December (Sunday) 22nd.–Lord Lyons saw Mr. Seward again, but it does not appear that any answer can be expected before Wednesday. All kinds of rumours circulate through the city, and are repeated in an authoritative manner in the New York papers.

Winchester, December 22, 1861. We left here, on an expedition to the Potomac, on last Monday morning at seven o’clock, and returned again this evening. We lost one man, Joshua Parks, killed by the enemy; and his body, I suppose, has by this time reached his friends in Lexington to whom it was sent for [...]

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1861. It is cooler tonight and freezes some. The news from Missouri is rcd with great Satisfaction. It now looks as though the Rebels would receive but little else than hard knocks everywhere our troops have got up to the “fighting pitch” and have become too wary to be caught in any [...]

Saturday, 21st–Nothing of importance today. I went on guard. There is some talk of making Jefferson City headquarters for the various detachments of the army within fifty miles of this place.

DECEMBER 21st.—Col. Bledsoe was in to-day. I had not seen him for a long time. He had not been sitting in the office two minutes before he uttered one of his familiar groans. Instantly we were on the old footing again. He said Secretary Benjamin had never treated him as Chief of the Bureau, any [...]

21st.–Did ever husband and father need the comforting aid of the help-meets of home as I need them this evening? See my table. Six full foolscap sheets of letters from home –read, re-read, studied, spelled, and now to be answered. I wonder if any body ever imagines the value of a letter to a soldier. [...]

December 20th.–I went down to the Senate, as it was expected at the Legation and elsewhere the President would send a special message to the Senate on the Trent affair; but, instead, there was merely a long speech from a senator, to show the South did not like democratic institutions. Lord Lyons called on Mr. [...]

A Depot of Supplies. Dec. 20. We are having cold weather; freezing quite hard at night, and making our lodgings in these little rag houses anything but comfortable. I have been with a detail of men down to the wharf unloading and storing army supplies. Annapolis is a depot of supplies, and immense quantities are [...]

FRIDAY 20 Warm and pleasant but indications of rain, in the office as usual. News tonight of a Union Victory in Missouri. Other Union Victories will soon be heard from. I called at the “Chronicle” office this evening & subscribed for the Chronicle and the “Phil’a Press.” Called over to the Clarendon Hotel, and then [...]

December 20th, 1861.—I spent today at Uncle Tom’s. His daughters are just the smartest, busiest people I ever saw. Cousin Mary Bernard and her three children and cousin Frances with her five are there, while Captain Bernard and Cousin Tom are at the front and Christmas is at hand. There are but few toys to [...]

DECEMBER 20th.—A man by the name of Dibble, the identical one I passed on my way to Montgomery last spring, and whom I then thought acted and spoke like a Yankee, is here seeking permission to go North; he says to Halifax. He confesses that he is a Yankee born; but has lived in North [...]

Friday, 20th–We finished cleaning our clothing and accouterments and spent the rest of the day in cleaning up our camp and parade ground, besides bringing in firewood from the timber near by. When we got back we found the Thirteenth Iowa here in camp, having arrived on the 11th day of the month, during our [...]

THURSDAY 19 Foggy morning but warm during the day. No particular news today. I have been in the office as usual. The boys have been up to the Presidents most of the day. The two Lincoln boys were here after them. They did not return till dark. I have made a wooden model of my [...]

DECEMBER 19th.—Judge Perkins came in to-day and denounced in bitter terms the insane policy of granting passports to spies and others to leave the country, when every Northern paper bore testimony that we were betrayed by these people. He asked me how many had been permitted to go North by Mr. Benjamin since the expiration [...]

Thursday, 19th–We reached Jefferson City this morning at sunup after an uncomfortable night’s ride. The water in the river is very low and it seems that we were fastened on sandbars half the time. Then when the boat was under way, the boat hands, one on each side of the vessel, were constantly calling the [...]

19 Dec.        There has been a terrible fire in Town and a destruction of 4 Churches, the Circular, the Catholic Cathedral, and St Peter’s & a Methodist Church & the Quaker Meeting. Many fine houses destroyed and great distress. The fire broke out in a sash & blind factory and the difficulty of getting water [...]

19th.–To-day I have received the expected letter ; but it relieves no part of my sadness. My dear child at home is no better. I may never meet her again. This in another of the trials of this unholy war; but I am selfish. How many have so much more reason to complain than I? [...]

Next day I dined at Mr. Seward’s, as the Minister had given carte blanche to a very lively and agreeable lady, who has to lament over an absent husband in this terrible war, to ask two gentlemen to dine with him, and she had been pleased to select myself and M. de Geoffroy, Secretary of [...]

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1861. The weather continues delightful but there are today indications of rain. We have heard all day heavy guns. Some in the distance are the rebel guns at Centreville. They are practicing too. Troops have been moveing about the City a good deal today. We are expecting important news from various quarters, [...]

A Look through the Camps. Dec. 18. I have been looking through the camp around here and am astonished at the amount of offal and swill that is buried up and lost instead of being turned to a valuable account. An enterprising farmer could collect from these camps, manure and swill to the value of [...]

“The Briars,” December 18.—Sadly negligent of my diary lately. Nothing new has occurred. We pleasantly pursue the even tenor of our way, but are now preparing to go to my brother’s, in Hanover, next week. We have been to “Mountain View” for a couple of days, on a farewell visit to the family. The Bishop [...]

DECEMBER 18TH.—Men escaped from the Eastern Shore of Virginia report that Mr. Custis had landed there, and remains quiet.

Wednesday, 18th–The four companies of cavalry that accompanied us up the river (also by boat) went on a scouting expedition yesterday toward the town of Glasgow. They captured and brought in this morning one hundred and fifty-five kegs of powder which they found hid in haystacks. We stored the powder in the hull of our [...]

18th.–I am disappointed to-night, and feel sadly. I had almost no letters from home lately. None yesterday, to-day none. To-morrow I hope I shall hear from home, and get news of the returning health of my family, and then feel better. It is very hard to be shut up here, hundreds of miles from those [...]