Thursday, December 13, 2012

1862 December 14 Chapel Hill, N.C.

[from the diary of Eliza Oswald Hill, refugee from Wilmington, N.C.]

Sunday 14th  when I went out to breakfast I found Mr Wm Wright
had arrived to see about purchasing the house.  He looks very old
his hair & long beard perfectly white--Grief & trouble has caused
this, not age--at night Judge Battle & Judge Parson called
around to sit with him & Sarah Eliza & myself were in
the parlour we remained so as to enjoy their chat-  Tis reported
and apparently on reliable authority that Kinston is taken
by the Yankees-& if so Goldsboro' will go as it is only 30 miles
from there-& no force there to oppose them & what is worse
a plenty of cotton for them to steal- a daily attack is expected
at Wilmington-& there they have but 3000men-Governor
Vance has sent down his drilled conscripts to Goldsboro-
6 or 8 hundred in number-Perhaps more-Everybody feels
sad in this house to day-Sarah has not heard from Fred in se
-veral weeks-neither has she received her weekly "Mississippian"
Other ladies have near relatives at all the places where they
are fighting-Mrs Guthrie's husband is at Wilmington on
the Artic-& my Tom is at Fredericksburg where that battle
is going on-May God give us victory at the last- & be with
us in this great time of War & affliction-& spare our fathers
brothers sons & husbands to return to us in safety-I have
written two long letters to night-&am now very sleepy
Eliza went to bed with Ear ache--

MSS 6960

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