Torkild Gundersen Qvernmoen, Staff-Sergeant of the Elverumske Company kept a diary throughout the war of 1807-14. His brief entries provide invaluable source material for students of the Elverumske Company's role in that period. Here are some extracts from his diary:
Sergeant Quernmoen's perforated wallet. Published with kind permission of Glomdalsmuseet in Elverum.
1808
11/4 together with the Elverumske Company at a place called Nyen I had my first encounter with the enemy - the Swedes - with whom we exchanged fire.
13/4 second encounter at a place named Skalbukilen.
25/4 at Trangen, not so far from Udnæsset, where 2 to 300 hundred Swedes were taken prisoner and many both Norwegians and Swedes killed or wounded. In the early hours of
26/4 most of the Elverumske Company - including me - together with Captain Nægler's division of the Trondhjemske troops to Midtskogen on the Swedish sideto take the remaining Swedes prisoner, some 70 men, together with 2 canons and rifles, etc.
18/5 fighting near Mobæk,where there were many killed or wounded, where among the wounded of the Elverumske Company were myself, Corporal Ole Ljømo, Ole Tollefsen Skjefstad and Amund Hansen and others. An enemy bullet hit my diary, which before the encounter I had placed over my heart, but in the heat of the battle had slipped down to my stomach; the aforementioned bullet pierced the diary, which was the thickness of three fingers and in so doing made 159 holes. The skin of my stomach was badly scorched, and I suffered severe bruising, which left me weak and groggy for a period.
Picture of Sergeant Quernmoen’s diary. The Swedish bullet stopped after perforating 159 pages of the diary! Published with kind permission of Glomdalsmuseet in Elverum.