During the Civil War, L. Stone Hall was a member of the Iowa Infantry, Nineteenth Regiment, Company C. The Nineteenth Regiment spent time in Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi. During the time period when Hall wrote his diary, Company C spent much of their time in the area of Pascagoula Bay and Franklin Creek (Mississippi). Hall, along with John Cary and Levi B. Cocklin, was a Confederate prisoner at the Shreveport, Louisiana prison. The three prisoners escaped on the night of February 23, 1864. James Irva Dungan, also of Company C, was also a Confederate prisoner in Louisiana and was released July 22, 1864.

The collection (1864-1865) contains a diary kept by L. Stone Hall from 1864 to 1865 during his service in the Civil War and after his escape from the Confederate prison, as well as a news clipping, a regiment history, and a transcript of the diary. The diary includes brief descriptions of camps, journeys, battles, skirmishes, guarding prisoners and memories and yearnings for home. The news clipping contains an image and caption about James Irva Dungan and his capture and escape from the Confederates. The History of the Regiment contains the chapter describing Hall, Cary and Cocklin's escape from the Shreveport, Louisiana prison.

A copy of the entire History of the Nineteenth Regiment, Iowa Volunteer Infantry can be found in the Special Collections Department under call no. E507.5 19th D86x 1865.

The original materials are restricted due to fragile condition. Photocopies of the diary, transcript, regiment history, and ephemera have been made for use by researchers.