1862 October 9 New Bern, N.C.

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

Thursday
Oct 9
Felt some better this morning.  Took
a powder for physic but as it did not
operate I took a dose of oil tonight.  Phineas went
on picket.  I fixed a tick this afternoon, as Phineas
wanted one to make a bed of, I afterwards went out
into the woods and there kneeling down prayed.
I had quite an argument with Pollard this after-
noon.  He denied the truth of the Bible, though he
confessed that he had never read it much, and
asserted that it contradicted itself, which I defied
him to prove or bring and example of, but he was
unable to do.  May God enlighten his mind and open
his heart, a reports comes tonight of another fight
in which we our forces were victorious.  God grant
that it may be true.

MSS 11293