23 August
On Tuesday 19 August after Tea, John came to us, having a furlough, to get his clothes. He traveled a long way, and it was a great comfort to see him, but he only remained with us 2 days, he has gone through many perils, and is unhurt, but he returns to the Battery, where he is stationed at Vicksburg, and is very much exposed to the climate.—I felt dreadfully at parting with him, but these are times of such miserable anxiety and there are such family losses, that we have a sort of stunned and bewildered feeling, as if we were all struggling on some dusty tiresome road, and had at long intervals a pleasant meeting, and then our friends passed on, more quickly, and we lost sight of them. The war seems to be as far from its end as ever, and what is to become of us, should it continue?
Mr & Mrs Vanderhorst stopped here on their way to the Rail Road. Arnoldus was with them he is an unmannerly young man and just now looks miserably having been sick in Virginia.—
About 3 weeks since, Heyward Manigault paid us a visit of a week occupying Mrs Butler’s room next to Papa’s. He was very quiet and seemed pleased. Charlotte has written to Elizabeth from Greenville where they are passing the summer that he was very much pleased with his visit and found us very comfortably fixed. He is thinking of establishing himself in Greenville moving his negroes and selling out at Wiltown.—
Mr Lewis has come up to look for a place to move his negroes & to fix his family.—
Heyward was very kind in getting me some chimneys for the lamp we burn, in Greenville & sending them by the Stage,—they fit very nicely & got here quite safe.—
Mr Grimball has bought for William and for Arthur pants up here of domestic cloth very good & sent them down. John took for Mrs Stevens a large bundle for her son, such a one as I should not like to impose upon any one for it took up so much room in his trunk and he was not able to put in his blanket and hope he did not thereby lose it.—
Miss Becky Carson came to see Ella Lotty & asked the 3 girls to tea. They went and found it very pleasant. Miss Legg called to see them, Mrs Davidson visited us & Mrs McBeth and we have seen something of Abbe Smith, these last are Refugees like ourselves. William & Wharing Mikell came up here to see their Mother & Wh’s wife they paid us a visit and told us about the boys, Lewis’s Col, Dunavent, is court Marshaled for drunkeness and is in Town to be tried, L thinks of Joining Ferguson’s Company of Artillery to go to Tennessee. William they had seen, he lives at the Fort very comfortably, by their account, Lee keeps a Table d’hote at the Fort, and they all eat with him, —paying $15 per Month.
Ripley became so Morose when he got to Virginia, that his aids generally resigned.—We have not heard from John but Orders have reached here for him to join the Baltic in Mobile. I am always anxious about him.—August has passed and here is September with no great change in our affairs.—We have no reason to be very much discontented just now we have many comforts, and are well, but the anxiety about absent exposed members of the family continues all the time. William does not write in a way to make one feel happy, he seems disappointed, and that is not pleasant.—Arthur got his pantaloons which were sent to him. Berkley writes in a quiet resigned spirit, which is rather soothing, and Lewis in an affectionate way about his brothers, which we all like Arthur in good spirits, about what surrounds him.—