Franklin County: Diary of Amos Stouffer (1863)
1863
January, 1863
January, Tuesday, 6, 1863
A soft changeable morning . . . . Sherman failed to capture Vicksburg. A terrible battle. Heavy loss.
January, Wednesday, 7, 1863
A cold stormy day . . . . Murfreesboro captured by Rosecrans after a terrible battle. Our loss stated at 10,000 killed and wounded, the rebel loss at 20,000. We had 19 colonels killed. Lieutenant Col. Housun Foundryman was killed.
January, Thursday, 8, 1863
A cold winter day . . . . All accounts from Murfreesboro make it one of the hardest battles of the war.
January, Thursday, 22, 1863
A dull soft cloudy morning . . . . A Lieut. ford of the Provost guard who went to Fulton county to arrest a drafter man was shot by the same.
January, Saturday, 24, 1863
A cool winter day . . . . The man who shot the Lieutenant was captured in the McConnellsburg jail. He hid himself in one of the cells. He was brought to town and put in jail.
February, 1863
February, Friday, 20, 1863
A cool but pleasant day. Lieu. Ford, the man shot by a drafted man in Fulton Co., is dead.
February, Friday, 27, 1863
A warm spring like day . . . . The steamer Star of the West is reported captured by the Rebels through the treachery of her pilot.
March, 1863
March, Wednesday, 4, 1863
A sharp frosty morning . . . . A fight at Charlestown reported . . . . Reported capture of fort McAlister in Savanna harbor.
March, Friday, 6, 1863
A cool pleasant winter day . . . . No important news to day but a call for 600,000 men.
May, 1863
May, Friday, 1, 1863
A warm pleasant day. Planted a little corn in the after noon. News from the war is cheering.
May, Saturday, 23, 1863
A very warm day. The roads very dusty. A great time in town giving the 126th Regiment a grand reception, their time being out. Ben & I march with the Academic Cadets [from the Chambersburg Academy] by request . . . . We marched with our arms and equipments after the regiment, the fire Co's and all. Were nearly a mile long.
June, 1863
June, Wednesday, 3, 1863
A fine warm day. Cloudy. Sometimes a slight sprinkle of rain . . . . Vicksburg not taken yet. Soon will be.
June, Wednesday, 10, 1863
A warm cloudy day. Working on the corn . . . Rebels reported coming. Good deal of excitement.
June, Thursday, 11, 1863
A warm cloudy day, raining this evening. Gen. Stoneman defeated the rebs at Culpepper, so they will not get here for a while. Maj. Gen. Couch will have his headquarters in town in a few days. This is a new department.
June, Friday, 12, 1863
A warm summer day. Masons here putting up the foundation for the house by the falls. Carpenters here also. Rumors of another Rebel raid. Impossible to tell how true or untrue.
June, Saturday, 13, 1863
A warm day working at the house, plowing corn &c. Landis here over night. A good deal of excitement yet about the Rebs.
June, Sunday, 14, 1863
A warm day. Self and B. Landis went to town. Great excitement there. Moving all the Government stores out of town and sending them down the rail road. The excitement is very great and they are raising 500 cavalry to scout the country for information about the rebs.
June, Monday, 15, 1863
A warm day. The excitement is very great about the rebs. No one is at work about here except to hide their valuables. It is reported that they are in Greencastle. Self & Andy in town this evening. The Provost guard came in while we were there. They had a skirmish with them at Green Castle. They are coming for sure. Andy and James took the horses to the mountains.
June, Tuesday, 16, 1863
A warm day. The Rebs are in town. The great body have followed Milroy's wagon trains which went through town yesterday. About 500 wagons and 2,000 horses-a very valuable train. The rebs are mannerly yet and do not disturb private property. They have their pickets all around us. Our news is cut off and we are under rebel rule.
June, Wednesday, 17, 1863
A warm day. No work going on at all. The Rebels are still here, scouring the country for horses. Their pickets are stationed all around us. 2 O'clock A.M. The Rebs are just leaving town. Before they left they made the citizens give up their guns, which they broke up. One of the Rebs set Oak's and Limm's warehouse on fire, but it outened.
June, Thursday, 18, 1863
A warm day. The Rebs have all left Chambersburg and it is quiet again, but the horses have not come home yet. They would not be very safe yet. 1 O'clock A.M. Another wild report that the Rebs are coming. Men & women running away from town. A great excitement. The Rebs hold Hagerstown in strong force. Self on picket all night between Greencastle and town.
June, Friday, 19, 1863
A fine day. Still a great deal of excitement about the Rebs, who are scouring the country in every direction about Waynesboro, Greencastle, Mercersburg [and] Finkstown for horses and cattle and Negroes. The excitement is very great down the road towards Harrisburg. Worse than here. No troops have come as yet.
June, Saturday, 20, 1863
A fine warm day. The excitement runs very high yet about the rebs, who are as yet in the county and are reported very strong-from 10,000 to 80,000-across the Potomac, by Harpers ferry. Self to Shippensburg yesterday carrying letters down. May & Ben are down the county and can not come home. We have no mail from him as the Rebs burnt Scotland bridge.
June, Sunday, 21, 1863
A fine summer day. A shower in the after noon. The Excitement about the rebs is very high yet. The 8th N.Y. State Militia came to town to day. The 71st is to be here in a short time. The Rebs stole Tailor's drove of cattle up in the mountain and got them across the river. 8 O'clock P.M. The rebs are at Hughes Rolling mill this evening. About 1,000 of them went through Green Castle last evening. They take horses, cattle, sheep, hogs, &c. Our pickets are stationed at the Gate house. We have scarcely 1,000 men in all with our home guard.
June, Tuesday, 23, 1863
A fine day. The rebs are coming again. J. Landis got me to take his horses down the valley this morning. Went to Landis's, and from there I went on a scout to hunt up Ben & James Warner. Could not find them. About 2 o'clock I got back to Shippensburg. The excitement was very great, so I went to Landis's and took my horses to the mountain below Newburg and staid there over night. The Rebs came to Chambersburg about 10 o'clock.
June, Wednesday, 24, 1863
A fine day. The Rebs came to Shippensburg to day. They are in strong force-Cavalry, Infantry & Artillery-the whole under the command of Lee, Commander in Chief of the Rebel Army. This is no mere raid. It is a formidable invasion. Self at the mountain with a farmer by the name of Pie. Our forces at Harrisburg are under McClellan.
June, Thursday, 25, 1863
A fine, warm, cloudy day. The rebs are scouring Franklin, Cumberland, York & Adams counties for horses and cattle. They have come no lower down than Shippensburg yet; think their object is to attack Baltimore. Self with my stock of six horses in the mountains, yet went out on a scout in the morning. Found the rebs near Newburg, but made my escape.
June, Friday, 26, 1863
A wet, rainy day. The rebs are in Newburg. Took about 100 head of cattle. They are every place you hear off in this part of the State, taking [a] great many horses & cattle. Lee's whole army is in our valley-about 90,000 men. We do not know where Hooker is with our army. Some say on the Potomac by Williamsport, others at Baltimore. Self at the mountains with the horses. Do not know where Ben & Andy are. Think at Miller's or at Harrisburg.
June, Saturday, 27, 1863
A cloudy, rainy day. The rebs are still in my vicinity about Newburg, Strausburg, Orrstown, and Roxbury. About home the Rebs are thick as may be. Some 20,000 marched past here towards Baltimore. A. P. Hill's Division and several others. Their wagon trains were a couple [of] miles in length. They had 18 pieces of Artillery. They encamped out by Luckyfoot. Our army at Harrisburg under McClellan is reported 60,000 strong. Mostly militia. Some of our drafted men are there.
June, Sunday, 28, 1863
A fine warm day. The Rebels are marching down the valley. I can hear their drums and wagon trains quite plain from my camp as they are going down the pike towards Carlisle. It is Ewell's (formerly Jackson's) and Longstreet's divisions-about 25,000 men. This evening they are reported to be in Carlisle. Ewell has his headquarters in the Barracks.
To day the rebs robbed the mill of several hundred bush. of corn & oats. About 15,000 rebs marched past towards Baltimore.
June, Monday, 29, 1863
Cloudy. Things look a little better about Newburg. The rebs have all left this morning. I started on a scout. Went to Newburg. No rebels there. Went at [to] Orrstown, where they gave me a chase. From there I went at [to] Strausburg, as my retreat to Newburg was cut off. There they chased me again from them. I went to Roxbury. No rebs there, but in half an hour they came in and I had to cross the mountain. Went to Madin's and got my dinner and then went to Joseph Ryder's up [the] valley about Fannettsburg and stay over night. At home the rebs are robbing the mill, and they pressed it into their service and made us grind for them.
June, Tuesday, 30, 1863
A warm cloudy day yesterday. I came home. Had my horse captured at Loudon's and walked home. I got a pass in town to get out to day. The rebs are marching past all day. Immense baggage trains trudging along all day with a great many captured cattle and horses from Hooker's army. We hear nothing, but know that he is close at hand. The rebs have gave up all hope of going to Harrisburg. There were 42 pieces of artillery taken past here to day. Mary is yet at Lasicus.
July, 1863
July, Wednesday, 1, 1863
A cloudy wet day. Self and J. Bowman planting tobacco. No large bodies of troops went past to day, but almost every man, horse, and wagon you see going along is rebel Stuart's cavalry men. Along yesterday Stoneman threshed them up towards the Potomac and drove them this way. To day the rebs are encamped towards Fayetteville. Gen. Lee has moved his quarters from Shelter's wood to near Fayetteville. The rebs are tearing down the rail road building in town and tearing up the track for miles and burn the sills and bend the rails. They also threaten to tear down the Court House. Gen. Ewell has moved from Carlisle towards Baltimore with about 25,000 men.
July, Thursday, 2, 1863
A fine growing summer day. The rebs are yet thick about us. About 2 O'clock this afternoon there were not many here and nine of our cavalry made a dash on the rebs' pickets at J. Metzer's and captured 20 of them. There was sharp firing and great excitement for a while. The rebs were taken by surprise. It was one of the boldest dashes yet made. There were also some 40 rebs taken at Fayetteville. This evening about 1,000 cavalry and artillery men came here and encamped in our grass field at Bowman's, and in the lot at Baker's, and in D. Stouffers' field at the dam. They stole all the bees. They took chickens &c. in the neighborhood, 150 bush. of corn from us, for which they paid in Conf. script. They left about 1 o'clock at night. In the morning early I went up to the C.H. and got an old horse they left [loose?] in the woods. They left a dead horse in the field and a good many kettles &c.
July, Friday, 3, 1863
A fine cloudy day. The reb[s] all left last night about midnight. They were uneasy about the Yankees. They stole all the bees & chickens in the neighborhood. We have heard rumors of a great battle going on about Gettysburg. The rebs are in a tight place and I think will leave thousands in this state to be buried. General Mead has superceded Hooker, he being unwell. The troops are offered so fast that transportation cannot be afforded fast enough.
July, Saturday, 4, 1863
A wet day. A very heavy rain in the afternoon. The waters are very high. May prevent the Rebels from crossing the Potomac. They are still fighting over the mountain. They acknowledge they are getting whipped. A very sad affair occurred at Shelter's this morning. Absalom Shelter hung himself. He has been in trouble for a good while. The rebels took all his horses and told him when they came back they would take all the crops along. It made him very uneasy. His wife found him. He was not quite dead yet, but soon died. I went up directly. He was quite warm yet and looked quite natural.
July, Sunday, 5, 1863
A wet rainy day. Last night it rained very hard. The waters are all very high. It will be impossible for the rebs to cross the Potomac for a while now. Last night and this morning we heard their trains going along the Waynesboro road to get back to Virginia. The Rebs have been terribly cut up. Over the mountains a force of our men captured about a dozen wagon loads of their wounded and had them to town. Some had their legs and some their arms shot entirely off. It is reported that they are retreating this way. Absalom Shelter was buried in the grave yard this forenoon. His friends took it very hard. He looked very natural and held his color. There is every now and then a few rebels going along the pike, but they are all prisoners.
July, Monday, 6, 1863
A fine warm cloudy day. Self, J. Bowman & James Warner planting tobacco. Finished. About 500 of Pleasonton's cavalry and a section of Artillery came this evening and encamped the battery in our patch by Baker's and the cavalry in Uncle Daniel's field by the [Rocky] Spring road. Self to town a while. In the hospital there is more hurt rebels. There is about 70. Some are very bad cases. By telegraph we have glorious news. Vicksburg has unconditionally surrendered [on July 4]. General Mead has defeated Lee at Gettysburg and captured 118 pieces of Artillery and 25,000 prisoners.
July, Tuesday, 7, 1863
A fine warm cloudy day. Self, B. Losch & J. Warner started out for the battle field this morning. Got there about 11 o'clock. Saw a great many rebels and some few Union soldiers that were not buried. They are swelled up very much and as black as any Negro. Horses are lying in all directions. It is one of the most terrible sights one can look upon. Arms and equipment strew the ground. Our men had decidedly the best position. Our artillery was posted on high ground and commanded the field for miles around. Our infantry was posted behind stone walls &c. Long lines of rifle pits and entrenchments were thrown up by the men. It was the greatest battle of modern times. The rebel army was routed completely.
July, Wednesday, 8, 1863
Raining all night and raining till near noon. A perfect flood, which must render the Potomac impassable for a week at least. After the rain we started out and went all over the battle field, which extends for some 10 or more miles around. It is covered with men, Horses, arms, equipments, &c. Wagon loads of muskets and cartridge boxes. The fences are all thrown down and grain and corn fields so trodden down that one can hardly tell what was in them. The smell on the field is terrible. I saw thousands of shells that had not exploded. In one place about 15 feet squared I counted 26 shells. I saw trees 2 feet in diameter pierced through with shot and shell. Small trees were entirely cut off. We slept in a barn. The large houses were usually hospitals.
July, Thursday, 9, 1863
A fine warm cloudy day. We started for home this morning. Each took a rifle and Cartridge box along. Mine is a Virginia gun made in Richmond. We went around by Mumelsburg and Orrstown. Left the guns on the mountain with James where he lives. He got sick and staid at home. Benton, Dash & Self came home tired. Walked near 40 miles as we got lost several times in the roads through the mountains. At home it is reported that the rebs are at greencastle, Hagerstown, Waynesboro, &c. and expected to have another terrible fight tomorrow. Some 12,000 of our men are expected from Harrisburg tonight. Andy and Ben have not come home yet with the horses. They are below Lancaster city.
July, Friday, 10, 1863
A fine warm cloudy day. The news from both armies is very meager to day, but no general engagement has come off yet, though they are skirmishing all the time. Self & J. Bowman planting tobacco and hoeing sugarcain. Ben, Andy, Mary, Leach, & Banbury Stouffer came home this evening. They have been away a long time and were glad to get home. Saw a great many troops on the way. Had their wagon pressed to haul goods about.
July, Saturday, 11, 1863
A warm day. Preparing to harvest. Got the reaper in order. Ground the knives, &c. No news of importance yet from either armies. The rebs are entrenching them selves below Hagerstown and the great battle of the campaign, it is thought, is to be fought. The river is yet high. They are constructing rafts to get their wagons across. It goes slow. Ben & Adam S. went to the battle field to day in Abner's buggy. The New York militia that are coming up from Harrisburg it is said destroy more property than the rebs. Our own people dred them very much.
July, Sunday, 12, 1863
A fine warm cloudy and rainy day. No general engagement has yet taken place, though we hear cannonading every day. To day several hundred Negroes from Washington were taken through here from Gettysburg to work on the rail road here. They were stationed about Alexandria and were drilled in Heavy Artillery. Ben & Adam came home this evening. They were made [to] haul a rebel prisoner to town. They say that our men are still burying and burning the dead rebels and horses that were missed by the commissioners appointed to bury the dead. If any citizen takes any thing off the field and is caught at it, he is made [to] help burn horses for a few days or so. Andy went over last night about 2 o'clock. J. Bowman rode along.
July, Monday, 13, 1863
A cloudy rainy day. Heavy showers. They are busy working on the rail road. Brigadier Gen. Haupt came here to day and pressed our teams to haul slabs and some joists from the saw mill. They must have the road done in two days. He said it is torn up for 8 or 10 miles. Dr. Senseney has charge of the hospital arrangements. He is getting the Academy and other big buildings fitted up for hospitals in anticipation of the wounded when the great fight comes off at Hagerstown. Gen. Lee and his army are in a tight place. Vicksburg is taken without a doubt and things look dark on the side of the rebs. Their army was terribly cut up at Gettysburg.
July, Tuesday, 14, 1863
A fine warm day. Cloudy. We are all working in the saw mill getting out slabs and sawing rail road ties. Henry Ryder's team is hauling too. There are a great many reports from the front. The rebs are crossing their trains and plunder as fast as they can. They have torn up all the floors in the houses about Williams Port to make pontoons. Most likely Lee will get his army over yet, though the people think his annihilation or capture certain. Andy and Ryder's teams are pressed hard. Some foods, tents &c., for the 20th Reg[iment] up towards greencastle. The grain is very ripe.
July, Wednesday, 15, 1863
A fine warm growing day. Harvested to day, opening around the field. Gen. Haupt came this morning to tell us that we need not saw any more railroad stuff as the Rebs are all across the river and the road will be left as he and his men are ordered to Alexandria. The rebs have lost about 40,000 men by this invasion. The news is very cheering from the South. Port Hudson is reported captured with 18,000 men prisoners. Charleston has again been attacked with success so far. Gen. Bragg is retreating from Chattanooga. By the capture of Vicksburg we have secured 33,000 prisoners, 66,000 stands of small arms, 200 pieces of artillery, $150,000 worth of clothing, and about a dozen general officers.
July, Thursday, 16, 1863
A fine warm day. Harvesting. Andy got home last night. To day we are running the reaper. I took sick about 10 o'clock. Stopped binding and drove till dinner. Did not go out in the after noon. The news is very cheering from every post. Port Hudson is captured beyond a doubt. 7,000 prisoners. Bragg is falling back from Rosecrans. Catherine P., John P's wife, died to day at Joseph Ryder's. She has been poorly a long time.
July, Friday, 17, 1863
A wet cloudy day . . . . Heavy firing towards Harpers ferry. Kelly is supposed to be fighting Lee's retreating hords. His force is reduced by one half.
July, Saturday, 18, 1863
A wet cloudy day . . . . The capture of Charleston is going on finely. About a dozen ironclad monitors are firing away with their 400 lbs. shot.
July, Monday, 20, 1863
A fine warm summer day . . . . No news from the army of any importance. Morgan has made a raid into Indiana. He is reported captured.
July, Tuesday, 21, 1863
A very pleasant day . . . . Charleston not yet captured, but the fight is favorably progressing. Morgan's men have been captured by our men.
July, Wednesday, 22, 1863
A fine summer day. Finished cutting to day. Hauled in 4 loads in the afternoon. Have not made my hay yet, owing to the Rebs who have pastured nearly all our grass. Morgan's whole band have been captured. He himself only escaped. He had a great deal of Artillery. [Morgan had four guns.]
July, Thursday, 23, 1863
A fine warm summer day. No thing particular from the army to day. The news from Vicksburg and Port Hudson are even better than first reported. On the 4th of July we captured about 50,000 prisoners in all.
July, Friday, 24, 1863
A fine warm cloudy day . . . . The rebel army is at Winchester & Martinsburg, half starved.
July, Sunday, 26, 1863
A fine warm day and very warm by times. Self & Bill went to Landy to see about a 100 captured horses that the government has their in pasture. Knew none of them, though several were claimed by men hunting theirs. There were 6 dead horses laying in the fields, which they were burying.
July, Monday, 27, 1863
A warm fore noon. Cloudy most of the time. Rained right fast about noon. Clearing in the after noon . . . . There is a report there is 2,500 rebel cavalry at McConnellsburg, Fulton Co., Pa. It has been confirmed this evening. They do not think that they will come here. They are stealing horses in the main.
July, Tuesday, 28, 1863
A warm summer day . . . . No news of the rebs of any importance. Those reported at McConnellsburg have all left. They were a mere stealing party of Guerillas, possibly part of Morgan's men who escaped with him. They are demoralized very much.
July, Friday, 31, 1863
A fine warm day. Self in town in the morning. Mowing with the Scythe in the fore noon. Cut with the machine in the after noon. Self making fence. A colored man set in to work to day. He is from Alabama. He deserted from the rebs at Waynesboro.
August, 1863
August, Saturday, 1, 1863
A fine warm day. Self and James making fence around the woods that the rebs had torn down . . . . No news of great importance.
August, Monday, 10, 1863
A very warm day . . . . Lee is reported to be preparing for another invasion.
August, Monday, 24, 1863
A fine warm day . . . . There is a great sale at Gettysburg to commence today of condemned U.S. horses.
August, Tuesday, 25, 1863
A fine warm morning. A little cloudy. Self started to Gettysburg to buy up a lot of horses. Went in a four horse machine. The band wagon got there about two o'clock, just in time to be to[o] late as the sale was all over. There were to have been 850 horses & mules sold, which but 104 were sold. No cause given why the sale was stopped. Suppose they sold to[o] high for the speculators and they bribed the agents to stop, and sell at short notice some other time. They were under bidders. Thus, I came home again in the evening.
August, Wednesday, 26, 1863
A cool day . . . . Fort Sumter has fallen and the gunboats are shelling Charleston.
August, Friday, 28, 1863
A fine cool pleasant day . . . . The draft for our township came off. I escaped, but not all of my acquaintances [did] . . . . Our flag waves over Sumter.
August, Sunday, 30, 1863
A cool fresh forenoon . . . . Our flag waves over Sumter & Fort Waggoner, and may be over Charleston.
September, 1863
September, Thursday, 3, 1863
A fine warm day . . . . Pa at the sale of condemned Government horses at Camp McClure. Did not buy any.
September, Friday, 4, 1863
A fine warm summer day . . . . A good deal of talk yet about the rebels coming, as Stewart's cavalry is in business around martinsburg way.
September, Friday, 11, 1863
A warm cloudy day . . . . Morris Island is in our possession and Chattanooga also. Both are very important victories.
September, Wednesday, 16, 1863
A fine warm summer day . . . . The news from the war is favorable. Moultrie has surrendered. In Mobile there was a great bread riot. 600 women & children went with clubs, axes, &c., demanding bread or blood.
September, Thursday, 24, 1863
A fine day . . . . Rosecrans has had another battle in the west.
September, Friday, 25, 1863
A fine cool autumn day. . . . The battle at Chattanooga was a terrible one. The loss on both sides will be about 40,000.
September, Saturday, 26, 1863
A right cool day. Frank & I went to a Copperhead mass meeting in Shippensburg in the evening. Stenger from this place & Shackley from Carlisle spoke.
September, Wednesday, 30, 1863
Self & Jackson finished seeding . . . . Self to town in the evening to hear Mongomery, the editor of the Vicksburg Whig, speak. The Rebs had him in prison for his union sentiments. Grant left him out.
October, 1863
October, Sunday, 4, 1863
A fine warm day . . . . The 6 month Cavalry did not get discharged yesterday. They had discharged in a couple of companies when it was stoped. Reports of the rebels coming here are in circulation again. They tried to cross at sandy hook, but were drove back. Cannonading was heard by some of the neighbors all day and Saturday.
October, Monday, 5, 1863
A fine cool pleasant autumn day . . . . No news of any importance to day. The rebs are not here yet.
October, Tuesday, 6, 1863
A pleasant day . . . . The new Telegraph line among the pike from Gettysburg is being put up right fast. The rebs are up about half way or near it.
October, Saturday, 10, 1863
A cool morning. Pleasant day. Self & J. Strickler went this morning to Carlisle to the Union meeting held there to day. There was 12 large cars full of us, both inside and on top. The Band was down. Senator Wilson and a couple of New Yorkers spoke. It was a very large meeting. Gen. Butler was to be there but was not.
October, Tuesday, 13, 1863
A fine pleasant day. To day will decide the great question wether Copperheadism can compete successfully with Unionism. It will be a greater triumph for the country than the bloodiest victory.
October, Wednesday, 14, 1863
A fine day. The election returns are not near all in yet. But enough is known to make Curtin's majority 20,000 at least. Franklin gave him about 350 majority. This election has been a glorious victory for the Great Republic.
October, Thursday, 15, 1863
A fine cool day. The election has been conducted very quietly. But a very sad affair happened in town on the night of the election. Mr. Cabel, the Judge for Antrim town ship, was shot and instantly killed by a couple of soldiers. It was an accident in a manner as he was not the man they wanted to shoot. He was shot through the head and died instantly.
October, Friday, 16, 1863
A warm wet day . . . . There are a good many reports of the rebels coming again. Some reports have them in Sharpsburg, MD. The Army of the Potomac has been fighting the last few days with Lee's army.
October, Saturday, 17, 1863
A fine pleasant day . . . . There is a good deal of talk about the rebels coming.
October, Sunday, 18, 1863
A fine warm day. . . . There is still a good deal of excitement about the rebels. This evening it is very high.
October, Monday, 19, 1863
A wet unpleasant morning . . . . The reports about the rebels are bad yet, but [I] think Mead has out generaled Lee, so that there is not much danger of his coming soon.
October, Wednesday, 21, 1863
A fine warm summer like day . . . . The rebs are played out for this time, I think.
October, Friday, 23, 1863
A cool damp day . . . . Lee's army is making a retrograde movement towards Richmond.
October, Sunday, 25, 1863
A fine sharp fall day. This has been a quiet day excepting a little noise made by the few cavalrymen who are encamped in Shelter's woods, who were blowing the bugle a good deal more than the bill called for.
October, Tuesday, 27, 1863
A cool fall day . . . . The news from the Potomac are important but not known. Lee is retreating towards Richmond and Mead is after him is all that is known.
October, Wednesday, 28, 1863
A cool fall day . . . . Nothing new from the war, but the Removal of Gen. Rosecrans. Charges an unknown. Gen. Thomas will temporarily take command of the army of the cumberland.
October, Saturday, 31, 1863
A wet unpleasant morning . . . . The rebs attacked J. Hooker at midnight out in Tennasee, but he defeated them. A battle is expected between Lee & Mead soon.
November, 1863
November, Tuesday, 10, 1863
A cold raw day . . . . The news from the Army of the Potomac is very good. The army has crossed the Rapahanock again. Captured 1,800 prisoners, 7 piece of Artillery, 4 battle flags. The rebs are falling back before our troops.
November, Saturday, 14, 1863
A cool fall day . . . . Nothing new from the war. The rebs have crossed the Rapidan. Our men occupy this side of the river.
November, Wednesday, 18, 1863
A fine fall day. Self, Andy, Ben, James Warner & George Wonderlick started for Gettysburg this evening about 6 o'clock in our two horse wagon. Have a cover on. The Dedication and consecration of the National Cemetery will be tomorrow.
November, Thursday, 19, 1863
A very fine fall day. The day opened with the booming of cannon. Abe Lincoln, Gov. Cumin, Gov. Seymour, Gov. Todd, Gov. Brough, Maj. Gen Schnock, Maj. Gen Couch, Gen. Stoneman & several other Maj. Gens. were there and about a doz. Brigadier Gens. Shook hands with Old Abe & Curtin. Everet delivered the oration. The dead of the different states are all kept separate. It was a grand affair. About 30,000 people here. We came home in the evening. Emma & Matty Snivel went over with Adam.
November, Friday, 20, 1863
A fine day . . . . the affair at Gettysburg was certainly imposing. The military display was good. The Lodges from different parts of the state marched the officers of the Christian Commission in and several bands and batteries.
December, 1863
December, Wednesday, 9, 1863
A cool day . . . . Reports of the rebs' army again in circulation. There has been some firing heard in the direction of Harper's Ferry for the last few days.
December, Sunday, 13, 1863
A warm foggy day . . . . A good deal of fuss about the rebs to day. Think it is all Bosh.
