January 2, 1862. We’ve waited patiently until after New Year for the box of provisions, and nary box yet. Have given it up for a goner. We’re just as much obliged to you as though we had received it. We haven’t yet eaten all the tomatoes, etc., that came with the quilts. Partly because we [...]

Thursday, 2d–Nothing of importance. The weather is quite cold, but since we are in a building with stoves and plenty of wood, we do not suffer from the cold. Lookout Station is a small town on the railroad between California and Jefferson City; there is a store, tavern, and twelve residences, some of which are [...]

Jany 2nd 1862 It has been cooler today but not freezing until night, high wind last night which changed before morning. In the office today. Nothing new stirring. The presidents sons here again to dinner with our boys who went home with them and did not return till near 9 o’clock. The boys have a [...]

JANUARY 2d.—The enemy are making preparations to assail us everywhere. Roanoke Island, Norfolk, Beaufort, and Newbern; Charleston, Savannah, Mobile, Pensacola, and New Orleans are all menaced by numerous fleets on the sea-board, and in the West great numbers of iron-clad floating batteries threaten to force a passage down the Mississippi, while monster armies are concentrating [...]

2nd.–I think my hospital can boast, just now, the happiest set of sick men I ever saw. I have now twenty-seven of them. This morning, as I was prescribing for them, (all sitting up) some reading the morning papers, and talking loudly over war news, some playing whist, some checkers, some chess, some dominoes–all laughing [...]

Jan. 2, 1862.—I am glad enough to bid ‘61 goodbye. Most miserable year of my life! What ages of thought and experience have I not lived in it. Last Sunday I walked home from church with a young lady teacher in the public schools. The teachers have been paid recently in “shin-plasters.” I don’t understand [...]