Washington Friday Feb. 20th 1863. Rather a dull day in the office there being but little to do on the Examining Board. I have spent most of the day reading old Saml Pepys Diary written two hundred years ago during Charles 2nds reign. It gives a not very flattering picture of English society at that [...]

20th. Brought up the rations from town. Got another volume of Irving. Met Capt. when coming back. Expecting Sarah Jewell. Oberlin boys came back over their furloughs one day. In the evening read till late.

Friday, 20th–There is some talk of our having to move our camp again. News came that our gunboats were throwing shells into Vicksburg, one every fifteen minutes, driving the rebels back, and that our mortar boats were damaging some of their water batteries.

20th.—A letter this morning from Sister M., who has returned to her home on the Potomac. She gives me an account of many “excitements” to which they are exposed from the landing of Yankees, and the pleasure they take in receiving and entertaining Marylanders coming over to join us, and others who go to their [...]

Feby 20        Went over to see Mrs Irwin her husband used to keep the Mansion house in Greenville we met there. Mrs Lockwood the Miliner of the Village & Mrs Irwin sees every one in her bed chamber. Mrs Lockwood is a good looking woman and talked very sensibly of her business which just now [...]

FEBRUARY 20th.—We have exciting news from the West. The iron-shod gunboat, Queen of the West, which run past Pemberton’s batteries some time since, captured, it appears, one of our steamers in Red River, and then compelled our pilot to steer the Queen of the West farther up the river. The heroic pilot ran the boat [...]

February 20, 1863, The New York Herald The theory of storms has of late years attracted the attention of many persons throughout the civilized world, and constant experiments have been made by those who have given the matter special study to test the practicability of foreseeing the approach of heavy gales in time to give [...]

February 20, 1863, The Charleston Mercury PORT HUDSON, February 17.—Captain CANNON, from Red River, brings information of the capture of the Yankee ram steamer Queen of the West at GORDON’S Landing, Fort Taylor, on Red River. It appears that the Queen of the West had captured the Confederate transport Era No. 5, and forced her [...]

February 20, 1863, The Charleston Mercury The correspondent of the Jackson Appeal, writing from Vicksburg on the 12th inst., says: From present appearances one is led to infer that the enemy near this city is about perfecting his arrangements for an offensive move, and that the shock of battle cannot be much longer delayed. For [...]

February 20, 1863, The New York Herald Our White Oak Church Correspondence. NEAR WHITE OAK CHURCH, Va., Feb. 16, 1863. Great excitement was created here during the last day or two, owing to a rumored movement in advance of our pontoon trains. On inquiry I learn that the movement was nothing more than the returning [...]

Camp Winder, February 20, 1863. I have been improving since I got back to camp, and now begin to feel that I am quite well. I trust that it may continue, for during the last six months I have suffered much from the fact that I have seldom been very well. Until this morning we [...]

February 20, 1863, The New York Herald No movement has been made in General Hooker’s army within the past few days. Our correspondence from there today, however, is very interesting. The men are in good spirits and in far better condition than the roads. The enemy are said to be considerably reduced in numbers, and [...]