1862 July 8 near Warrenton, Va.

[from the diary of Ephraim A. Wood of Company C, 13th Massachusetts Infantry]

Tuesday July 8^th 1862

     I wrote three letters this morning

One each to Father, Sophia, and Edmund.

I then went in bathing, after which

I went to the house where I took

dinner yesterday  I found that some

of the troops belonging to Duryeas

Brigade, had been acting very

rudely.  They came to the house

and killed some of their Chickens

Geese and Sheep, broke into their

Spring House and took all their

Butter and Milk.  All this was done

right before the face and eyes of

the women of the House.  When I

was there they would sit on the

front door step and shout at the

Geese and Turkeys in the yard.

I tried to persuade them

not to act so, but it did

not do any good.  The man of the

Farm went off to the Generals

to try and get a guard.

The folks were glad to see me

and they persuaded me to

stop to Dinner, and what

Soldiers, that were in the yard

that had acted right, they gave

some dinner

             

After dinner, I walked along the

road leading to Town.  I passed

a House belonging to a free Negro,

and saw two Soldiers trying to

catch his Chickens.  The next house

I came to belonged to a poor

Widow Woman.  Her Husband died

in March last, and her daughter

in May leaving her all alone

with an old Negro Servant.

The Soldiers had been there took

all the bees she had except one

hive,  all the vegetables she had

in her small garden, broke

into her spring house, stole two

jars of pickled Cherries, and every

thing they could lay their hands

on.  All these depradations seem

to be committed by one Regt

the 104 New York, belonging to

Duryeas Brigade.  Never since

I have been in the Army have

I seen such actions before

I never came across any people,

that have treated me any better than they

have in this Neighborhood, and as

long as they treat me well, I

shall treat them well.

When I came to the edge of the

Town, I found a guard stationed

there, who forbid me going further

without a pass,   So I turned about

and came back to Camp.

Dress Parade at Sunset.  For Supper

I made some Corn Starch pudding

The weather was pleasant all day

[transcript by Mary Roy Dawson Edwards]

MSS 12021