In an auction five years ago, the 1861–62 Log Book of U.S.S. Tyler was sold, as it had been in a previous auction in 2005. As this Civil War Gunboat was engaged in the Battles of Belmont, Fort Henry, Fort Donelson, and Shiloh (the logbook apparently ends sometime in April 1862), a transcription or reproduction of its pages should be of huge interest to many in the American Civil War community.
It is hoped that the new owners, if they haven’t done so already, will bequeath such an historic treasure to a repository where it would be available to the public, or at least offer images or transcriptions of it online. I just emailed Louis J. Dianni LLC, which sold the log at the most recent auction, and sent a message a few weeks ago to liveauctioneers.com asking for any information possible. You would think that anyone buying such a thing knows its historical value and would publicize their acquisition, but none of my online searching has turned up anything. The log was auctioned in 2005 for $2,122. In 2010, it had an estimate of $3,000 – $3,500. If you have any information on the log’s whereabouts, I would appreciate it.
The last auction listing for U.S.S. Tyler‘s logbook is Here.