re-enlisted as a Private in Company "M" of the 24th New York Cavalry.  On January 26, 1864, he was promoted to Second Sergeant. 

The first dated entry in the diary marks Bodamer's arrival at regiment headquarters in Auburn, New York on February 6, 1864.  The diary discusses regiment life at Camp Stoneman in Washington, DC and the start of the great march south on April 28, 1864.  The entries become more descriptive with the Battle of the Wilderness in May 1864 and the Battle of Cold Harbor in June 1864.  The most interesting sketches concern the engagements that were part of the siege of Petersburg, from June through August 1864, including the infamous mine explosion.  Quite a few entries, however, are limited to brief remarks on the weather, which was typically "warm and sultry."   

On August 21, 1864, while on picket during the Battle for the Weldon Railroad, Bodamer and several others in his company were taken prisoner.  The diary describes the circumstances of their capture and follows Bodamer through six harrowing months in the rebel prisons of Libby, Belle Island, Salisbury and Danville.  Bodamer witnessed fellow prisoners starve to death, get shot by guards, and in one case get eaten alive by a hog.  Bodamer was paroled on February 22, 1865.  The last dated entry in the diary is February 22:  "Arrived at Parole Camp about noon where we were fed.  A good wash and new clothes and now I feel bully and all ready for any work."  This last sentence captures the gung-ho attitude which pervades the diary.

When he returned to the regiment on April 22, 1865, Bodamer rose quickly through the ranks of First Sergeant, Sergeant-Major, Second Lieutenant, and First Lieutenant. He was also appointed Adjutant for the regiment.

Bodamer joined the 10th U.S. Cavalry in the Regular Army after the war.  He served in the army for four years and then settled in Buffalo, where he was employed as a bookkeeper for the American Express Company and later as Chief Clerk in the Bureau of Engineering, Department of Public Works.  He married Leonora H. Finn of Erie, Pennsylvania in 1871 and they had at least one child, Wilbur G. Bodamer, born about 1877.  Bodamer seems to have been the point person for organizing regiment reunions, which took place annually from 1887 through at least 1907.  His son Wilbur seems to have settled in New Orleans, Louisiana by 1930. 

The diary consists of 140 small pages.  I have set forth the text of the diary as it appears in the microfilmed copy of the original, without editing for grammar or spelling and without suppressing offensive words such as "nigger."  In some cases the dated entries are clearly out of order.  For example, some entries for October 1864 appear at the end of the diary.  In other cases there are whole pages of the diary (such as the first dozen pages) that contain non-narrative entries such as lists, sketches, poems, addresses, or obscure comments.  Occasionally I make clarifying remarks in brackets but for the most part the diary is unadorned.   I put question marks in places where I cannot decipher the writing. 

I believe that my rendition of the diary is more faithful to the original than the typescript version held in the Schoff Collection.  This version appears to have been prepared decades ago, on an old manual typewriter.  It contains many inaccuracies and omits whole portions of the diary.