Sunday, December 4, 2011

1861 December 3

[from the diary of Jesse Calvin Spaulding of Co. F, 25th Massachusetts]

Staid with the Quartermaster
last night. Slept with Wm Willis
In the same room were Wm. O. Brown, Ed Brown
Watkins and a fellow by the name of Pratt.
Had a good time last night. Weighed
145 lbs last night being a gain of 16 lbs
since I left Fitchburg. this forenoon after
breakfast I went with Brown into the
bakery and saw the bread delivered for
our regiment, and then Willis and I
went out into the city. We went past the
house where Gov. Hicks lives up to the State
House and went into the room where Wash-
ington resigned his commission and
saw the desk and chair which he used.
We also saw an old cannon which was
brought over on the first settlement of
Maryland by Lord Baltimore. We also
saw several fine paintings. We then went
up into the dome from which we could
see all over the city, and to a great dis-
tance on all sides. Willis said we were
over 200 feet from the ground. We then
visited an old building built in the 17th
century, where the patrol have their quar-
ters, and where we saw a picture of Lord
Baltimore, and a lot of ancient swords
We then went in to the Catholic Cathedral
which is a beautiful place inside highly
adorned, I then went down to Browns and
then came back to camp highly pleased
with my visit. I stopped on the way
and bought a Harpers Weekly and a
brush and box of blacking. This afternoon
we had a battalion drill as usual.
On reaching camp I found a letter for me from
home, which I should have received last
night. I wrote one to the Postmaster at
Washington, to have him forward a letter
which Mary sent there. At dress parade
to night an order was read designating
our regiment as the first battalion of the
first brigade commanded by Gen. Foster
thus giving us the extreme right of the
whole Division. It is pretty cold to night
Phelps is on guard.

MSS 11293

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