APRIL 8th.—Bright and warm—really a fine spring day. It is the day of fasting, humiliation, and prayer, and all the offices are closed. May God put it into the hearts of the extortioners to relent, and abolish, for a season, the insatiable greed for gain! I paid $25 for a half cord of wood to-day, [...]
April 7th. Arrived in New York early this morning. Crossed over to Jersey City by ferry-boat. Soon on board train, bound for Philadelphia. Making good time, much better than when home-bound. On arrival had another good dinner at the Cooper Shop, after which we again boarded train for Baltimore. Everything going well, making good time. [...]
APRIL 7th.—A bright spring day. We look for startling news from the Rappahannock in a few days. Longstreet will be there. Gen. Lee writes that the fortifications around Richmond ought to be pushed to completion: 2000 negroes are still at work on them.
April 6th. Soon after noon the regiment formed in line for parade through some of the principal streets. Received a great reception all along the line of march. After the parade marched on board the steamer City of Norwich, which soon got under way and moved slowly down the river. With cheers and waving of [...]
APRIL 6th.—At mid-day it cleared off; wind still northwest, and cool. Beans (white) were held to-day at $5 per quart! and other articles of food in proportion. How we are to live is the anxious question. At auction old sheets brought $25 a piece, and there seemed to be an advance on everything, instead of [...]
April 5th. Governor Wm. A. Buckingham reelected. Pleasing to the boys in blue. The body of William Town, Company A, having arrived, was given a military funeral by the regiment in Greenville, Norwich. Bought one dollar’s worth of postage stamps. Writing letters is one of the pleasing features of the army life. Orders for our [...]
APRIL 5th.—Cold rain all night and all day; wind northwest. The Quartermaster-General now recommends that no furloughs be given, so as to devote the railroads to the transportation of grain to Virginia. The Commissary-General again informs the Secretary of War, to-day, that unless the passenger trains were discontinued, the army could not be subsisted, and [...]
APRIL 4th.—A cold rain all day; wind from northwest. Mr. Ould and Capt. Hatch, agents of exchange (of prisoners), have returned from a conference with Gen. Butler, at Fortress Monroe, and it is announced that arrangements have been made for an immediate resumption of the exchange of prisoners on the old footing. Thus has the [...]
Huntsville, Ala., April 3, 1864. Thunder, lightning and rain are having a little time by themselves outdoors to-night. No audience, but guards and government mules, but that don’t seem to affect the show. We have a right good hotel here, a rather lively party, and have spent a pleasant, highly gaseous evening, Colonel Oglesby, Dr. [...]
April 3d. Sunday. Attended church and Sunday School at Hanover, New London County, where I spent my boyhood days.
APRIL 3d.—The snow has disappeared; but it is cloudy, with a cold northwest wind. The James River is very high, and all the streams are so much swollen that no military operations in the field are looked for immediately. It is generally believed that Grant, the Federal lieutenant-general, will concentrate an immense army for the [...]
APRIL 2d.—It rained furiously all night; wind northwest, and snowed to-day until 12 to a depth of several inches. It is still blowing a gale from the northwest. To-day the clerks were paid in the new currency; but I see no abatement of prices from the scarcity of money, caused by funding. Shad are selling [...]
APRIL 1st.—Cloudy all day, with occasional light showers. No war news; but the papers have an account of the shooting of an infant by some Yankees on account of its name. This shows that the war is degenerating more and more into savage barbarism.
April 1st.–Mrs. Davis is utterly depressed. She said the fall of Richmond must come; she would send her children to me and Mrs. Preston. We begged her to come to us also. My husband is as depressed as I ever knew him to be. He has felt the death of that angel mother of his [...]
MARCH 31st.—Cloudy and cold. No war news, though it is generally believed that Longstreet is really in the valley. A speech delivered by the Hon. J. W. Wall, in New Jersey, is copied in all the Southern papers, and read with interest by our people.
March 31st. Norwich, Connecticut. It is good to be home once more among friends. Wishing the war was over. I am afraid that many more of the 18th Regiment must fall before the end comes. Some will never see home again. These are dark, sad days, but we are trying to enjoy our visit at [...]
March 31st.–Met Preston Hampton. Constance Cary was with me. She showed her regard for him by taking his overcoat and leaving him in a drenching rain. What boyish nonsense he talked; said he was in love with Miss Dabney now, that his love was so hot within him that he was waterproof, the rain sizzed [...]
MARCH 30th.—It rained all night, the wind blowing a gale from the east. This morning the wind was from the west, blowing moderately; and although cloudy, no rain. The enemy’s gun-boats down the river shelled the shore where it was suspected we had troops in ambush; and when some of their barges approached the shore, [...]
March 30th. After an all-night’s ride on a slow train we reached Jersey City at eight o’clock this morning. We were due in Connecticut this morning in time for the men to register, so they could vote, this being the last day. At Jersey City marched on board a small transport. By the time half [...]
CAMP NEAR ORANGE C. H., March 29, 1864. My Dear Mother: I wrote you a short letter only a few days ago, but as some little excitement outside of our regular routine of duty has occurred within the past few days, I thought I would drop you a little history of it. Governor Vance arrived [...]
MARCH 29tgh.—A furious gale, eastern, and rain. No news, except the appearance of a few gun-boats down the river; which no one regards as an important matter. Great crowds are funding their Treasury notes to-day; but prices of provisions are not diminished. White beans, such as I paid $60 a bushel for early in this [...]
March 29th. Arrived in Baltimore early this morning. Nothing happened to mar the pleasure of the journey. All were soon out of the cars, line quickly formed, ready to march from the Camden Street station to the Philadelphia R. R. station, on the east side. Our march led through Pratt Street, the scene of the [...]
MARCH 28th.—April-like day, but no rain; clouds, and sunshine, and warm. About 2 P.M. the Secretary received a dispatch stating that the enemy had appeared in force opposite Fredericksburg, and attempted, without success, to cross. A copy of this was immediately sent to Gen. Lee. It is said that Gen. Longstreet is marching with expedition [...]
March 28th. Camp Hill, Bolivar Heights. Early this morning received orders to prepare three days’ rations. Reported we are to go up the valley, scouting. Waiting for orders. At noontime rumors began to circulate that the regiment was ordered home to vote. The news seemed too good to be true. Orders came to detail two [...]
MARCH 27th.—Bright morning, but windy; subsequently warmer, and wind lulled. Collards coming up. Potatoes all rotted in the ground during the recent cold weather. I shall rely on other vegetables, which I am now beginning to sow freely. We have no war news to-day.