Sunday, November 6th.–Bright and frosty. All quiet below. Another day, and if it remains quiet, we may know that Lincoln will be re-elected. It is said news came from the North last night, that gold sold for $260, and that Governor Seymour had ordered the militia of New York to be in readiness for the [...]

November 5th.–Clear and cold. Grant has attempted nothing this week, and it is probably too late for any demonstration to affect the election. I infer that the government is convinced President Lincoln will be re-elected, else some desperate effort would have been made in his behalf by his generals. Will he float on a sea [...]

November 4th.–Rained all night; glimpses of the sun between the running clouds this morning. Windy, and likely to be cold. Our iron-clad “Albemarle” was blown up by a handful of the enemy at Plymouth–surprising the water pickets (all asleep). The manner of the loss of the town, and of the counties east of it, is [...]

November 3d.–Cold rain; rained all night. Gen. Lee, urging that his regiments from Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, etc. etc. be recruited from their respective States, concludes a recent letter thus: “I hope immediate action will be taken upon this subject, as I think our success depends much upon a speedy increase of our armies in [...]

November 2d.–Dark and dismal. The Governor continues his exemptions, now amounting to thousands. S. Basset French (State agent to buy and sell supplies to the people), with one or more clerks, and such laborers, etc. as may be necessary, I find among his last exemptions. A smart and corrupt agent could make a fortune out [...]

November 1st.–Bright and frosty morning. All quiet. No confirmation of Early’s defeat; and the nightfeat of Mahone puts the people in better hope. One-third of all our lead comes from the mines near Wytheville, Virginia. I got 128 pounds of flour from the investment in supplies in North Carolina, and one-fourth of that amount is [...]

October 31st.–Bright. Tom’s rations came in–worth $200– for a month. Gen. Lee writes that it is necessary for the gun-boats to guard the river as far below Chaffin’s Bluffs as possible, to prevent the enemy from throwing a force to the south bank in the rear of Gen. Pickett’s lines; for then Gen. P. must [...]

Sunday, October 30th.–Bright and beautiful. Some firing was heard early this morning on the Darbytown road, or in that direction; but it soon ceased, and no fighting of moment is anticipated to-day, for Gen. Longstreet is in the city. My son Thomas drew a month’s rations yesterday, being detailed for clerical service with Gen. Kemper. [...]

October 29th.–Clear and pleasant. We are beginning to get authentic accounts of the operations on Thursday; and yet, from the newspaper publications, we see that the government has withheld one of Gen. Lee’s dispatches from publication. Altogether, it must be regarded as a decisive failure on the part of the enemy to obtain any lodgment [...]

October 28th.–Rained all night, but bright this morning. We have no clear account yet of the fighting yesterday; but we know the enemy was repulsed on this side of the river. It is thought that the operations on the south side were of greater magnitude, where we lost a brigadier-general (Dearing) of cavalry. We shall [...]

October 27th.–Slightly hazy and sunshine. Quiet, save aimless and bootless shelling and picket firing along the lines on the south side of the river. Hon. Geo. Davis, Attorney-General, to whom was referred the question of the constitutionality of the purposed removal from office of clerks appointed to fill places specifically created by act of Congress [...]

October 26th.–Clear and frosty. Quiet below. Gen. W. M. Gardner (in Gen. Winder’s place here) has just got from Judge Campbell passports for his cousin, Mary E. Gardner, and for his brother-in-law, F. M. White, to go to Memphis, Tenn., where they mean to reside. Mr. Benjamin publishes a copy of a dispatch to Mr. [...]

October 25th.–Bright and beautiful morning. All quiet below. Mr. McRae has been permitted by Gen. Butler to return again to the city to await his exchange, pledged not to bear arms, etc. Many more of the government employees, forced into the trenches, would be happy to be in the same predicament. A great many are [...]

October 24th.–Clouds and sunshine. Nothing new of importance from the army. Gov. Smith has been writing letters to Gen. Lee, asking that Gen. Early be superseded in the Valley. Pity it had not been done! Gen. Lee replied, expressing confidence in Early; and the President (since the disaster!) coincides with Lee. The President administers a [...]

Sunday, October 23d.–Bright and frosty. From the United States papers we learn that a great victory is claimed over Gen. Early, with the capture of forty-three guns! It is also stated that a party of “Copperheads” (Democrats), who had taken refuge in Canada, have made a raid into Vermont, and robbed some of the banks [...]

October 22d.–Cloudy; rained last night. 2 P.M.–Cold, and prospects of snow. The news of Early’s disaster, and loss of artillery at Strasburg, is confirmed, and casts a new vexation over the country. Mr. M. Byrd, Selma, Ala., is addressing some bold letters to the President on the blunders of the administration. Gen. Longstreet has resumed [...]

October 21st.–Bright. Fort Harrison (Federal) opened its batteries on our lines at Chaffin’s Farm yesterday evening, without effect. An officer tells me that heavy and quick firing was also heard on the Petersburg lines, indicating, he thought, a battle. We have nothing of this in the papers, or in any dispatch I have seen. Assistant [...]

October 20th.–Cloudy. There is a street rumor of a battle below, and on the Petersburg line. The wind is from the west, and yet we hear no guns. The Secretary of the Treasury sent to the Secretary of War today an argument showing that, without a violation of the Constitution, clerks appointed to places created [...]

October 19th.–Bright and beautiful. Still all quiet below, the occasional bombarding near Petersburg being beyond our hearing. Yesterday, Gen. Preston, a millionaire, who can stalk stiffly anywhere, had an interview with the President, who admitted that he had dictated the General Orders–” 76,” “77,” “78,”–rushing almost everybody into the army, but that it was not [...]

October 18th.–Cloudy and cool. Quiet below, but it is rumored that the enemy has erected one or two sand batteries, mounted with 400-pounders, bearing on our fleet of gun-boats. The following dispatch was received from Gen. Hood to-day: “9 Miles South of Lafayette, Ga., “Oct. 15th, via Selma, Oct. 17th, 1864. “Gen. Bragg. “This army [...]

October 17th.–Bright and beautiful. Still all quiet below, and reinforcements (details revoked) are not arriving–1000 per day. The Northern news makes some doubt as to the result of the election in Pennsylvania. From the Valley we have rumors of victory, etc. A thrill of horror has been produced by a report that Gen. Butler has, [...]

October 16th, Sunday.–A pleasant sunny Sabbath morn. The quiet below continues. Not a gun has been heard for three days; the longest intermission we have had for many months. What can it mean? Sheridan has spread desolation in the Shenandoah Valley, perhaps to prevent Early from penetrating Pennsylvania, etc., intending to come with all expedition [...]

October 15th.–A bright and glorious day–above. All was quiet yesterday below, indicating that the enemy suffered severely in the last assault on our lines. But we have nothing from Georgia. From the Valley, our cavalry had the misfortune to lose eleven guns by indiscreetly venturing too far in pursuit. And the news from the United [...]

October 14th.–The following dispatch from Gen. Lee cheered the city this morning. None of the particulars of the battle have yet transpired, and all are looking hourly for a renewal of the contest. “Headquarters Army of Northern Virginia, “October 13th, 1864. “Hon. James A. Seddon, Secretary Of War. “At seven o’clock this morning the enemy [...]