Craig;

Do you happen to know what the source material was for the supplements? I ask as I've a copy of Capt Maschil Manrings of Co A 56th OVI diary and its quite descriptive in its detail and location explanantion as well as descriptions of weather. I've not had a lot of experience with the supplement as its hard to get to physically from where I'm at and time tends to be limited but, from what I've read it seems to be close but there are differences between the diary, supplement and the OR, as well as fewer but still significant differences between the supplement and the diary. I know that many of the reports of action and movement in the OR were written sometimes weeks to months after the incident. I guess I'm asking if you know what qualified a particular report to be included in the OR and/or the Supplement versus another.

Capt Manring certainly was a capable officer and appears to have been a literate and well educated gentleman. He and several brothers ended up in Mcfall, Gentry Co. MO after the war. One of his brothers ended up as a State Senator, so I find it interesting to say the least that the Company Captain's take on a situation written in a personal diary and journal sometimes within hours of the event seem out of sync of what is "officially reported".

Maybe I'm getting cynical in my age and time, but I'm getting to the point where I find it increasingly difficult to accept the OR as a primary source document unless its a clear transcription of a message or order of the moment.