Sunday, 28th–The weather is quite cool. We are pretty hard on clothes in the army. My bill for clothes up to this time is as follows: One overcoat, $7.20; two dress coats, $13.42; four pair pants, $12.12; two pair double woolen blankets, $5.12; three pair drawers, $1.50; two pair shoes, $3.12; three woolen shirts, $2.64; [...]

Dec. 3, 1862—Start to Raleigh, about ninety miles, taking wife, three children and a nurse. Rain all day. Spend night with Bro. Sykes. Dec. 4—Pass Fayetteville. Spend night with J. H. Hawley, one of the best men I ever knew. Dec. 5—Rain all day. Spend night with Allen Betts, my brother. Dec. 6—Clear and cold. [...]

DECEMBER 28th.—We have no news to-day from the West. If the great battle has been fought at Vicksburg, we ought to know it to-day or to-morrow; and if the enemy be beaten, it should be decisive of the war. It would be worse than madness to continue the contest for the Union. Several fine brass [...]