April 24th.—Volunteered at Chattanooga, Tenn., in Company F, 39th Georgia Regiment of Infantry. Privileged to stay at home until May 10th. (Note: picture is of an unidentified Confederate soldier.)

Joe Howland to Eliza Woolsey Howland. York River, April 24 Yesterday, at last, I landed the regiment, having asked permission to do so and have the boat thoroughly cleaned. Having picked out a piece of level ground at the head of a little bay where there are lots of oysters, I got a stern-wheeler and [...]

24th.–Comparatively quiet to-day, with only occasional skirmishing along the lines. Sickness rapidly increasing; yet government furnishes no medicines, no appliances for comfort of sick and wounded!

APRIL 23d.—The North Carolinians have refused to give up Dibble to Gen. Winder. And, moreover, the governor has demanded the rendition of a citizen of his State, who was arrested there by one of Gen. Winder’s detectives, and brought hither. The governor says, if he be not delivered up, he will institute measures of retaliation, [...]

Wednesday, 23d–We have company drill twice a day and more of the boys are getting out again for drill. The artillery men are receiving fresh horses to replace those killed in the battle. The weather is beginning to get very warm.

23rd. Slept until ten o’clock. Commenced letter to Fannie. Brooks went out and got a load of hams and bacon.

April 23d.–On April 23, 1840, I was married, aged seventeen; consequently on the 31st of March, 1862, I was thirty-nine. I saw a wedding to-day from my window, which opens on Trinity Church. Nanna Shand married a Doctor Wilson. Then, a beautiful bevy of girls rushed into my room. Such a flutter and a chatter. [...]

APRIL 22d.—Dibble, the traitor, has been captured by our soldiers in North Carolina.

Tuesday, 22d–It is quite pleasant again after some rain—thunder showers. The wheat fields are looking fine.

April 22d. A serious accident occurred this evening severely wounding five of our crew. A submerged vessel drifted upon our cable with such force as to tear it from its fastenings, breaking the pawls from the capstan. As this chain was connected with the capstan, and the bars shipped, they were whirled around with great [...]

22nd. General Doubleday and bodyguard and a few officers came. In the evening a man came in saying Union man was shot by jayhawkers. Thirty men of Co. “D”, Major, Adjutant, Assistant Surgeon and I, with three or four others started at noon for Horse Creek, twenty miles away. Took a backwoods road. Found no [...]

Joe Howland to Eliza Woolsey Howland. York River, April 22 Here we still lie awaiting orders, without a word of news and nothing to do. The boat is so crowded and dirty that life is becoming intensely disgusting, yet there does not appear any prospect of getting away. Last night there was heavy firing towards [...]

22nd.–Nothing of general importance to day. There was an alarm, and in anticipation of an attack we were held in line of battle for about half an hour in a driving rain, then dismissed to quarters.

21st.—The ladies are now engaged making sand-bags for the fortifications at Yorktown; every lecture-room in town crowded with them, sewing busily, hopefully, prayerfully. Thousands are wanted. No battle, but heavy skirmishing at Yorktown. Our friend, Colonel McKinney, has fallen at the head of a North Carolina regiment. Fredericksburg has been abandoned to the enemy. Troops [...]

APRIL 21st.— A calm before the storm.

Monday, 21st–Our camp is becoming more unhealthy all the time, and the odor from the battlefield at times is very disagreeable. This is the result of the heavy rains followed by warm weather. Troops are arriving here every day and going on to the front. The army is advancing on Corinth, Mississippi, and we hear [...]

April 21st. At 1 o’clock this morning our gunboats returned, having succeeded in cutting the chain and setting two schooners adrift. At 3 o’clock all hands were aroused to ward off a large fire raft which among many others the enemy had sent adrift for our destruction, but like its predecessors it passed by harmless.

21st. A rainy day. Felt most sick, feverish, took a blue pill. Did not do much during the day.

April 21st.–Have been ill. One day I dined at Mrs. Preston’s, pâté de foie gras and partridge prepared for me as I like them. I had been awfully depressed for days and could not sleep at night for anxiety, but I did not know that I was bodily ill. Mrs. Preston came home with me. [...]

21st–Occasional firing between the batteries on Warwick Creek to-day, without results worth noting. Sickness among the troops rapidly increasing. Remittent fever, diarrhÅ“a, and dysentery prevail. We are encamped in low, wet ground, and the heavy rains keep much of it overflowed. I fear that if we remain here long we shall lose many men by [...]

20th.—On Wednesday we saw eight thousand troops pass through town. We were anxious to see many who were among them. The sidewalks were thronged with ladies, many of them in tears. General C. passed with his brigade, containing the 17th, with its familiar faces. Colonel H. and himself rode to the sidewalk for a shake [...]

Sunday, 20th–John T. Rice, a member of Company E, Eleventh Iowa, was buried this afternoon with military honors.[1] He died of his wound accompanied with fever. Three other men who died of disease were also buried today. We learned that Wilson Simmons of Company E died of lung fever on the 15th at Mound City, [...]

20th. Sunday. Moved the camp over the creek. Heard the stories, pitiful indeed, of Union refugees driven from home by the jayhawkers. Wrote home.

I Get Arrested. April 20. Not caring to trouble the captain all the time for passes I have got in the habit of going about town on my sagacity, and I have not yet discovered but it answers the purpose as well as a pass, but I was brought up a day or two ago, [...]