The Journal of the 501st was a compiled record of journal entries written by one or more retired members of the 501st Legion. The entries summarized their most famous battles, captured the feelings of individual troopers, and traced the 501st from its origins in the Clone Wars to its development as "Vader's Fist" during the Galactic Civil War. The journal was kept as secret as the missions undertaken by the 501st; only after the fall of the Galactic Empire were the journals recovered. The battles recorded included: