20th. Relieved by the 2nd N. Y. about noon. Returned to camp near W. House. Drew rations and forage. Inspection of horses. Estimates for clothing, C. and Garrison equipage. A very hot day. Seemed like Petersburg. Read old file of papers. Dreamed of Fannie.

March 20th. Pleased with change from Halltown. Everything quiet. We believe the war is about over. Crowds of rebel deserters are coming inside our lines. They are sick and tired of the war, believe their cause is lost. We send them under guard to the Provost Marshal’s office in town. Weather permitting, we drill and [...]

March 20.–Hardly a day passes that we do not hear news of Union victories. Everyone predicts that the war is nearly at an end.

Twelve miles from Goldsboro, and six from railroad, March 19, 1865. Made 15 miles. Only two bad swamps. Very heavy artillery and musketry on our left (14th and 20th Corps) all day. Hear this evening that our men suffered heavily. General Lee is said to be here. Opinion is divided as to our having a [...]

March 19th.–As beautiful a spring morning as ever dawned since the sun spread its glorious light over the Garden of Eden. Cannon is heard at intervals down the river; and as we have had a few days of wind and sunshine, the surface of the earth is becoming practicable for military operations. I heard no [...]

Sunday, 19th–We were off at 7 a. m. and marched ten miles through fine country. The roads were good and no swamps to cross. They had good crops here last year, and there was plenty of forage, so this evening we had our haversacks replenished. There was some heavy cannonading off on the left in [...]

19th. Crossed the river on R. R. bridge. 2nd went out on picket, to Baltimore Crossroads. My Batt. on outpost. Rode about the country to get a good idea of it. Scouts were prowling about all night. Changed position. Kept us on the alert all night. Several shots.

Four miles north from Smithfield’s, N. C., March 18, 1865. Fifteen miles, good roads, men only waded in swamps. Whole corps in camp before dark. Well settled country and oceans of forage. Our foragers and the 7th Illinois “mounted thieves” had a nice little fight to-day. Came near scaring Wade Hampton’s chivalry out of their [...]

March 18th.–Bright and windy. The following telegram was received this morning from Gen. R. E. Lee: “Gen. Johnston reports that on the 16th Gen. Hardee was repeatedly attacked by four divisions of the enemy a few miles south of Averysborough, but always (cipher). The enemy was reported at night to have crossed Black River, to [...]

Saturday, 18th–We started at 8 a. m. and marched twelve miles, the Third Division being in the advance. We had to cross a swamp four miles wide and the water in places was knee-deep. Our progress was slow because we had to lay a great deal of corduroy so that the artillery and trains could [...]

18th. Reveille at 4. Out at 6. Arrived at White House at 11 A. M. Unsaddled and camped. Transports and gunboats. Forage and rations. Beautiful day. Took a bath. Saw a paper of the 16th. Pleased me much. Wrote home. Slaves gathered together.

March 18th, 1865.—Do not think we have been neglecting either the knitting, the spinning and weaving or the sewing, while this excitement is going on. Lulu takes my work for me when I go away and she is more capable than I, where the sewing is concerned, though she is not so good at the [...]

Beaman’s Cross Roads, March 17, 1865. About 12 miles, more than half of which had to be corduroyed. Roads awful. If a wagon pulls off the corduroy, it drops to the hub. There are two or three inches of black sand on the surface covering quicksand unfathomable. No one need tell me that bad roads [...]

March 17th.–Bright and cool. A violent southeast gale prevailed last evening, with rain. Of course we have no news in the papers from any quarter. Sheridan having retired, all the local troops returned yesterday. After all, the President does not reap a perfect triumph over Congress. The bill suspending the writ of habeas corpus passed [...]

Friday, 17th–Our division is still in the lead. We started at 7 a. m. and marched fifteen miles. Our regiment was train guard and we did not get into bivouac until midnight. The rebels are in our front and hard to drive; their main force, however, is on our left, in front of the Fourteenth [...]

17th. Reveille at 4. Moved out at 8, having been in line two hours. In rear of the train. Got into camp before dark. Plenty of rations. Passed through Aylett’s Ware House and camped near King William Court House, 8 miles from White House.

March 17th. Martinsburg. Weather clear, but very windy. Putting camp in order. Hoping for good weather. Lieutenant Merwin returned today, having been a prisoner of war since June 15th, 1863, most of the time at Richmond, Va.

Two miles from left bank of Black River, N. C., March 16, 1865. About 14 miles to-day. About a dozen swamps, as many showers, three hard rains, and an awfully rough march. The men waded, I should think altogether, one-half mile of water from ankle to waist deep. They went through every swamp yelling like [...]

March 16th.–Clouds and sunshine; warm. Splendid rainbow last evening. We have nothing new in the papers from any quarter. Sheridan’s position is not known yet, though it must be within a short distance of the city. There was no battle yesterday. Sheridan reports the killing of Commodore Hollins, and says it was done because he [...]

Thursday, 16th–We had a thunderstorm yesterday at 2 p. m. and today we had an all-day rain. We marched twelve miles in the mud, our division taking the lead. Our regiment crossed the South river after dark, on the stringers of the bridge, the rebels having burned a part of the bridge. The engineers have [...]

16th. Up at 4. No breakfast. Haversack empty for two days. Rained last night and this morning. Warm as in June. Our Div. in advance. Got into camp at 4 P. M. at Mangohick. Easton’s Batt. and 50 men from 1st Batt. on a scout to Hanovertown Ferry. Boys had a hard time to get [...]

March 16th. Routed out very early this morning. Soon in line and on the march, taking the road on to Harper’s Ferry. A great surprise to us when informed we go by train. Soon loaded into box cars, during a cold rain. A few miles out on the road the train came to a stop. [...]

Left bank, Cape Fear River, Opposite Fayetteville, March 15, 1865. Everything valuable to the Rebels has been destroyed, and we are about ready to push on to Goldsboro. Fayetteville is about a 3,000 town, nearly all on one street. There was a very fine United States Arsenal burned here, some 20 good buildings, all of [...]

Wednesday, 15th–We were on the move at 7 a. m. and marched ten miles today. Went into bivouac near the Black river. The section of the country through which we passed today is almost one continuous swamp and heavily timbered. There is a small farm now and then. The corps took different roads and so [...]