12th.–Am not well to-day. Have diarrhœa, and at midday had high fever. How much I miss the tender care of my family in sickness. Am much better to-night, but feel sad. Have been reading Ernest Linwood, and, by contrast, it has recalled pleasant family scenes, which I miss in my sickness. I wish I had [...]

11th.–A mail to-day. One, only one little letter from my home, and that thirteen days old! The bearing of General ― towards me for a few days has been greatly changed? What is it to mean. * * * Last night Prof. Lowe, the aeronaut, staid with us. He went up in his balloon, and [...]

10th.–Fell back to-day about a mile and a half out of reach of enemy’s shells. Patience and endurance of everything, without expression of thought, can scarcely be considered a virtue, even in a military subordinate. The Western Army is all activity and execution. No. 10 taken, Beauregard whipped on his own ground, all our armies [...]

9th.–Rained hard all day. But little done to-day. 6th Maine regiment went out in afternoon, got one man mortally wounded in a little skirmish. Roads so bad that I fear we shall have to fall back to-morrow.

7th.–Some fighting to-day, by small bodies, with slight loss on either side. In the afternoon, finding our camps commanded by the enemy’s guns, we started suddenly on a move of what we were told was to be a mile or two. The rain poured in torrents, and, instead of marching a mile or two, we [...]

6th.–Accompanied the Brigade to-day on a reconnoisance. Frequent skirmishes with small bodies of the enemy. One man in Company F received a slight flesh wound in the thigh –the first blood spilt by our Regiment in the cause. We encamped to-day near “Lee’s Mill,” on the narrow neck of land spoken of yesterday, and about [...]

5th.–A day of cooling rain, and warming excitement. Marched three miles, and found the enemy strongly entrenched behind a line of fortifications, on a narrow neck of land between the York and the James Rivers. Artillery duel at long range began about 12 o’clock, in which we had quite a number killed and wounded.

4th.–Moved at 6 A. M.–After a march of twelve miles in direction of Yorktown, (at about 3 P. M.) came upon the enemy’s entrenchments at Young’s Mills. They fired a few shots, wounding one man of 5th Vermont in the shoulder. They then retired, giving us possession. Their barracks here were built of logs with [...]

3rd.–To Newport News again to-day, to take some of my sick to General Hospital. For the first time during this war met Gen. Mansfield. Rode about three miles into the beautiful country with Brigade Surgeon Curtis. Picked up on the beach some relics from the wreck of the Congress, which I shall value highly. On [...]

2nd. Camp No. 4, in the field.–Our Brigade was reviewed to-day by Gen. Keyes, to ascertain if it was in order to fight. Verily, it seemeth to me that our Generals have reviewed us enough to know whether we are in fighting condition. All are anxious to be reviewed on the battle field, and to [...]

April 1st.–An opportunity offers to-day to send letters to the dear ones at home. This privilege is becoming less frequent, and we fear that when we move from here, it will be even more so than now. Visited Newport News to-day. This, though a sad, was a pleasant visit. There, within a stone’s throw of [...]

31st.–To-day, whilst all were expecting orders to move forward, I received orders to build a log hospital. – What can this mean? The weather is beautiful, roads good, troops in fine condition, warm weather coming on, and here we are preparing as for a summer’s stay. God help us and our little General, but put [...]

30th–Slept in the open air again last night; it rained, and I awoke in a pool of water. Strange that we do not take cold from such exposure. I never felt better, and I notice that very few of the soldiers take cold from any amount of exposure at this season of the year.

29th.–We are in camp again, about two miles from Newport News. Nothing doing, and this gives me an opportunity to realize the condition of my hospital. Up to the time of our leaving Camp Griffin in the early part of this month, we had not in all our moves, lost to the amount of a [...]

28th.–Slept on the ground last night, my saddle for a pillow. Greatly to the chagrin of all of us, after having driven in the enemy’s pickets yesterday, we fell back a mile or two, and to-day fall back about seven miles. “The King of France, with 40,000 men, Marched up the hill, and then marched [...]

27th.–A day of excitement. We are near the enemy. Brigade left camp at 6 A.M.; marched ten miles along the beautiful James River. Almost every building on the route burned. Dreadful devastation. At 12 o’clock came upon the rebel pickets. They ran, leaving camp fires burning. In one tent found a boiler of hot coffee, [...]

26th.–Remained in camp all day, examined my hospital stores, and put in order what few I have left. At Alexandria, in consequence of my being ordered to Washington to look after the scattered ones, had to entrust the forwarding the few we had there to my assistants. On arrival here I find that they are [...]

25th.–This A. M., at 6, weighed anchor, and dropped down to Hampton Roads, and disembarked at what was the little town of Hampton. If there be pleasure in the indulgence of sad reflections, how delightful it would be to have all my friends here, to enjoy them with me to-day. For a few hours, whilst [...]

March 24th.–We have had a very fine run for about thirty hours, having left Alexandria at 6 P.M., on the 23d, laid too over night near Fort Washington, and at 10 P. M., after having passed Mount Vernon, Ocoquan, Aquia, and many other points noted in this war, have come to anchor off this point.

March 23rd.–At one o’clock this morning, met Major M. in Washington, who informed me that the absent officers of our Brigade had been telegraphed to rejoin their regiments immediately, to embark at 8 this A. M. Left on first boat for Alexandria, and found the most of my Brigade embarked. I had just time, before [...]

March 22nd.–Ordered this morning to Washington to look up hospital stores and boxes, which are scattered “to the four winds.” This is the first time since the organization of the Regiment that it has moved without my personally superintending the packing and forwarding of the hospital stores, and the first time they have got scattered. [...]

March 20th.–All quiet. No move.

March 19th.–The wolf has not yet come, and two of the five days’ rations are consumed.

March 18th.–All quiet yet; no embarkation; no move