Biography
Co. K, 15th Regiment, Vermont Volunteer Militia
Camp Vermont, November 13th, 1862
Jan 8. Cold, hard weather. Too cold to snow and a brigade drill this afternoon. Rumors that Vicksburg is taken, but I think it doubtful.
Jan. 9. Vicksburg is not taken yet. All quiet on the Potomac.
Jan. 10. Rainy and muddy.
Jan. 11. Froze last night, but the warm sun has thawed the frost out and it is quite muddy. Col. Windham is going out on a raid with 1600 cavalry this week.
Jan. 12. Monday, 1863. Just forget what kind of weather and what I did, etc. etc.
Jan . 13. Have been over to the 14th (14th RegVI), about two miles. They have got a big casmp ground, but have got to move to-morrow at seven o’clock in the morning. We are going to Wolf Run Shoals, about ten miles, somewhere between here and the Rebs. This makes the third time that our Brigade has built their Winter Quarters, and I think they ought to break in some other Brigade and let Vermont rest, but they are good for it.
Jan. 15. Rain and very windy. Continued to rain three days and three nights. A fine mist thrown. Thaws out the ground and left the roads in very bad condition for transport teams.
Jan. 26. Began to rain this afternoon and continued to rain and blow all the next day until ten o’clock at night and then it began to snow, and this morning is one of the most severe and disagreeable that I have seen since I have left Vermont.
Jan. 28. The wind blows a perfect hurricane, and the snow blinds the eye, so that it is an impossibility to see anything or get anywhere. It is one of the most severe snow strrms that ever passed over this country or any other. A perfect current of wind upset my tent, and had quite a time in putting it up. The wind calmed down to a gentle breeze about noon. Freezing a very little to-night, but is not so cold as morning. Our cavalry captured about twenty of Stewart’s horses and braves among them a chaplain. He appears to be a very nice man for a Rebel. They are dressed warm and have just as good clothes on as one could ask for. Very heavy grey. The chaplain has a shoulder strap of black cloth and gold lace, something like this.
Black velvet collar, and so on. Quite an interesting man.
Jan. 31,1863. It has been a very nice day, but the ground underneath is a perfect sea. The Rebel Chaplain proves to be Stewart’s A. G. When he arrived at Washington they appeared to know him. Gen. E. A. Stoughton was here to-day for inspection. We have at the present time the strongest Brigade in the army. Two batteries, battalion of cavalry, and so forth.
Feb. 3,1863. Last night was the coldest night I have seen in Virginia. There was quite a severe snow storm about the first of the month. Snow fell at the depth of one foot, at least, and then the wind piles it up into quite a respectable drift, and we had a Vermont winter until to-day, which is quite pleasant. Things are going on quite quiet for an army like ours, and it is my opinion that if they would reduce the pay of an officer down to that of a private this war would have been ended long ago. I happened to hear an officer say to-day that he did not care how long it lasted if they would continue to pay him $175. 00 per month, as they had done for the last year or more, and it is the mind of most every officer in the army. That’s so. Uteley is mending the seat of his breeches and the Corporal is reading his bible, and Shay is rubbing his ARSE. The train has just left for Alexander, and we are going to have a Picture Sal over night. In this place. That’s so.
Feb. 6. Rained until noon and then cleared up for the day. Nothing new has taken place to-day of much consequence. Our new A. A. G. took his command to-day. Whiskers has run out.
Feb. 8. Bright and clear this morning. A fatal accident happened yesterday at the depot. While one of the hands was in the act of coupling the cars to-gether by some mis-move of his he got caught in the bunters and so badly injured that he died in about two hours after. He was a colored servant. The funeral
