[From the diary of Anne Madison Willis Ambler as transcribed by her grand daughter Anne Madison Wright Baylor in 1972]]

Monday night Jan 12th 1863
   It is almost a month since I have
written in my Journal & I will not go back
& write over each day’s events but give a short
 sketch so that I can refer to it when I
am so inclined.  In the first place
my greatest pleasure was derived from the
presence of my own dear husband.  He came
very unexpectedly on the 20th of Dec, Saturday
night before Christmas & spent two weeks with
us, left Friday after New Year’s day.  I have no
words to express the great delight I felt in
his presence, & the deep sorrow, which weighed
me down, after he left.  But I have borne
& will still bear it.  God in his own good
time will give us deliverance & make the
glad notes of peace once more resound
over our land. I have not had the heart
to write since he left me & and now that I
have taken my pen, I know not what to
say.  I don’t feel like writing.  Oh, if I could
only hear oftener from him……………….
He brought us the good news of an perfect
success in the fight at Fredericksburg &
said the Yankees had gone over the
river & we were in possession of the
Town. This has been confirmed since & there
have been no movements in that direction
though we have heard rumours that Gen
Lee contemplated crossing the river &
attacking them.  All of the Confederates
have left & we are in the enemies lines once
more.  They occupy Winchester & the country
towards Front Royal.  But we have not
seen one yet though they have been all
around us.  The day before Mr. Ambler left
he & I walked to Porter’s Factory, & the next
day the Yankees were there & compelled him

to stop working it.  As I have not yet
heard from Mr. A. I can but feel uneasy
for fear that he was caught:  but I will
put all my trust in God & believe that “all
is for the best, & fear no evil.”   Oh that
I loved Him more: & served Him better:
When my dear husband was here I found
it a difficult matter even to give
my attention to my prayers & bible,
performed as a duty, that which should
be my greatest pleasure.   Oh God forgive
these  cold services & warm up my
heart to love Thee more.  “Thou
art the chief among ten thousands
& altogether lovely”….

[The diary ends at this point.  On November 20th Ambler wrote that she did not enjoy keeping the journal and would end it after Christmas. Her husband, Richard Jacquelin Ambler survived the war and returned to their home “Clifton,” in Fauquier County, Va.  He died in 1875. Anne lived until 1888 when she and two of her children died within a few months of each other in a typhoid epidemic that swept through Birmingham, Ala., while she was visiting there.]

MSS 15406

[from the diary of Sergeant Robert Larimer, Co. C., 62nd Regiment Ohio Volunteers]

Wednesday 14

Company & Battalion drill dress
parade  wrote a letter to Sarah
M. Larimer — warm

MSS 38-129

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

Sunday
Jan 11
After inspection of arms and quarters a squad
of us went to church.  We were stopped by
a sentinel because we had no pass, and taken to the
guard quarters, and the officer of the guard gave us
a pass.  Mr James preached an excellent sermon
on John 8:13 concluding with some remarks on the
Presidents proclamation.  After dinner we went down
again and heard Mr Clark of the twenty-third preach
from Hebrews 4:16. After meeting read some till
dress parade.  As I am now writing, I can hear the
boys singing church music all around us.  It is
said that some of the troops have orders to march
but we have not yet as I know of.

MSS 11293

Hd Qurs Taliaferros Brig
 Jany 11” 1863
My own darling
Sunday Morning.  We had a fine rain yester-
day & last night.  Sufficient I think to put an end to
all military operations in this locality for the winter.
To day is observed as a day of rest.  Every thing is
perfectly quiet and even reminds one of a Sabbath at
home.  So much for the day.
 Monday Morning. Nothing of interest occurred on yesterday
except that I recd an order which allows a furlough to two
men at a time from each company, and I am now
momentarily expecting in a lot of applications for this in-
dulgence.  I almost wish I was a private just now, for
officers have not the promise of the same indulgence, just
now I hope our turn will come shortly.  We are all
very much gratified at Genl Magruders succesful [sic] effort
at Galveston & are in fear & trembling for the report
from Vicksburg.
Tuesday.  I am making slow progress with my letter
for two reasons, nothing of much interest to write
about and then I have not had the time to write it
if I had it to say.  I have for past two days been kept
very busy sending in applications for furlough and
with an unusual amount of other work, with
some company to entertain.  Yesterday I had a visit
from two brigadiers, Taliaferro & Paxton and to

[page 2]
show you how generals as well as doctors will differ –
I had quite a conversation with them, each separately for
they were not here together, on the subject of the war.  Genl
T. thought we not only had before us another campaign
but that we were bound to have another fight here
this winter.  The other said he had not the very slightest
idea of another fight occuring [sic] on this line and was
most decidedly of the opinion that the war so far as this
army is concerned, is over, and by the way he gave
very good reasons for it too, but I must confess that
he failed to convince me of the correctness of his
opinion except so far as another fight here is con-
cerned, in that I agree with him, but I am far
from being satisfied that we will not have another
campaign.  I will agree to this, I dont think we
will have a very hard campaign  I think we will
have comparatively easy victories, unless indeed Vicks
burg should be taken, then we may truly expect to
fight hard.  But I am beginning now to think that
Vicksburg is safe & that the President will suc-
ceed in his declared purpose to hold it at all &
every hazard.  I dont know of any thing not
even the defeat of our ever victorious army here
that would have so disastrous an influence on
our cause as the loss of Vicksburg.  We will
therefore not contemplate it.
 My darling you dont know how much I want
to see you.  I dream about you almost every
night, but they are always pleasant dreams

[The following was written along the left margin of page 2.]
The mail boy has just come in for the mail & I must close.  I have
recd no letter since I commenced this.  Affectionately ETHWarren

“ETHWarren”, page 2, signature – Edward Tiffin Harrison Warren, Colonel, 10th VA Infantry.
[transcript and annotations by John P. Mann, IV]

MSS 7786-g

[from the diary of George W. Dabney, clerk of Campbell County]

11″  Sunday
Clear & pleasant
 Measles at Clarks brot by
hand from Richmd – Ward lost
his man, & Lemmons nearly
used up. —

MSS 3315

[from the diary of the Rev. Francis E. Butler, chaplain of the 25th New Jersey]

Sun 11. Cleared off fine.  Peterson Co B died  held services in hosps – & gave tracts
Preached to regt. on Blind Timaeus & held services at 4.  py. meetg in mess
tent in eveg. – sat up late – talking.

[transcript by Mary Roy Dawson Edwards]

MSS 12935 

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

     Jan. 11th, ’63.
Clear and warm this
morning. A bright Sab-
bath; the atmosphere is
as pleasant and balmy
as that of a May morn-
ing, at home. The whole
Country around here is
drained by subterranean
rivers, which frequent-
ly appear above the sur-
face in low ground; they

however run but a short
distance when they plunge
into the earth. The coun-
try here is certainly as
fine as man could wish.
Being even, fertile, & well
wooded and watered.
Fortifications are being
constructed in front of
our division, to-day.
Relieved from picket at
3 P.M. Pay rolls to be
made out immediately.
Cars on the other side of the
river last Thursday evening.
Simon Elliott died at 10 P.M.

[transcript by Mary Roy Dawson Edwards]

MSS 10547-bm

[from the diary of Mary S. Boyden, daughter of the Rev. Ebenzer Boyden, Rector of Walker’s Church, Cismont, Va.]

Sunday 9 [sic]  [the writer has mistaken the dating, perhaps because she was copying it over at a later date or making the entries after the date.  Sunday was the 11th.]

Raleigh took a  horse & went to Cobham
after some clean clothes & stayed so long that
none of us could go to church today – But I
was none very sorry, on his account, because
I wanted to have a talk with him – Alone with
him in the library, I spoke at some length of
on religious subjects, & begged  him to get ready
for death – I also pointed out to him some reso-
=lutions that he ought to make for the New
Year – dwelling particularly on the duty of
daily prayer – I asked  him “Do you ever
intend to be a Christian?” He said “I dont know,
I never thought about it.”  May God impress
upon him my feeble words!  May He visit him
& teach him to hate sin & love righteousness –
I feel that in this conversation I have done
my duty – but, O I also feel, that for the
present it is words thrown away – God help
him, I pray!

MSS 4288

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

Saturday, January 10
Finished the ordnance report this fore-
noon.  This afternoon cleaned up for Sunday
Have had some rain to day and it is raining this
evening.  Lat night they had quite a time in the
captains tent, singing and playing the guitar, and
kept me awake till after midnight so I do not
feel very well to-night.

MSS 11293

            
                        Fort Gains.   Jay 10th 1863                      
My Dear Wife.
                        Since I wrote you yesterday
nothing of any interest worthy of special
mention has transpired – I send you by Mr
Rhodes some Cabbage and Beet seed   also
a letter to Lieut Olivier which I trust you
have sent him – I wrote to him to Telegraph
me when he was going to leave for
the Army so that I might see him
before he left – I send by “Willis”
Mail  Nice Glasses which I found
down here.  All of the Georgia
Negros who have been at work
here will be sent home to night
Those from Alabama will be retained
untill the work is Completed which
will be two or three weeks.  I have been
expecting a letter from you for a day
or two past but have not received it as
yet –
                        Your affectionate Husband
                                               W. H. Locke

[transcript by Mary Roy Dawson Edwards]

William H. Locke of the Eufaula Minutemen and later the 7th Alabama Cavalry

MSS 13485