Collection consists of nine diaries kept by Vicars, largely during his service in India, as well as a small amount of loose pages originally tucked into the volumes. The diaries are dated 1853-1855, 1857-1860, and 1864-1865. Volumes are all Letts's Diary, including almanacs and other reference materials printed at the front of the book; they are in varied physical condition, ranging from fair to poor. They contain daily entries discussing Vicars's routines, including his daily schedule, military activities and movements, his amusements and leisure time, sermons he heard and news he read, correspondence and other communications he maintained, and his general thoughts and personal prayers. Entries discuss army life including parades, drills, firing and target practice, distribution and preparation of Enfield rifles and ammunition, and other changes in British uniforms and clothing during this period. Vicars also records his work as adjutant in attending different court marshals and punishments for army men due to theft, drunkenness, or more serious crimes. More routine topics discussed include the climate and weather; his current view and location at different forts and locales in India, Mauritius, Ceylon, at sea, and England; hobbies and pursuits he enjoyed such as horseback riding, shopping, reading, photography, and cricket; and different dinners and events he attended as an officer.
Vicars's volumes for 1857 and 1858 contain detailed reports about his regiment's role in suppressing the Sepoy Rebellion. He records hearing initial news of the Delhi massacre in May 1857, and describes his march and movement toward Delhi and his participation in the battles of July 1857. Later entries describe attending the execution of mutineers, ongoing cholera epidemics and fevers plaguing British troops, and the fallout from ongoing conflict throughout India. The battles of 1857 had a lasting impact on Vicars; he refers to the anniversary of the Delhi siege and sorties in the 1864 volume.
