May 11—Prayers in a. m. I visit 28th Regiment and see Bro. Kennedy. May 12—Visit 12th, 28th, 20th and 37th Regiments. May 13—Wife’s birthday. Yesterday, eight years ago, I married her. May 14—Prayer every morning and evening. May 15—Visit Col. Christie, of 23rd Regiment. Bro. Ervin, of South Carolina, spends night with me and preaches. [...]

May 10—Preach in camp. Second and Fourth regiments worship with us. General thanksgiving day for our late victory.1 The “victory” cost many lives. Many husbands left widows and orphans. When I made that point in my sermon, and gave number of widows and orphans left by those who fell in the 30th regiment, Gen. Grimes [...]

May 6—Damp and cool. Rain all day. May 7—Pass 11th and 62nd Regiments going to Hamilton’s Crossing. Write to wife from Ashland, in the home of Rev. D. T. Wills. May 8—Ride over the worst roads I ever saw to old camp and find my Regiment there. Some are gone forever! May 9—Prayers with my [...]

May 5—Ride fifteen miles to Richmond. Telegraph to Mary. Seven days in the saddle, from Chapel Hill to Richmond. Had not heard a word from my family yet. I think those had been the happiest seven days of my life up to that time. “Praising my Savior all the day long.” When I knelt at [...]

May 4—Ride six miles to Powhattan Court House and hear everything. A Federal Cavalry raid had been spreading terror on the opposite side of the river. Meet Rev. Blinco of Virginia Conference. Ride twelve miles toward Jude’s Ferry. Dine and go six miles further down the river by Manakin Ferry and stop with Mrs. Mosely. [...]

Fri., May 1—Cross Roanoke at Taylor’s Ferry. Stop at Randolph Macon College. Meet Rev. P. W. Archer, Rev. Dr. W. A. Smith and Rev. Chipley. Pass on and spend night with Captain C. W. Bragg. May 2—Pass Lunenburg Court House. Meet Mrs. Ray, of Virginia Conference. Saturday night finds me with Dr. G. W. Scott. [...]

Previous post: Stonewall & Lee disapprove application for leave of absence. April 10—Procured subscribers for sundry religious papers and forwarded $73.50 for them. Wrote to wife. Met Rev. Bennick, of S. C. Conference, chaplain 24th N. C. Regiment, Bro. Marshall, 12th Georgia Regiment, conducts morning prayers for me. Get bundle N. C. Christian Advocates. The [...]

April 9—My application for leave of absence, to be with my wife during “an important crisis” returns “disapproved!” It was approved by regiment, brigade and division commanders but “disapproved” by corps commander, T. J. Jackson. I felt no bitterness toward him, as he was conscientious. I think he had never seen his only child, Julia. [...]

April 3—Prayer meeting every night. April 4—Fierce wind all day. Hard on soldiers. Dr. Grissom gets to camp. Hear from Rev. Mr. Sherwood. Snow all night. April 5—Snow all a. m. Sore throat. April 6—Visit G. T. Swain, Co. C., near camp, quite sick. April 7—Meet chaplains of this corps. Preach to them and many [...]

Sunday February 1—Preach in camp. Visit our regiment on picket about three miles away. Rain at night. February 2—Seven years ago! My first son, Henry Watson, was born in Mrs. Meade’s Hotel, Martinsville, Va. That morning I knelt silently upon the floor in my wife’s room and prayed and wept when I first felt parental [...]

Cut wood two or three days. Hard work.        Rev. J. W. Jenkins arrives on Saturday, Jan. 3. I attend Masonic meeting. Jan. 4—Hear Bro. Jenkins preach in morning. Spend afternoon reading my Greek Testament. Jan. 5—Get ready to start to Virginia. At eleven at night I leave, the moon shining bright, but my spirits being sad. [...]

Dec. 3, 1862—Start to Raleigh, about ninety miles, taking wife, three children and a nurse. Rain all day. Spend night with Bro. Sykes. Dec. 4—Pass Fayetteville. Spend night with J. H. Hawley, one of the best men I ever knew. Dec. 5—Rain all day. Spend night with Allen Betts, my brother. Dec. 6—Clear and cold. [...]

Nov. 25—Bro. Allen sends me in buggy, and I see my family once more. All well. Thank God! Fever from vaccination makes me delirious during night. Had not seen family since July 31. In going home from the army I met Lieut. E. Ruark, of Co. C. on his way home at Smithville, on sick [...]

Nov. 20—Six miles on saddle, twelve on wagon, five on foot. Nov. 21—Wagon and ambulance to Mt. Crawford. Spend night in Baptist church with fifty or sixty sick men. Pray with them. All seem to feel. Many happy. Almost all of them Christians. Nov. 22—Take stage at 3 a. m. Pass Willow Pump—a curiosity. Some [...]

Nov. 18—As my Conference was to meet in Raleigh December 3, I had made application for leave of absence and my furlough had not come. So I get duplicate and take it to officers myself. Leave General Hill at 2:45 p. m., ride ten and a half miles to General Jackson’s headquarters, get my paper [...]

Nov. 15—I walk out to study my Bible. Wash day in 2nd Regiment. Bank of branch lined some distance with men half naked, some washing pants and drawers, others washing shirts and some picking their clothing. Some half naked holding their wet clothes to the fire to dry. Sad sight! Would make wives, mothers and [...]

Nov. 11—Brigade moves six or seven miles and tears up railroad track at night. Nov. 12—Hear Bro. Moore preach in his camp. Nov. 13—Bro. Power and I ride to Strasburg and visit hospitals, and see Robt. L. White die. A Christian. New Testament in his bosom. Nov. 14—Visit sick at hospitals in Strasburg.

Nov. 9—Division moves to Strasburg. Barefoot men march in snow. Bury H. Y. Kirkpatrick at night in Presbyterian cemetery. He enlisted at nineteen, from Mecklenburg county. Lovely Christian. Died in the house of Mrs. Davis, November 8th, 10:30 p. m. How sad the sight! How tenderly a few of his comrades raked away the snow, [...]

Nov. 1—Bro. Power and I walk up the mountain and spend two or three hours. Fine view. Pray together up there. Nov. 2—Bro. Power begins to preach et 10: 30, but troops are ordered out and fall back toward Paris and lie in line of battle all night. Nov. 5—Brigade in camp near Fort Royal. [...]

Oct. 25—Division moves and begins to tear up track of W and Harper’s Ferry R. R. Our Brigade operates on track below Charlestown during the night in a cold rain. Sunday, Oct. 26—Cool rain. Sit till noon under tent in front of fire. Brigades of troops passing to and fro through rain. Men suffer. Very [...]

Oct. 17—Ready to march before day. Rev. Power, of 14th Regiment, arrives. Oct. 19—Preach to a small congregation. Major General D. H. Hill a devout hearer. A. R. McDonald. of Moore county arrives, and spends night with me. Oct. 21—Captain Witherspoon and I ride to Winchester. He meets Mrs. R. H. Apperson at hotel in [...]

Oct. 8—Walk five miles with J. W. Ellis as he starts to North Carolina as Senator. This Christian gentleman, a lawyer of Columbus county, enlisted in Co. E as a private, August 28, 1861. His friends elected him to the North Carolina Senate in 1862. He had a walk of about ninety miles to Staunton, [...]

October 1, 1862—Carry sundry letters to their places. Receive pay for July and August. Oct. 3—Hear from wife, at Chapel Hill. Babe is better. She went from Bladen to Chapel Hill with three children and a nurse (about one hundred miles) by private conveyance. Sunday, Oct. 5—Preach to a large, attentive audience. Fine day. Bright [...]

Sep. 21—Hear Rev. A. A. Watson, chaplain 2nd Regiment, preach. Write to Mary by Mr. Van Bokelin. Sep. 22—Ride to the wagons to rest. Five years ago this afternoon my second son, Willie, was born. God bless him and spare us to see each other. Ride to Martinsburg in afternoon. Lie beside my horse at [...]