[from the diary of Jesse Calvin Spaulding of the 25th Masssachusetts]

Monday
July 28
Rested today.  My feet are very
sore and tender.  Did not do any-
thing except read and lay around

MSS 11293

At a Court held for Nelson county on
Monday 28th July 1862 the Court doth
appoint the following Citizens of said County
To wit. AG Pamplin & S.G Perrow of District No
1, Royal Eubank & Wm D Ligon of District No 2
Wm P. Shepherd & E.G. Thurmond of District No 3
J. W Dickinson & Rev. B.M. Wales of District  No 4
D.A Witt o & J. M Baker of District No  5
& Chas. N Patterson & J.H. Shelton of District No 6
a Committee whose duty it shall be to visit
from time to time the battlefields and Hospitals
of our Army in the Confederate states, to hunt
up and administer to the necessities of the
sick and wounded soldiers who have gone from
this County into the various Regiments of the
Confederate Army.  and have been and to fa
cilitate the objects of this order the Court
doth recommend the said Committee to pro
cure as speedily as possible, a list of the
names of all the volunteers from Nelson
County with the name of the company and
No of the Regiment to which they are severally
attached.  The Court doth further pledge
the faith of said County to reimburse the
said Committee for all necessary expenses
they may incur in carrying out the humane
objects of this order.

MSS 15244

Camp Fifth Maine, near Harrisons Landing Va July 28th 1862

Dear Father–I received your letter of the twenty first this morning & you say that you had one from George on the tenth & you thought he wrote as he was cross I suppose he has them cross spells once in A While because I am in that way somewhat some times I have seen the times since I have been in the Army when A wounded man yes A Soldier could not get in A Ambulance but if A nigger should come & demand A ride why of course Mr Nigger gets in I know the fault is not in Gen. Mclellan but it lays somewhere & should think that somebody would say something Father I seen enough of the Nigger to be down upon them & I am if one of them is better to ride where A wounded Soldier yes A wounded Soldier that the People at home are preaching as defenders of their Country now I do not see why they do not say something about these niggers As well as I like Gen. McClellan I should like to have him issue an order like that of Genl Popes where he [word missing?] all guarding of Rebel Property should be done away with the soldiers of this Army has guarded every place that they have come to & some of the places that they have been Placed over some of them never returned they have been shott I could not say by who but it looks to me as if the owner of the Property had done the deed but still there was nothing said now there was one rebels property that they put A guard over & you could not find A bigger one in America one they caught sending up skyrockets so as to give information to them the Name of this Rebel is Dr Gains who was taken along with us at the move to this River, he is Owner of the Place where the Battle of that Friday came off & I can say that it is one of the finest places in Virginia as far as I have seen, you want to know who I meant by politicians I mean such men as Wendell  Phillips who has said more about the Nigger I think than any other Man in the Country & what did he say, he said that he had been these seventeen years trying to break up this American Union & why does the Government allow such men as him to go at large them are the men that I call Politicians & I should like to be the one to putt the rope to his neck I guess you will thing that I am in the Nigger question well I feel kind of Niggerish this afternoon, you want to know if I get enough to eat yes I get enough & clothing the place where we camp on is called A nice place by the Doctors but I do not think it is as we have lost three of  our members of the Regiment two of Which belonged to Company E & the other to Company A Company E is A Lewiston Company & a belongs to Brunswick now there is one t hing more & that is about George you wish you would see some of Georges Friends them who pretends to be & see if they cant get him A commission in one of the Maine Regiments that are now getting up there, He is capable of having one you Just speak to Mr Green & I bet he could get it & Unkle James or to Mr Chase & I want you to speak before it gets to late George thinks that there ought to be enough there that could try their influence by taking A little interest in him I will now close by putting A little piece about Ambulance Drivers & Genl Popes order about Rebel property which I think has got the ring to it, I am well & enjoying good health which I hope is the case with you and Mother & give my love to all although you may think I have said A great deal about  the Nigger I mean Just as I say but still I want you to know that my confidence in Gen McClellan is Just as good as it ever was & shall have as long as he has command of the Army & I can say it would do for any other one to take command here I know by the way that some of them talk because they think A great deal of him, I am going to put down things that we draw for Rations dried apples, beans, potatoes, pork, beef,  Fresh Pork & beef, coffee, sugar, salt, vinegar, & vegetables for soups them are the rations that we draw we had for breakfast this morning baked beans & to night Vegetable soup now why should the men Grumble This is from you Son Joseph Leavitt.

Letters of Joseph Leavitt of the 5th Maine and his brother George of the 5th New York were copied into a ledger by their father John in the fall of 1865 as a remembrance of them.  Both boys were mortally wounded in the war, George at Second Bull Run and Joseph at Spotsylvania.


MSS 66

[a continuation of A. S. Davis’s letter of July 27]

July 28th / 62
Tell Father that I recd his of the 23rd inst
last evening and that I have by no means forgotten him.
\Will write hi to day enclosing a cop of my recommendation
as there is not time before the mail leaves this morning
the time being 6 O’clock for the departing of the mail.
Yesterday after writing you I hunted up Isaac Farr
having learned that his regiment was near & found him
very glad to see me as I was to see him.  The way I hap-
pened to find him was this. One of my comrades invited me
to take a walk over to the Maine regiments Y thinking it
would be a good chance to pay Whitney & Booker a visit I con-
sented & found the 7th Me & found Billy Whiting well but Booker
is sick in the hospital & I did not see him. During the
conversation I learned that the 5th Me. was nearby on my
way back I resolved to go there & ascertain if I could not find
some one that I knew.  In the Lewiston Co. I found a man
by the name of Jordan well acquainted with all the Davis
family & said he used to be a pedlar & had stopped at
father’s many a night.  He informed me during the conversation
that Isaac was in the  17th Regulars & told me where they lay &
I immediately hunted him up.  Isaac is a little unwell at
present but I hope will get better in a day or two.  But I must
close wishing you all prosperity & happiness
                              Your Brother
                                                          A S Davis

Allen Seymour Davis of the 1st Minnesota Infantry

MSS 11338

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

Monday, July 28, 1862

Guard mounting
after which practiced
on the Oppera of Lucia De
Lammermoor.  Drilled
a little at manual of
arms heavy inf
Parade but no Drill
as the Colonel was
absent
Considerable talk of
our being discharged
Regiment much opposed
to the idea
very large mail came
in just now not yet
distributed think I shall
certainly receive some
clear warm

MSS 10317

[from the diary of Ephraim A. Wood, 13th Massachusetts, Co. C]

          Monday   July 28/62
          Pleasant & very warm
In forenoon worked at the
Court House unloading teams
In afternoon unloaded Cars
Capt Smith has got so
many darkies now that
our work the last two
has been very light
     Privates Healy Seabray & Kendall
went to the Regt this morning
Sent two old Ledgers by them
to John Mitchell.

 MSS 12521

[from the diary of Matthella Page Harrison as transcribed at a later date]

Monday, July 28th
A bright beautiful morning.  Soon after breakfast Cortney Jones, Lucy Tidball and Maria Meade walked in.  They had been out blackberrying.  In the course of conversation Maria mentioned her maid Lucy told her that Cousin Bev was at  home and the Yankees said there were too many Rebels about here and they meant to arrest them.  Cousin Bev having asked Cousin Courtney yesterday evening if they heard of any Yankees to let him know, he wanted to go down immediately and tell him.  I insisted on sending George, writing a very unalarming note.  He went and returned quietly, having gone also to Uncle B to tell the warning to him.  We were seated on the grass when we heard horses feet coming rapidly from Prospect Hill. Soon little Bev hove in sight.  In frantic haste he rushed into the yard and demanded what the news was.  We told him the Alpha and Omega and off he tore, spreading terror wherever he appeared.  Uncle B soon came in to know the foundation of the alarm.  Scarcely was he satisfied when Cousin John came.  Poor Cousin Bev had to take to the woods and after all, no Yankees appeared.  So much for false alarms.  Now war news today.  Took tea at Prospect Hill.

MSS 9759

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

Monday Weather very warm–Little Wiliam has been quite sick all
day–Miss Sallie Mallett called on Sara and Mrs. Watters. Also C Campbell
Mrs Watters & I went to Church 6 o;clock to attend evening service
after tea we all took a walk on the Campus–& Eliza gave us
music until 9 o’clock. No papers or letters this morning as the
Nail did not come in last night–I finished the frock Liz
gave Eliza & it looks very pretty on her–Sarah has given
her a beautiful present–Two gold bands for her wrists.  The
prettiest I have seen–Liz bought a couple of water melons. The first of
                                                                                      the season


MSS 6960

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

Monday 28–Various duties –Dr. Minor
performed the capital operation of
resection of the shoulder on young
Miller.  It was very skilfully done
and quite successful.  The [?]
of it was admitted by all.  It was
delayed unnecessarily a week.  The
chances are altogether in favor of his
recovery. In the evening brought
old Mr. Miller home to supper and
found him a most interesting man.
Drs. Minor & Ford came in and the
evening passed off very pleasantly.

MSS 4763