We drilled forenoon
in manual of arms & afternoon in battallion drill & dress perade Our
Reg took a march through the citty & drilled some on main Street evening I
wrote our Capt a letter visited the hospitals & with our 1st & 2nd
Seargent took a dish of Oisters two of the men of our Reg in Capt Vermilions
Co. ware sent home to be buried
SOURCE: Edgar R.
Harlan, Currator, Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. 15, No. 2,
October 1925, p. 93-4
I sent letter to pupils at Spring Mills, Locke's Mills. Two messengers left on the mules, Billy and Dixie.
SOURCE: Lewis C. Paxson, Diary of Lewis C. Paxson: Stockton, N.J., 1862-1865, p. 8
I finished a letter to my sister Caroline. A man fell through the scaffolding. Doughnuts by baker, 15.
SOURCE: Lewis C. Paxson, Diary of Lewis C. Paxson: Stockton, N.J., 1862-1865, p. 8
Something has
happened. Last night, just as we were settling down for the night, orders came
for a move. Dr. Andrus came round looking us over and ordered me to the
hospital, as well as several others. Where the regiment is going is a secret
from us yet. While the tents were coming down and packing up was going on, an
ambulance drove in and with others I did not know, I was carted to what I
understand is called "Stewart's Mansion Hospital." It is in the city,
and I think near the place of our first night's stay in Baltimore. I was
assigned a bed and for the first time since leaving home took off my clothes
for the night. It seemed so strange I was a long time getting sleepy.
I am in a large room
full of clean cots, each one with a man in it more or less sick. Not being as
bad off as many others, I have written some letters for myself and some for
others who wished me to do so. The room is warmed by two big stoves and if I
knew where the regiment was, I would be willing to put in the winter right
here. Nurses, men detailed for that purpose, are here just to wait on us and ladies
are coming and going nearly all the time. They bring us flowers and are just as
kind as they can be. I am up and dressed and have been out seeing the grounds
about the place. One building is called the dead house, and in it were two men
who died during the night. As none were missing from the room I was in, I judge
there are other rooms, and that the one I was in is for those who are not
really sick, but sickish. John Wooden of our company is probably the sickest
man in the ward. John Van Alstyne came in just at night to see how I came on.
Snow is falling and the natives call it very unusual weather for the time of
year.
SOURCE:
Lawrence Van Alstyne, Diary of an Enlisted Man, p. 57-8
Received twenty-four
boxes, saddles, bridles, halters, etc. Sent to Camp. Got a detail and put them
all in a house and locked them up. We took charge of the Clerk's Office to
sleep in, tied our horses in Court Yard and got our forage from the farmers
around. Secured boarding at Maj. Holden's, a clever gentleman and nice family;
has one grown daughter, Miss Emma, a nice young lady. Remained here Wednesday,
18th-Monday, 23rd. During this time had nothing to do but write letters, visit
MY GIRL THAT PAWS IVORY, and make acquaintances. Among them Miss Lou Hill I
prize highest. We had prayer meeting and church. I purchased four books and
left them with Miss Emma: Mormon's at Home, Pilgrim's Progress, Bayard Taylor's
Travels and Bible Union Dictionary.
SOURCE: Ephraim
Shelby Dodd, Diary of Ephraim Shelby Dodd: Member of Company D Terry's
Texas Rangers, p. 8
I went to the supper
table last night too sick to eat anything; left the table and laid down on a
lounge until the hotel keeper could show me a room; I retired early and slept
well; got up this morning all right, but did not go to the breakfast table;
took a lunch from my own haversack; walked out in town; went to the ten-pin
alley and spent an hour rolling; had not played a game before for eight years,
and enjoyed it very much; smoked a cigar, a notable scarcity in these times,
and returned to the hotel, where I wrote a letter to Judge Devine, and one to
my dear wife; may heaven's choicest blessings rest upon her and my sweet
children; went to the dinner table and found the landlady apologizing for some
defect and two young females discussing the merits of the Episcopal and Baptist
faith; got through dinner somehow and walked down to the quartermaster's office;
got the Vicksburg Whig; stretched myself out on the counter; read and took a
nap; got up; went to the armory and would have enjoyed looking over the work
very much but felt sick; it produces four Mississippi rifles per day at $30.00
a piece on contract with the state; I am now sitting at the foot of the hill
below the armory.
SOURCE: John Camden
West, A Texan in Search of a Fight: Being
the Diary and Letters of a Private Soldier in Hood’s Texas Brigade, p. 16-7
Rienzi, Miss. We went out in the morning to drill on the
field but did not see much into the wild scampering way. I wrote to Sp[ring]
Gr[een]. Had no time to write home before mail went out. Was drilled on foot by
Corporal Sweet in the evening.
SOURCE: Jenkin Lloyd
Jones, An Artilleryman's Diary, p. 3
Rienzi. Woke by the bugle at 3:30 A. M.; went out to
roll call and drill. The weather fine. Washed shirt and stockings for first
time. Wrote home. Drilled by Syl. Sweet in the evening on the gun. The enemy
skirmished our pickets, wounded three; our horses were harnessed ready. I felt
a little flushed.
SOURCE: Jenkin Lloyd
Jones, An Artilleryman's Diary, p. 3
CAMP STEVENSON.
Sunday. A splendid
day; but what a miserable-looking set of boys we are!—stiff, lame, and dirty,
and hungry for more beans. We received the welcome order, "No work for
three days." We went to church this morning, so there are really only two
days and a half, and they will soon be gone. But we have letters to answer,
trips down-town to make, for those who can get passes; and the first thing we
know it will be Wednesday.
SOURCE: John Jasper
Wyeth, Leaves from a Diary Written While Serving in Co. E, 44 Mass.
Dep’t of North Carolina from September 1862 to June 1863, p. 30
Messenger arrived
from Georgetown. One hundred men gone back with him. I finished a letter to
Howard Bell, commenced one to my home. Indian summer. Carr and I spent the
afternoon together.
SOURCE: Lewis C.
Paxson, Diary of Lewis C. Paxson: Stockton, N.J., 1862-1865, p. 7
I wrote to Locke's
Mills pupils. Messenger arrived from Alexandrian woods at 7 a. m., 1,000 men
coming and 500 cattle.
SOURCE: Lewis C.
Paxson, Diary of Lewis C. Paxson: Stockton, N.J., 1862-1865, p. 7
Enroute. To-day we
were informed that we were to be sent on in the evening. I wrote my first
letter home and in the evening we started for "Dixie" at 10 P. M. It
was dark and we could not see anything to attract our attention so our minds
had free scope to wander home to loved ones, and it was a saddening thought
that we were to leave all of these, to meet at best a very uncertain fate. We
passed on to Milton where our car was uncoupled and taken up by the Janesville
R. R., and off we rocked for another four or five hours' ride, half asleep, and
by this time somewhat fatigued. At Janesville we changed cars for Chicago, it
being about 1 A. M.
SOURCE: Jenkin Lloyd
Jones, An Artilleryman's Diary, p. 2
I worked in Second Lieutenant Christ Berker's room by his permission. I commenced a letter to Howard Bell. We sang hymns in the evening.
SOURCE: Lewis C. Paxson, Diary of Lewis C. Paxson: Stockton, N.J., 1862-1865, p. 6
We arrived at Sauk
Center at 1 o'clock. I wrote to father. Butter, 10c. A poor fence of a fort.
SOURCE: Lewis C.
Paxson, Diary of Lewis C. Paxson: Stockton, N.J., 1862-1865, p. 5
Osaco Lake. Cheese
25c. Came ̧ from Sauk Center to Alexandrian forest. Fuss about dinner. Attempt
to arrest one of the Third—failure. We joined cavalry—fuss about guard relief.
Two loads of wood.
SOURCE: Lewis C.
Paxson, Diary of Lewis C. Paxson: Stockton, N.J., 1862-1865, p. 5
I wrote to my
father, Amos C. Paxson, New Hope, Bucks county, Pennsylvania.
SOURCE: Lewis C.
Paxson, Diary of Lewis C. Paxson: Stockton, N.J., 1862-1865, p. 6
We are looking for
the Dutchess County regiment as if their coming was an assured fact, yet it is
only a rumor, and even that cannot be traced very far. Aside from our daily
drill, which is not much fun, we manage to get some amusement out of everything
that comes along. We visit each other and play all sorts of games. Fiddling and
dancing take the lead just now. The company streets, now that the ground has
been smoothed off, make a good ballroom. A partner has just been swung clear
off the floor into a tent, onto a man who was writing a letter, and from the
sound is going to end up in a fight. "Taps" are sounded at 9 P. M.,
which is a signal for lights out and quiet in the camp.
SOURCE:
Lawrence Van Alstyne, Diary of an Enlisted Man, p. 39
I wrote to Samuel
Doughty. I got my ambrotype, $1. I slept on floor. Halbreed company armed and
uniformed, one by the name of John Brown.
SOURCE: Lewis C.
Paxson, Diary of Lewis C. Paxson: Stockton, N.J., 1862-1865, p. 4
I wrote Sister
Letitia, 3c. pie, 10c.
SOURCE: Lewis C.
Paxson, Diary of Lewis C. Paxson: Stockton, N.J., 1862-1865, p. 4
I wrote to Moses
Paxson, Plums, 5c. Letter, 3. Fuss with Capt. Ambler of Steele county, and Private
Beauregard.
SOURCE: Lewis C.
Paxson, Diary of Lewis C. Paxson: Stockton, N.J., 1862-1865, p. 4
