August, 1863

Aug 1. Beautiful August day. On brigade 
guard & have a good post. P.M. orders
to move. Fell in & marched about 1 mile 
& formed a line of battle northeast of
____. A.M. cavalry been fighting for 
some time. Very hot this afternoon.

Aug 2. Here we are lying out in the hot 
sun ____ Culpepper C.H. 10 OC orders to
go back to our old camp. Found all the 
fence near burnt up. Went to the creek
and had a bath. Came back & slept till 
night.

Aug 3. Left Culpepper C.H. and marched 
on the Orange C.H. road to Cedar river &
halted to get water. Went on a little 
farther & halted till 4 OC P.M. Marched
on some distance & halted at a church, 
name unknown & bivouaced.

Aug 4. Marched this morning over the 
Roberson river & halted for our corps
wagon train to pass. After it passed 
we marched in rear & crossed the Rapidann
river & found the other part of our 
division and we bivouacked.

Aug 5. In camp between Orange C. H. & 
the Rapidann river. Brigade guard out as
usual. Flanked them & went to the river 
& took a good bath. Heavy cloud in the
P.M. but not much rain. Read a letter 
from my mother.

Aug 6. Still in camp eating old course 
corn meal. Had 2 days rations __issued
to us to-day. Went to the river & bathed. 
Drew one days rations of sheep for
tomorrow. Wrote a letter to my mother.

Aug 7. Very pretty morning. Had company 
drill this morning & dined off baked
mutton to-day. Had co. drill in the 
afternoon. Late in P.M. we had a heavy 
rain which lasted all night.

Aug 8. Clear this morning and the sun 
shines beautiful. Had no drill this A.M.
Got dinner and went to the river & bathed 
and returned and received a letter
from home which cheers me up in a great degree.

Aug 9. Another Sabbath spent in camp. 
Preaching by the chaplain of the 40th Va.
Reg and also by the chaplain of the 47th. 
in A.M. Preaching again in the P.M.
Wish I were home to have gone to church to-day.

Aug 10. Cleaned our guns, ready for inspection. 
Moved our camp about 200 yards and seperated 
the companies from each other. Fixed up our 
little tents and went to the river & took a 
good bath and returned to camp.

Aug 11. Had co. drill this morning, inspection 
at noon and battallion drill in the afternoon. 
Recd our pay rolls and made them off. The 40th 
Va. reg gone on picket from our brigade. Went 
to the river after supper and took a bath.

Aug 12. On guard today. Had drill & inspection 
in A.M. Battallion drill in the afternoon and 
dress parade also. Went up to the blacksmith 
shop after I came off post and had a rivet 
put in a knife.

Aug 13. Rained this morning and in consequence 
there was no drill. Went to the doctor to get 
some linament to rub my head with. Signed our 
pay rolls and drew our money this afternoon 
for two months; _____ May & June.

Aug 14. Had no drill but were ordered to 
clean our guns, ready for inspection
this afternoon. P.M. Rained & inspection 
did not come off. Wrote a letter to my
mother & sent it by a friend going home.

Aug 15. Detailed on police duty to-day. 
Had inspection at last at noon. No
drill in the afternoon, it being Saturday 
evening. Received a letter from home
and 2 pr. socks by boys coming up from home.

Aug 16. Beautiful day. Received several 
letters from home & one brings the sad
news of the death of one of my very dear 
friends. The hand of kind providence
has swept another from this troublesome 
world.

Aug 17. On picket at:         on the 
Rapidann river. Wrote a letter to send
home. 5 OClock P.M. attended a baptism 
of some of the soldiers. Only two men
baptised. Had a very small turn out at 
a baptising.

Aug 18. On police duty today. Wrote 
several letters home and otherwise. Went
down to the Rapidann river in afternoon 
and took a good bath with a crowd of
boys from the 40th Va. Reg.

Aug 19. On guard around a corn field to 
keep soldiers from pulling corn for
roasting. Had no fire & I loaded my gun 
a little powder & rag & shot it to
catch fire. Built up a fire & roasted 
some corn & eat as much as I wanted.

Aug 20. Went down in the edge of the corn 
field in a pea patch that I was guarding 
about day light & gathered a mess of peas. 
Got some corn also & was relieved & 
returned to camp & had a fine dinner.

Aug 21. All drills and everything suspended 
to-day for fasting & prayer. Went over to 
the 47th N. C. regiment to carry charges 
prefered against a man in said reg. to be 
court martialed the next day.

Aug 22. Went to drilling again as usual. 
Nothing else to do but a drill as the
yankees are not close to us. Had dress 
parade and there were no officers
present except Captain & one lieut. 

Aug 23. Detailed to go after deserters. 
Left camp & went to Orange C.H. & took
the cars. We got to Gordonsville about 
N OC A.M. Left there & reached
_____ville about 2 P.M. where we stopped. 
Went to the P river and bathed.

Aug 24. Drew a weeks rations of hard bread 
& bacon to carry on scout. Took the
Staunton train to Aston depot & got off & 
marched toward Grunfries & stopped at
a church on road. Went out & got my supper.

Aug 25. Marched from ____church  on the 
____back mountain & stopped to await
deserters. Very lonesome place to be at 
indeed; cant see one house atall. Went
about 2 miles to get supper I ____caught 
in a river.

Aug 26. Went up on the _____peak of the 
humpback with another one from guard to
view the country. Prettiest scene I ever 
saw. Caught one old man that was deaf
but belonged to the army. Let him go again. 
Very cool this P.M.

Aug 27. Left Humpback mountain & went down 
on the flats. Laid in the woods all day, 
secreted about 10 OClock at night we 
surrounded a mans house & searched for 
him but he was not in; having run off.

Aug 28. Went to Aston depot to take the 
cars but they had all gone down after
troops & ____ could not get off. 

so I went back out on the flats & got 
dinner. Returned to the station & found
all the boys gone down on the freight 
train to Charlottesville.

Aug 29. Took the train at Aston depot 
to Charlottsville & got in town at 11OC
A.M. Very pleasant trip this morning. 
Had my likeness taken & walked all over
the town to see the place. Very pleasant 
weather this afternoon.

Aug 30. Went to church this morning at 
the Baptist church. Had a very good
sermon. Wrote a letter to my mother at 
____. Very pretty day, cool & pleasant.
Feel quite unwell this afternoon. Had 
a very, very bad headache.

Aug 31. Drew a weeks rations to start on 
scout & left Charlottsville & went to
Mechanicsville on the cars & got off & 
walked to Browns gap on the blueridge, a
distance of 18 miles. Feel quite unwell today.