Abstract The James F. Milligan diaries (1846-1854) consist of two volumes written by Milligan. The first is his account of life aboard the Albany, a U.S. sloop of war, while the second concerns his experiences during Fremont's fifth expedition in 1854. James F. Milligan was a Navy midshipman, a Confederate signalman, a newspaper correspondent, and a member of Charles Frémont's 1854 expedition.