#olustee

Looks like my drawing tablet is completely out of commission. *Sigh* Was doing headshots of all my current characters (Excluding stoic angel boi because me and @twin123 share him lol) and this is as far as I got. Had 3 more left...

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Here we are, at the end of this incredible journey. Even after all the long hours, the countless migraines, and the endless cursive names that never seemed to come to an end, I can say that I feel so blessed to have been apart of the Olustee team. Despite all of the challenges, and the persistent feeling within myself that I wasn't qualified enough to complete the task of transcribing such important primary documents, I would happily do it all over again.

To summarize, allow me to break down briefly what I completed within these two months in a concise manner. I went through seven regiments of morning reports to transcribe around approximately 1,650 Union casualties who were present at the Battle of Olustee. As I went about my work, I noted any discrepancies between existing research done by previous interns and my own findings within the reports. I also compiled a list of men that I did not encounter within the morning reports for future interns to remain cognizant about. Morning reports were usually written up the day following the engagement, and considering the context of the circumstance as well as the hasty nature of war following deadly conflicts, human error is to be expected, and I wanted to account for this. I'm sure my own work isn't without its sporadic faults, but I believe that what I produced was the best that I could do within the time constraints, my own busy schedule, and the nature of the reports themselves.

What did I gain? Aside from a new appreciation for people who make a career out of this manner of transcription and a better comprehension for the handwriting of the period, I feel I gathered a lot, personally, from my involvement within the project. I believe I improved my skills for historical research of this kind by the spades, and I feel far more confident about involving myself in this work. This project assured me that what I wanted to pursue in the professional sector and within my future academic career was the right choice, and this was a very comforting discovery to come to. My organizational and time management skills experienced a significant improvement as well, having to juggle my full-time job and my three summer courses alongside this internship. I feel better equipped to immerse myself fully within this type of active participation in public history and I am eager to transfer my new skills, both technical and personal, to other projects.

Ultimately, I wish nothing but success for the purpose of the Olustee project. Having spent so much time familiarizing myself with the names of unacknowledged men, I feel a personal connection with these individuals, and I have a very strong, passionate desire to see them memorialized properly for future generations, so that they may come to understand and appreciate them just as we do at Team Olustee. I hope that future interns will be able to use my work to further this goal and I know that I will continue to keep my eye on the work being done here.

My utmost gratitude to all of the staff at the history department who made this opportunity for me possible. Dr Gannon, I feel privileged to have made your acquaintance and to have been able to help realize your objectives. I couldn't have asked for a better supervisor. Dr Larson, who has always shown me kindness and has allowed me to reach goals and gain experience in ways that would have otherwise seemed unattainable. Dr. Lyons, my former professor and current history advisor, who recommended Project Olustee in the first place. Jessie Oldham, the project coordinator, Dr. French, who saw my potential and brought me into the fold – thank you both, sincerely. Finally, to my peers and fellow interns, thank you for allowing me to contribute to the work gathered by such an amazing group of people.

And finally, thank you, dear reader, for taking the time to share in these experiences alongside me.

Hi everyone!

Short blog post this week. I've been doing the same as usual, making my way through the rest of the morning reports that I need to do. My biggest update is that, after this coming Sunday, I will no longer be working my summer job, so I will be available to fully dedicate these last few days to my work for the internship.

I've unfortunately fallen a little behind, because of the job in question, but I'm still fully confident I will get everything done and present the best work that I possibly can. I will have plenty to say for my last blog post next week, so there is that to look forward to.

Hello again, blog.

As I near the completion of my internship and, by extension, my work, I have started to think back on all the skills I have acquired since. I am very grateful to have been a member of this team, and I would gladly do it again.

As for my work, I am more than halfway through the 35th USCT morning reports. Some of the pages for this particular regiment are in rough shape, which has made my work a bit more difficult than it was for the other two that I've gotten through. Slightly a little more time consuming, as a result, but I'm getting there. I really hope to finish these over the weekend, so that I can get the smaller regiments finished and do the polishing work on my acquired data that I planned for. Regardless of any hold-ups, I'm still on schedule for what I wrote up for myself to get the work done, and if anything, I have that.

In addition to my internship, I'm also finishing up the three summer courses that I have also been taking. The workload hasn't been a problem since the beginning, but with finals coming up, I hope I don't get pushed off course. I'm dedicated, however, and I'm using my time wisely, so at the end of the day, I'm not too worried. Rather, I'm excited, and I look forward to the challenges that might come my way these final weeks.

Hello all.

As I mentioned last week, I was planning on getting a lot done – and I have! I finished the 8th USCT and have since started the 35th USCT. After I complete the 35th, I will have gone through the three biggest regiments, which take up a significant amount of the total people. That means the finish line will be in sight, and if I continue at the speed that I am going at now, then I will have the transcriptions finished sometime before the actual deadline, which is my goal.