JANUARY
1 Wee marched for camp arrived at two o'clock Pm distance 15 ms. Wee was in A rekinoiter partey
2 Wee was mustered for two months pay had dress parade at four Pm it has been A vary fine day
3 Counter sine was New York it was a fine day and pleasant
4 Co inspection at three Pm dress parade at four Pm it is still pleasant weather to day
5 Co drill in the morning and Battalion drill in the afternoon dress parade at four Pm still pleasant
6 Co drill in the morning & Battalion drill in the afternoon no dress parade still pleasant
7 General Inspection at nine Am dress parade at four Pm the weather here is growning cold to day
8 There is A detail gon out of the Regt on picket and the rest are gon out on General Review all but A few that are sick
9 General polieceing of the camp dress parade at four Pm
10 Camp near Falmoth Va no stir in camp to day on account of it being rainey weather
11 No stir today till two Pm then the pickets return to camp the Counter sign at knight was Vermont
12 Co drill in the morning battalian drill in the after noon
13 dress parade at four pm
14 Co drill in the morning battalion drill in the after noon dress parade at four Pm it is vary fine weather
15 Vary windey & rainey sent the sick off to win mill point near Agua crick Va
16 Vary windey day orders Counter manded for marching Lt. Boardman officer of the guard
17 Vary cold day orders came from hed Qrs to march to morrow at 1 Pm on dress parade the Court marciels of Co I & C each man fined 50 dollars
18 Vary clear & cold and clear did not march
19 Vary cold and clear orders for marching is counter manded untill further orders
20 Marched at 3 Pm I was detailed to go with the division advance train did not leave camp the troops on the move
21 Vary cold & quite stormey the rain commenced about dark last night had to guard the train
22 vary cold & rainy vary muddy
23 started with the train to take raitians to the troops vary muddy got to Gen Griffins Hd Qrs at three o clock at night 3 wagons tipted over
24 Came back to camp through the mud got back at dark
25 mild Our Regt regulated their camp
26 mild weather Signed the pay roll and got my pay I got 50 dollars paid dets 5.50 that I owed
27 vary stormey & muddy
28 Snowing hard wrote A letter home and sent 30 dollars to father one twenty and one ten and A tract title my mother
29 Snow six inches deep thawed some got two letters from home and some kneedles pins & thread
30 Clear report that wee are to be relived to morrow bought one peck patatoes for 27 cts
31 got relived at 8 Am came to our regt from Division Hd Qr fixed up my tent bought two apples 5 cts each for memarandem well and healthy tough as A bear
FEBRUARY - 1863
1 Vary pleasant weather some wind bought one pen and holder for 10 cts one lead pencil 10 cts two cigars 5 cts each
2 Vary milde and pleasant wee are fixing our Co streets
3 vary cold and pleasant some wind
4 Vary clear and cold A vary cold raw wind cutting sundogs on the sun at 4 Pm I sent A letter home and A valentine to my sister marium sent valentine to miles blaiser
5 vary snowey and blustering cold Co inspection at 10 o clock Am gen inspection posponed 2 hours
6 vary muddy and vary warm standing guard up to standmans switch
7 stilll muddy and bad weather in the after noon the sun came out and it was warm - mud began to dry up
8 my fathr's birth day it is vary warm and pleasant yet muddy it is drying up fast had two Inspections
9 Vary pleasant had General inpsection at 10 Am mud drying up fast
10 my birthday it is vary pleasant and warm to day nothing doing in camp today
11 It is raining this morning I went on guard as corprel Officer of the guard Lt Cook officer of the day Lt. Patridge
12 Our Reg started out on picket this morning at half past seven Am I am not off guard yet some cloudey
13 It is vary pleasant to day I was relieved of guarig this morning at 8 am done nothing today
14 It is vary fine weather to day I went on guard this morning at 8 Am 8 privates & corperals 1 Sargent
15 It is raing hard to day I sent a paper to my folks the pickets
16 It was A rainy happy fine day the left wing set out trees in their streets wee had inspection of quarters by A Sitzen of detroit his name was Parsons
17 It was snowing when we got up and it snowed all day and untill wundown and then turned cold and fearse the snow is 5 inches deep
18 It is misting this morning two ofmy tentmates is on guard Lt nice office of guard Lt Eadey officer of the day
19 It is vary pleasant and the sun shines vary warm I was detailed to help make a guard house when night came the snow was moste gone
20 Vary pleasant not A bit of snow to bee seen worked on the guard house half of the day
21 vary fine morning one man out of my tent on guard one at plieceng I hav got to work on the guard house
22/23 It is snowing vary hard it commenced at ten last night and this morning the snow was about six inches and now it is 10 inches still snowing there has eight baterys fired this morning thirty two guns for a naitional salute for General Geor
24 it is warm and there is not much stir in camp it is thawing to day i am doing nothing
25 It is warm to day the Colonel helping the men make A snow fort and tomorrow wee expect to have a battle about it wee shall know to morrow
26 Yesterday the men made A snow fort and to day it has rained all day and there is no snow on the ground so they will hav to let the fort go
27 this morning it is still raining there is no stir in the camp an dnot much to to content my self with
28 It has stoped raining and loocks fair the mug is drying up some im to work on the guard house to day and wee finished it
Dont steal this book for fear of shame for here you finde the owners name
George W Ervay Co/" H 16th Regt Mich Inft. Vols. Camp near Falmoth Va
MARCH
1 it is vary fine wee weather and the mud is drying up fast I wrote a letter to my folks and one to ______ O dats all
2 it is vary pleasant to day the men is making fence around hour camp i backed up one load of brush for to make it
3 pleasant and clear I am on guard today it is now night and it is vary pleasant and the moon shines bright i got a letter from home dated Feb 20
4 I hav just come off guard and last night it was vary clear and cold today the wind blows vary hard I got a pass and went and seen lin blanchard
5 it is vary pleasant and cold wee had co drill at 10 o clock this morning wee did not hav any battalion drill to day i got A letter from James and wrote an answer to it
6 it was pleasant to day there was no drill in the four noon batalion drill in the after noon dress parade at 5 Pm
7 it is pleasant and looks like spring It does not look much like marching at present - wee had inspection at 3 Pm mess at 8 Pm
8 pleasant and spring like weather I & Owen bought one navey plug of tobaco I workd some on my haunal pipe
9 it was pleasant to day I got excused from drill to do my washing I got A letter saying that it was expected that MH was A going to marrey JB
10 To day it is raining one year ago today wee left halls hill to commence the campain on Richmond and it is not taken yet ninder lined by pipe with tin
11 Here it is night wee started to come on picket wee started at 8 Am and got here at 11 am wee are on the reserve I hav just loaded my gun to bee on the aleart
12 it was vary pleasant this morning i was detailed to go out on one of the out posts one of BSS shot himself night comes and it is cold
13 It was vary fine spring morning before noon the wind blew and it snowed for A few minutes vary fast wee was relieved from post at 9 Am and fell back on the reserve
14 It was vary fine all day to day wee was relieved on picket at 10 Am and started for camp arived at one Qr past 12 Pm distance 6 ms dress parade at 5 Pm roll call 8 Pm
15 it was pleasant all day to day I detailed for guard but van dusen missed roll call and had to go on in my place
16 it was pleasant and fine day i went on guard was no 9 in the first relief Lt Topin officer of the guard officer of the day Lt Brown at twelv o clock the drums had awoken the Irish brigade
17 It is pleasant St Patrick day in the mornin I was reliefed off guard at half past eight Am Co drill in the morning batalion two Pm
18 pleasant. co drill at 10 Am played ball all the after noon dress parade at 5 Pm roll call at 8 in the eaveing
19 pleasant but cool i got a pass in the morning and went over and see Lin Blanchard wee had Battalion in the after noon Capt foolin drilled us and hee was so drunk hee had to dismiss us
20 It is snowing this morning one of my co is going to A court marshal so that one of my tent mates has got to go on guard
21 It has snowed today it is ______ ______ ______ has not ______ any ______ men (this entry was almost totally illegible--faded)
22 It is pleasant tod ay It rained last night so that it washed all of the snow away I was on guard today officer of the guard Lt Burns & Lt Bordsman
23 it was vary foggy allnight it is pleasant to day I ws relieved off guard at 9 Am and cleaned my gun and then played ball the rest of the day
24 it has rained some today but not enough to make it much mudy had no drill dress parade at 5 Pm
25 it is some rainey to day wee was to hav A review but it was posponed on acocunt of the rain had drill in the after noon
26 It is cloudey this morning was to hav review at 11 but it was posponed at 12 had order to get ready for review went on review 1 Am Reviewed by general Reed and Griffin
27 pleasant - some cool in the morning drill in the morning and battalion drill in the after noon
28 It is raining like the old boy last night I went to A dance I was on guard to day I am No 10 on the first relief & Lynn Sargent of the guard Officer of guard Lt Belcher Day capt Elliott
29 It is pleasant but windey was relieved off guard at 11 Am and was not vary well got A letter from home with somewhite linin thread in it
30 pleasant and warm I am sick went to the Dock and got excused I wrote a leter home and sent three Sunday School banners
31 It was not vary plesant in the morning last night It commenced to snow and rain and it continued untill to day at 11 Am at two in the after noon the snow was all gone I went after wood for my tent there was no drill dress parade at five Pm
Last of March
Source:
Marjorie A. Neufer
Electrical Engineering
PO Box 116200
University of Florida 32611-6200
mneuf@admin.ee.ufl.edu
904 392-0913
904 392-8671 FAX