February 8th. While everything is quiet with us, time goes on. This is my birthday, twenty years old. Weather cold at this time.

8th. Wednesday. Weather rather mild. Good sleighing. Wrote home. Shoveled the snow from the parade ground. Read in National Magazine. In evening attended school. Interesting time. Capt. Easton called to inquire into certain reports he had heard circulated by me. We had a plain talk. Sorry the thing came up.

February 8th.–Rained all day yesterday–slush–bright this morning and cool–ground still covered with snow. It is reported by Gen. Lee that the losses on both sides on Monday were light, but the enemy have established themselves on Hatcher’s Run, and intrenched; still menacing the South Side Railroad. It is also said fighting was going on yesterday [...]

“HEAD QUARTERS, “Army N. Va., “8th February, 1865. “HON. LOUIS T. WIGFALL, “Richmond. “Dear Sir: “I have received your letter of the 3rd inst. with reference to permitting the Texas Brigade to return home to recruit. “No troops in the Army have earned a better title to indulgence than the brave Texas Brigade, and to [...]

February 8.—I feel more and more anxious about Richmond. I can’t believe that it will be given up; yet so many persons are doubtful that it makes me very unhappy. I can’t keep a regular diary now because I do not like to write all that I feel and hear. I am constantly expecting the [...]

Tuesday, 7th–We had another all day, cold, drizzling rain. We left our bivouac at 7 o’clock and after marching fourteen miles stopped for the night. With every mile the road got better as we moved upon higher ground, and the forage also became more plentiful. Just after we had stacked arms to go into bivouac, [...]

7th. Great snow storm. Six or eight inches. Read in Atlantic. Letter from home. No school.

Bamber’s Station, A. & C. R. R. February 7, 1865. Our regiment led the corps to-day. The 17th Corps strikes the railroad at Midway, three miles to our right, and the 20th to the left five miles. We are 14 miles northwest of Branchville. The enemy are on the opposite bank of the Edisto, two [...]

February 7th.–A snow four inches in depth on the ground, and snowing. Last night Governor Smith, President Davis, Senator Oldham (Texas), Rev. Mr. Duncan, Methodist preacher, and a Yankee Baptist preacher, named Doggell, or Burroughs, I believe, addressed a large meeting in the African Church, on the subject of the Peace Mission, and the ultimatum [...]

Feb. 7, 1865—Rain and sleet. Our Division is ordered off. Three men in my Regiment had to leave their wives in camp. As the troops were ordered to “fall in” I saw the situation and made haste to tell the brave men that I would take their wives to the depot and see them start [...]

Monday, 6th–The weather changed again, and we had a rather cold, drizzling rain nearly all day. We left our trenches at 7 o’clock this morning and were all day in marching ten miles, the country being so very swampy. We had a great deal of corduroy to build, and the rebels blocked our way by [...]

6th. Monday. In camp. Officers’ school.

Little Salkehatchie River, February 6, 1865, 2 p.m. Yesterday was quite warm, but my overcoat is useful again to-day. General Kilpatrick caught up with us last night, also General Williams with five brigades of the 20th A. C. So instead of waiting several days Sherman said he’d chance them for the railroad with what troops [...]

February 6th.–Bright and frosty. As I supposed, the peace commissioners have returned from their fruitless errand. President Lincoln and Mr. Seward, it appears, had nothing to propose, and would listen to nothing but unconditional submission. The Congress of the United States has just passed, by a two-thirds vote, an amendment to the Constitution abolishing slavery. [...]

Sunday, 5th–The atmosphere is clear and it is getting quite warm. We remained in our rifle pits all day, but had to put up our shelter tents, for we actually suffered from the heat. All is quiet in front. We had company inspection this morning and dress parade in the evening. We drew two days’ [...]

5th. Sunday. Spent the day in quarters reading Independent, Testament and a story. Windy.

Twelve miles south of Johnston’s Summit, Augusta and Branchville Railroad, February 5, 1865. They call the stations on this road “turnouts.” Negroes are swarming into our camps. I never heard a negro use the word “buckra” until last night. One of the 97th Indiana was killed this morning while foraging close to camp. Our men [...]

February 5th.–Clear and cold. Our commissioners are back again! It is said Lincoln and Seward met them at Fortress Monroe, and they proceeded no further. No basis of negotiation but reconstruction could be listened to by the Federal authorities. How could it be otherwise, when their armies are marching without resistance from one triumph to [...]

February 5th.—Arrived at home very unexpectedly to all, about 9 P. M. after having marched nine days and over a distance of about two hundred miles. The weather was freezing cold during our two-hundred mile homeward march. The shoes I had drawn from Confederate States Government were so short I could not bear my feet [...]

Saturday, 4th–We remained in line of battle all night, not being allowed to build any fires. This morning we moved out about two miles nearer the upper bridge, the rebels having left the vicinity during the night. We remained here, fortifying the bridge. Our teams and batteries came across the bridge this morning. General Mower’s [...]

Buford’s Bridge, north side Salkehatchie River, February 4, 1865. Most unaccountably, to me, the Rebels evacuated an impregnable position (if there is such a thing), and our brigade was saved thereby from making some more history, for which I am grateful. A straight pike or causeway three quarters of a mile long and in which [...]

February 4th.–Clear, but rained last night. From the South we learn that Sherman is marching on Branchville, and that Beauregard is at Augusta. The great struggle will be in Virginia, south of Richmond, and both sides will gather up their forces for that event. We can probably get men enough, if we can feed them. [...]

“C. S. SENATE CHAMBER, “4th February, 1865. “GENL. R. E. LEE. “Sir: The undersigned beg leave earnestly but respectfully to recommend the assignment of Genl. Joseph E. Johnston to the command of the troops lately composing the Army of Tennessee. We are induced to make this suggestion by information derived from such sources as to [...]

Friday, 3d–It rained quietly nearly all day, and we remained in camp until 1 p. m., when we received marching orders. Our division under General Giles E. Smith then made ready to wade and swim the river midway between the two bridges. The river is one and one-fourth miles wide, having at least one hundred [...]