24th Decr 62
“Merry Christmas” to you all
dear Georgia!  I only wish you
were near enough to receive such
greetings in person, it might in
truth make us have a “merry” time
-As it is-I repeat the old salutation
with the lips-but my heart is
not with it as of yore-I wish
the children & servants to be happy
& in truth everyone else who can,
but it seems strange & unnatural
now-for us to be gay. Joe came
yesterday & brought young Cohen
of Savannah with him–son of
Mr Solomon Cohen-he seems a
nice young man & very well
brought up-but a regular Jew
in appearance–Willy Cocke, who
rooms with Joe, also came, but
has now gone to Upper Bremo
where his mother is

[page 2]
Father returned from Richd
esterday where he went to hear
the particulars of the Battle.
Tom Tucker was severely woun
ded in the knee & is at Col
Morris in a precarious state.
I trust he may be spared; he
is such a noble fellow. Father
says no one can tell the horror
that the people had to endure
in Fred’g.  Wm Little has lost
Every thing, both at Boscobell
& in Town–Cousin Lou told
him that the accumulation of
years was  all gone! – Betty
Conway had three shells to burst
in her little house.  De has in=
vited Betty & herself up here for a
while & they will come some
time during the winter.  To him
do you wing your flight? – De
has been expecting to hear con
stantly – I had postponed my

[page 3]
visit to Danville more than a
month on account of the chil
dren & Father-& shall now
certainly go after Christmas
holidays–I was fearful that
the bairns would take Diph-
theria & I not be here to nurse
them-but they have escaped-
so far – I really think they
will not have it at all–I am
in hopes Father will let [B?]
return home tomorrow – though
you know we are very careful
about him.  Father says the
Yankees did all sorts of things
in Glo’ster = destroyed & carried
off in a manner they have never
done there before – [Went?] to the
Rectory & tried to take Mr
Mann’s  hogs – when his man
George vowed they should not
touch them & took an axe
& said he would strike the

[page 4]
first man that did.  They
threatened to shoot Mr Mann
when he said “Shoot away,
I am as ready to die as I ever
will be & my days are but few-
But ye are not soldiers – but
cowardly thieves,” —Willie
was there, but escaped on
the horse into the woods–
Belle Tabb brought Mr Dugan
through their lines – as an ill
Lady in the carriage – & was so
solicitous about her (Mr D) that
they let them by.  Ran & George
Mann had started for Glo’ster
when they came upon the
Yankee pickets without knowing
it – they fired at them when
but a few paces off – but the Boys
escaped got into the bushes unhurt
a providential escape—
Mr Templeman started from home

[page 5]
with forty hogs & met the Yankees
at Mr Curtis’ gate – where they
relieved him of them! – he was
just in time for them.
Their cavalry fed upon Mr
Kemps for some days – when he
became up to Ri’d on
his way to Petersburg where he
intends remaining for the war –
“Robbins Neck” as usual esc
-aped & its citizens are as
tranquil as usual.  Phil
Taliaferro & Ned his in the
woods for four days – they were
down there.  Ran has gone to
Fred’g with Ned – he will be
with him. — De says she has
given up her trip to Lynch
burg for you – & will now wait

[page 6]
til you come – I would be so
glad if you could do it before I
leave – I do not know what day
Father goes South, but it cannot
be very far off now.  De & I have
been as busy as bees working
for the children & servants, making
Xmas presents. you would laugh
to see some of them.  We expect
a box with some things from
Lynchburg this evening – with
some trifles – but fear they will
‘not come – I wish Bryan &
Dan were here to look for Old
“SantiClaus” with the children.
Kiss then for me & give best love
to the Dr & Ella for me – I wish
them both “a happy New Year” –
Tell the Dr there has been farms
for sale over in Cumberland &
he should have looked better-
I wish you could get near us.
Mrs Dr Gibson is at [?]ville

[page 7]
her little daughter who
is ill with typhoid fever – the
child goes to school to cousin
V- Brooke – Nannie [?]
intended paying Mr Brooke
a visit this Xmas – & I wrote
to her to come here, but I
suppose she was afraid of
diphtheria as she has not
done so — Do write to me
as soon as you get this so
I may hear from you before
I go to Danville.  You will
come as soon as you cam. –
Cousin V Brooke likes [?]
so much! – God bless you
      Your own Sister
           F[rances] T[ucker] Carmichael
All send love–

MSS 2118-a

to Georgia Bryan Grinnan, 1837-1912, wife of Andrew Glassell Grinnan, 1827-1902

   Camp in Buckners Neck
    Xmass Eve 1862
My own dear Jennie
      I sent you a letter by mail this morning
but I have unexpectedly met with an opportunity
to send you one by Mr Jones who promises to deliver it
to you which I think will be earlier than my letter
by mail, so here goes for another but what to say  I
dont know for I said almost everything I could think
of in the letter just sent of this morning.
 Well this is XMass Eve.  In times of peace at home
I would have been required by you & the children
to spend this day in your service  I would have
been very buisy [sic] doing all sorts of things and
buying all sorts of notions so that the morrow
might be indeed a merry XMass to my treasures
As it is I am here in camp and you are far
away over the mountain in our Valley home
You must have your XMass in your way and
I must have mine at best I can.  And al-
though I am detached from the Division on a
line of pickets yet we are arranging for
a XMass.  We have a duck & chicken, have
a pudin [sic] engaged for dinner, have had for
four days past oysters & will have them
tomorrow & some other good things to eat

[page 2]
and to cap the climax we are to have an
Eggnog that is as much as a pint of whiskey
will make which will be a very small allow-
ance for a s large party like ours.  I am just
as pleasantly situated here as I could be in
the army and would just as soon remain here
as any other place, away from you.  I hope
you will all enjoy a pleasant XMass, but
I am afraid it will be lonesome.  I have just
seen to days papers giving an account of the
dissentions and horrors & disappointments of the
Lincoln Government.  What it will all come
to I cant imagine.  They are certainly in greater
despondency than they have ever been at
any past time and with it all admit
that they have no hope of raising a new
army while we know that the present ar-
my is utterly demoralized – the privates are
perfectly free to admit that they are tired
of the dirty work and are not willing to
fight any more if it can be helped.  My pickets
& the Yankeys are on the most familliar [sic] terms
and I find it impossible to keep the men
from crossing and recrossing the River.  they
bid each other good morning across the River
& pass the complements of the morning and
when no officers are present cross over and
swap tobacco for Sugar Coffee & whiskey

[page 3]
The Yankeys in every conceivable way manifest
an earnest disposition to wind up the war and
go home & hesitate not to admit that they cant
whip us & there is no use trying.  Thus it is unless
the yanks can raise a new army they cant expect
to accomplish much more towards our subjuga-
tion and will soon be compelled to give it up.  If
we are forced into another campaign next sum-
mer they will find our resources equal at the
least to theirs.  One thing I know to be true, we
have to day more men in the field than we ever
had before – for notwithstanding the arms we
have imported & captured we now have be-
tween 30000 & 40,000 unarmed men actually
in the field – they are almost all in the west
but we had before the last fight 4,000 unarmed men
in this army.  This you must not speak of, I only
mention it to show that in men we are not de-
ficient at any rate.  I dont think the North
with all the dissentions existing among them
can possibly have recuperative power enough to
enable them to put in the field next spring as
good an army as they had last spring while
ours will in every respect be better & stronger
This they will possibly find out in the next
two months and if so we may look out for an
armistice which will last during the summer
and terminate with a final settlement.

[page 4]
Our situation is a remarkable one just now.  I dont
believe that even Genl Lee knows the exact position
of the Yankey army  Genl Hampton has again
been looking after them & Genl Stuart will
if he is not now be feeling their sides in a day
or two.  I have just been in Dr Campbells tent
and found him, Adjt Kisling & our cook buisy [sic]
making a pound cake & Egg-Nog for tomorrow
they were in big ernest [sic] & seem to have no
doubt but that it would be first rate – which I
expect it will be, if it is not spoilt in baking
which I fear it will be as it is now raining.
Boys & men do curious things in camp, dont
they?  Kisling says when they finish the cake
they intend to bake some ginger cakes also.
I am curiously anxious to hear from you  I cant
imagine why I dont get your letters for I know
you write two or three times a week any how –
yet I have not recd a line since the 13” of this
month.  But it is in no use to talk about it we
must grin & endure it as long as the war lasts
and be only the happier when it is over
if we are spared to meet each other under
such favorable circumstances.  And now
my darling I wish you all a Merry
Merry X-Mass and bid you a most affectionate
good night, & May God in his mercy bless
you all  Ever yours
    ETHW

“My own dear Jennie”, salutation – Warren’s wife Virginia ‘Jennie’ Watson Magruder Warren.

“the children”, line 9 – Warren had three at the time – his oldest daughter seven year old Lizzie, his six year old son James M., and his youngest daughter ten month old Virginia ‘Jennie’ Watson.

“our Valley”, line 15 – Shenandoah Valley.

“the Division”, line 18 – Warren’s 10th VA Infantry served in Taliaferro’s Division, 2nd Corps, Army of Northern Virginia.

“the River”, page 2, line 24 & 25 – Rappahannock River.

“Genl Hampton”, page 4, line 3 – Wade Hampton III from South Carolina, Confederate general, commanded a brigade in the cavalry division of the Army of Northern Virginia.

“Genl Stuart”, page 4, line 4 – James Ewell Brown JEB Stuart, Confederate general, commanded the cavalry division of the Army of Northern Virginia.

“Dr Campbell”, page 4, line 6 – Joseph L. Campbell, Surgeon, 10th VA Infantry.

“Adjt Kisling”, page 4, line 7 & 14 – Whitfield G. Kisling, Adjutant, 10th VA Infantry.

“ETHW”, page 4, signature – Edward Tiffin Harrison Warren, Colonel, 10th VA Infantry.

[transcript by John P.Mann, IV]

MSS 7786-g

     Confederate States of America
        SURGEON GENERAL’S OFFICE,
                   Richmond, Va 24 December 1862
Dear Sir:
                                Your communication of the
18th inst. in regard to your examination by Army
Medical Board, has been received, and in reply
you are respectfully informed that the results
of your examination did not warrant in the
opinion of the Board their recommending you
for promotion to post of Surgeon
                                  Enclosed you will find the
documents you sent in your letter to this office.
                                                S. Moore
                                                  Very respectfully,
                                                   Yr Obedt Servt
                                                   Surgeon General
                                                          C. S. A.
To
              Surg. J. Edgar Chancellor,
               General Hospital,
               Charlottesville,
                               Va.

MSS 640

[from the message book of  Lt. Thomas S. Seabury, 3rd New York Infantry]

Dec. 24
To Colored man on the Dollie.
Get up steam.  I have
started
 (Signed) Taylor

Dec. 24
To 2222
Hod yourself ready
to come on notification.
(Signed) Lt. Davis

MSS 10781

                                            1862
Camp near Fredericksburg Dec 24
                    Dear Phebe
                            When skies are
clear and all is calm it is
easy for us to feel satisfied and
to believe that God is Just; and it
is only when storms arise and
the tempest rages that we begin to
doubt, and have our faith shaken
You remember that beautiful
hymn commencing “If through
unruffled seas towards heaven
we calmly sail” and you will
also reccolect that at the close
the Poet refers to those stormy
days which might come in these
words “But if the storms should
come &c[“]-these are the days that
are upon us; and it becomes us
as christians to remember
that it is the same God who in
years past has so bountifully bless
ed us that now afflicts us, and

[page 2]

let us not forget that it is for
our sins that we are thus afflicted
You will call to mind the times
when God declared of his chosen
people, the Jews “I will go down
now and see if they have done in all
things according to my words that
I have spoken unto them” and at
another time he declared he
would search Jeaursalem with
a candle; It is the same God
with whom we have to do and
verily he is searching us to day
Already the widows and orphans
fill the land, already more than
the first born has been taken
already the population of a great
citty find themselves driven from
their homes and their homes
made desolate.  Already the
maimed and the disabled fill
the land by thousands and
their cries and groans go up

[page 3]
to heaven unmistakeable evidence
of the enormity of our sins For
we must remmember that God
does afflict willingly and is
only because we should not
profit by the blessings of our
heavenly Father that the blessing
was changed into a curse
: I was much struck with
the remark of a soldier two
days ago; says he “It seems
to me that God has given up
trying to govern and has
left us to ourselves to see him
for we will go in wickedness
It was a dreadful thought
to me to be given up of God
and to be ruled henceforth
by the passions of men: But
Thanks be to God it cannot be
God rules in  heaven and on
earth and cannot be moved
though all the powers of earth

[page 4]
and hell unite: yet shall he
not be be[sic] moved.  He who sitteth
in the heavens shall laugh and
mock when their fear cometh;
Let us not my dear one be of these
but rather let us be of those of
whom Paul speaks: “But we
are not of those who fear
But rather of those of those[sic] who
have a lively hope through faith
laying  hold on eternal life.
Having this we have nothing to
fear though heavens and earth
should pass away: we should only
be the sooner ushered into the
presence of our beloved savior
there to praise Father, Son and
holy spirit forever: This will
be happiness enough to com
ensate us for all we are
called upon to suffer in this
world of sin and sorrow
answer the question, Phebe
Will it not, Josiah

Josiah Perry,  Co. K, 33rd Massachusetts

MSS 2215

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

Dec. 24.  Chilly – took good bath & clean clothes –expounded
SS[scriptures?] talked & prayed in hospitals.  Regt came in from
picket – wrote letters – Col. Stevens 13 N H & Col Mindell
called.  five of our officers have resigned – ill health
&c.  accepted. Jno. has washed my change of clothes as
usual.  looks like storm.  Rumors of Cabinet & Army
Commander changes.  Herald of yesterday says all
as before.  Burnside takes whole responsibility:
Rebel ascs.  Say it is greatest battle on the
Continent – Boys say, Rebel order for “Undouble
files – double quick March!” is – “From four ranks to
to ranks – right Smart – git?”

[transcript by Mary Roy Dawson Edwards]

MSS 12935

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

     Dec. 24th, ’62.
Already to march
at day light; rain-
ing a little.
About 7 A.M. a
fierce shower came
on. With our wag-
ons all loaded
ready to start, we
formed the line, &
stacked arms.
At 4 P.M. we rec’d.
an order to pitch
tents! Knee better,
but not yet able
to-march. Ordered
to be ready to march
at day light to-morrow
morning.

[transcript by Mary Roy Dawson Edwards]

MSS 10547-bm

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

Wednesday, Dec. 24, ’62
This morning
early started with
Thom for New London
as he is going home
Found the roads
very mudy
arrived in time
for him to take the
1.24 train
Saw Jo & Hech
Came on home evening
before I got here
Clear this afternoon
Pleasant–
Observation
New London is noted
for its Grog shops there
being 9 or 10 different places
where licuor can be had
1 Tin pan ally 1 billard hall
1 bagatelle table

MSS 10317

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

Wednesday 24th  A very pleasant day–Eliza has been boiling candy–Sarah
cleaning up for her mother-& the girls all at the church–I received two
letters to day–one from Mary & one from Liz–Mrs. Walters has return-
ed & has a great deal to tell us-She brought William two nice little
caps-& some candy & toys-Mr Campbell will be here on Friday-

MSS 6960

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