Snowing scattered flakes. Not more than three inches of snow
has fallen. The weather is not cold for the season. Seven companies here now.
Joseph Bean resides nine miles from Boyer's Ferry on the old
road between pike and river, five miles from Sewell (Mount) Camp; a Union man.
. . . Mr. Bean is on the common errand, justice (possibly, vengeance or
plunder) against his Rebel neighbors. Very unreliable stories, these.
The day before Christmas private Harrison Brown, Company B, stole
a turkey from a countryman who came in to sell it. I made Brown pay for it
fifty cents and sent him to the guardhouse over Christmas. I hated to do it. He
is an active, bright soldier, full of sport and lawless, but trusty, brave and
strong. He just came in to offer me a quarter of venison, thus “heaping coals
of fire on my head.” He probably appreciated my disagreeable duty as well as
any one and took no offense.
Lieutenant Avery (Martin P.) and Lieutenant Kennedy are my
messmates. Avery is a capital soldier. He joined the regular army as a private,
five or six years ago, before he was of age, served a year and a half; joined
the Walker expedition to Nicaragua, was in several fights and saw much severe
service. He joined a company in Cleveland as a private — was made a second
lieutenant and has since been promoted to first and was by me appointed
adjutant. He is intelligent, educated, brave, thoroughly trained as a soldier
and fit to command a regiment.
Kennedy is of Bellefontaine, an agreeable, gentlemanly
youngster, dead in love, reads novels, makes a good aide, in which capacity he
is now acting. Took a long walk with Avery in the snow.
SOURCE: Charles Richard Williams, editor, Diary and
Letters of Rutherford Birchard Hayes, Volume 2, p. 180-1
