[from the diary of William F. Hunter, Co. B., 97th Ohio]

        Nov. 27th, ’62.
Still in camp.
Thanksgiving day.

[transcript by Mary Roy Dawson Edwards]

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[from the diary of John Ward of the 102nd Pennsylvania]

Nov 27th tusrday
the Present  oft
the Unigite States
was at the Landing
to day and left
for Washington City
this moning on the
mial  Boat Baltimore
Genl Burnside
and Lincon  held
a consulton  on the
mail Boat at the
landing at aquice
crick on the 26th
Mrs Burnside Was
Left for Washigton
City to Day

[from the diary of James Dinsmore Templeton, former musician and private in the 23rd Ohio]

Thursday, Nov. 27, 1862

Left Smiley Caldwe
lls this morning
went over to Steves
did not find
him at home
Remained there
until after dinner
he came back at
noon. went from
there to the Church
heard [sermon?]
after which went
to Uncle Cooks
but Maxwells there
they had just returned
from Pitsburg
Cloudy cool indicating
of snow

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[from the diary of Joseph Addison Waddell, former newspaper publisher and civilian employee of the Quartermaster Dept.]

[from the diary of Mary S. Boydon of “Hopedale,” Abemarle County, Va.]

 Thursday 27th  Mr.
Hunt Powell & two other soldiers called here
today.  Mr P. was very polite, but the other
two certainly were not gentlemen. One was
Nat McGhee, brother of Frank, whom I had
known while at Mr Colston’s.  But I never
should have recognized him.  I am afraid
he thought I wished to cut him–the other
young man was a Mr Harrison-a very dis=
=gusting person-I fancied Mr. Powell msh
was ashamed of his friends-

Precept-” Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of
you an evil hear of unbelief, in departing from
the living God”–Heb 3:12

Prayer– “Lord what wilt thou have me to do?”- Acts 9:6

Promise-“The Lord shall preserve thee from all Evil .” 

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[from the diary of Eliza Oswald Hill, refugee from Wilmington, N.C.]

Thursday 27th  bitter cold–I have just received a long letter from
May she has been suffering very much again–Joes house
he was living in is burnt down–Thought to have caught
from his room chimney which was built with clay-
His new house not yet finished-I feel truly sorry about it
particularly as he could not save all of his things–Richd
has made 7 barrels of syrup & 2 of sugar-& is making salt
Mary says he has had an offer for Fairfields & she thinks
he will sell it–Mrs Campbell–Mrs & Miss Mallett have
just called to see us—The sun is out brilliantly this morning.

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[from the diary of Anne Madison Willis Ambler]

Tom has been like a different child=has
not refused to say his letters since & runs
up whenever I ask him–Has said them  all
over three times to day.  I don’t think I will
try whipping him again thought if I can
possibly help it–It is terrible to excite
such a spirit in so small a child. I
would rather hold it in check;
F[annie] E[mma] & I walked again & when we returned
B[ertie] & I went a mile to see a very poor girl
Ellen O Leary–whom we heard was sick=
Truly it was the abode of “filth & wretchedness”-
I never saw a more miserable family-There
are only two girls, daughters of an Irishman who
seems to be a decent working man, but his home
& children exceed everything in dirt that
I ever looked at…Met Pa as he was
returning & he told me that the day before the
Yankees had come up to  his factory & destroyed
all the machinery, & broken the factory all to
pieces inside.  His loss is about 8000-though
some of the machinery belonged to the
man who rents it Watson.

[transcribed in 1972 by her granddaughter Anne Madison Wright Baylor]

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[from the diary of William M. Blackford, bank officer and former diplomat with five sons in the Confederate Army]

Thursday 27  cold & clear–Ice seen
in the streets & in the buckets. No
news from the army– things
remain in status quo about Fredg.
The good old town may yet escape
destruction.  Nothing of any moment.
-Robert Saunders, Mrs Davis & her
daughter Lucy arrived this eveng
-the ladies bound to the University.

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[from the diary of Jesse Calvin Spaulding, Co. F. 25th Massachusetts]

Wednesday
Nov 26
Rainy so we had no drill this fore-
noon.  There was a lot of secesh citizens
sent out of our lines to-day.  This afternoon we had
a long drill in marching and bayonet exercise.
Aldrich staid with me last night.

MSS 11293

                               U of Va Nov 26th 1862
Gen J. H. Cocke
                     My Dear Friend,
                                        Your favor of the
20th inst reached me on the 24th two days ago-
I learn from Dr Cabell’s family that, just now,
our friend Mr F. Minor, is engaged in killing pork
both for himself, and, largely for the Government
          He will finish next week, and then be at
comparative leisure, when, if the roads and the
weather prove favorable, you may expect his team.
        Mr Skipwith requested me to enquire of Mr
Alex Rives whether he was willing to sell his
Nelson estate, “Oak Ridge”- Please say to Mr S.
that I have not been able to find Mr R. since
you were here-First he was absent somewhere
near the “Maryland line” while his wife, and a
Mrs Suart, “ran the blockade” to Baltimore and to
Washington-and immediately, upy t upon their
safe return, he went out to Oak ridge and will
not return for a week longer–Dr Schele, his son
in law, thinks it not probable that Mr R would be
disposed, at this time, to part with his Nelson farm
      Mrs McGuffey and I are greatly pleased with the
prospect, that Mr Skipwith’s contemplated visit to Mr S’s
farm, gives of our seeing you (and him) again under
our roof again this autumn–Pray do not fail to come
if convenient–It revives us all to see and converse with

[page 2]
you both in regard to the things of this life and
that which to come–We meet with five friends
whose views in relation to the war and the Confed-
eracy, seem to us so just-and we see no one
with whose anticipations of the life to come we more
entirely sympathise–Is it not strange, my dear
Friend that any rational man should be willing
to forego-the hopes of the Gospel in any period of human
life, but especially in old age-when flesh and heart
begin to fail us?- The christian’s hope is a living hope
while that of all without Christ is wither a dying, or
even now a dead hope-We look forward to a cer-
tain inheritance–being children of God-that is incorrupt
able, undefiled and that fadeth not away–
But some may say-“Tho’ the inheritance is sure since
it is reserved in Heaven-may we not fail of it thro our
manifold imperfections! NO! thanks be to God who giveth
us the victory thro’ our Lord, Jesus-christ-The inheritance
is reserved in Heaven for us– and we are kept by by[sic] the
power of God (for it) this faith–see 1st Peter-chap 1st-
      All are well at the U of va–I see your grandson
almost every day–He is well reported of by his professors–
A students prayer meeting has been established It meets on
wednesday evenings–also a Bible class, for students on
sabbath morning- – Our kindest regards to all with
you-  yours as ever W H McGuffey

William Holmes McGuffey, 1800-1872, professor of moral philosophy at the University of Virginia and author of the famous McGuffey readers, used by generations of school children

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