New Year, 1864

January, 1864

1 A pleasant day. I hope that if I live to see the close of this war, that I can look back upon it with greater satisfaction than the last year. If I live to return to New Jersey, I hope that I shall appreciate Sabbath privileges more highly than I ever did before in my life. I am determined to try and do more good, by example and precept, than I ever did before. I think when I review my past life that I might have done much more for the cause of God. I am sorry that I have neglected so many precious opportunities. May God, for Christ's sake, help me to do my duty. Amen! I am very thankful, indeed, that God in great mercy had spared my unprofitable life thus far through this war.

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4 Pleasant and warm yesterday and today. Matters as usual.

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6 Cloudy and cold. Went to Newbern today after some butter, etc. Towards night it began to rain and freeze.

7 Rained most all last night and froze. A good deal the same kind of weather today. Raining and freezing. The trees are getting very heavy with ice.

8 No rain today. So much ice collected on the trees that the branches kept breaking off during the night. After dinner started with 4 men and a team of two horses to the station. The wagon got stuck twice; the horses would not pull. We took them out and drew it out ourselves, both times. We had to return to camp without accomplishing our object.

9 Very warm and fair. On guard.

10 (Sunday) Very pleasant and warm. Would love dearly to lie in Warren Co., N. J., to attend S. School, church, class, and prayer meeting. I would be very happy.

11 Quite pleasant today.

12 Pleasant.

13 Rainy.

14 Rainy.

15 Pleasant.

16 Very pleasant. On guard.

17 Still pleasant.

18 Very rainy all day. Went to Newbern in a Government wagon and four. Got up some goods. Got somewhat wet.

19 A lovely day.

20 Very nice and warm.

21 Still warm. Helped other corporals to build a small house on the outer picket post.

22 A lovely day. Like a spring day. On guard. Worked a little on the guard house.

23 A lovely day. Very warm. Stopped on picket to work on the guard house.

24 A splendid day.

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31 Lovely weather since the 24th. Nothing unusual occurred.

February, 1864

1 The rebels attacked the 132nd Reg't.; drove them to Newbern. We retreated to that place by the Trent Road. I lost all my goods, $150.00 worth. Staid behind the breastworks all night. Confederate General George Pickett, with a force of 4500 troops, attacked the center of the Bachelor Creek picket line. The New York 132nd, with only 400 troops, was forded to withdraw to New Bern. There was concern that the 99th, on the left at Red House, would be cut off so they also retreated. To hasten the retreat, the troops were ordered to leave their knapsacks with personal possessions in the woods.

2 At about one o'clock A. M. a party of rebels in launches captured the gunboat Underwriter that was lying under the guns of Fort Stevenson, but was set on fire by the guns of that fort. Two men behind the breastworks near me were wounded by pieces of shell that the fire burst. The Confederates captured and destroyed the Underwriter, a 4-gun sidewheel steamer. The daring raid was led by Commander John Taylor Wood, a grandson of President Zachary Taylor and nephew of Jefferson Davis. Fort Stevenson was north of New Bern, up the Neuse River.

3 A pleasant day. On guard last night. The enemy are retreating. Our company went to Fort Stevenson tonight to support the Garrison. All quiet today and pleasant. While the Confederates had some success with this coordinated attack by land and sea, the Federals held and the Confederates were forced to withdraw.

4 Everything quiet. On guard at Head Quarters. A fine day.

5 Another fine day. The 132nd N. Y. Vol. returned to Batchelers Crk today. I got permission and went to the Red House. Got there about 4 ½ o'clock. All provision and clothing had been carried off by the women of the vicinity. Current maps show the spelling as Bachelor Creek. In Civil War reports, it was also spelled as Batchelder Creek.

6 A fine warm day. Staid at Mr. Stewart's last night. Went to several houses today, but found nothing of my goods of any account. Got back to town on the cars about 4 ½ o'clock.

7 Another fine day. Had an inspection but it was slight.

8 Still very pleasant. On picket guard.

9 Another fine day. On guard again with all the company.

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11 Company A went to the Red House today. I and Mr. Hall also went. I could find nothing of my goods. Staid at Mr. Stewarts this night.

12 Still pleasant. Came down to Newbern on the cars. Started shop again in the barracks.

13 Was in the city today without a pass and was arrested and put in the guard house, but did not stay long as I sent a note to Lieut. Kelly of Co. H who happened to be in the city and he came and took me out.

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15 Very pleasant weather all the past week. Got a pass to the city for a week.

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17 Very cold today, a sudden change.

18 Another cold day.

19 Cold today. About two inches of snow fell last night. The first snow that we have had this winter.

20 Cold this morning, but very pleasant after the sun got well up. Got another standing pass until further orders.

21 Quite cold this morning, but quite warm and pleasant after nine o'clock. The weather looks like another fall of snow.

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28 Had very pleasant weather all last week. Quite warm. Several days it was quite windy. Nothing unusual had occurred. My little shop keeps me quite busy.

March, 1864

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2 Thus far this week I have helped work on a new fort that was being built. It is quite a large fort and will be mounted with 10 guns: one a hundred pound Parrot on a pivot to command the river. A Parrott is a large, rifled, muzzle loading cannon with high accuracy and long range.

3 Did not feel well today so I did not work. At sunset we got orders to pack up to go on board a transport. Some say we are to go to Roanoke Island. Some say to other places. We got aboard the Thomas Collyer and started at 11 o'clock.

4 Arrived at Roanoke Island about noon. Had to get on a stern wheel steamer to land. Was on camp guard for the night. Had to quarter in tents.

5 Quite a pleasant day. Got some large fish called Drum fish at 5 cents each and made a good dinner for four of us. Was detailed to act as 1st Lieut. over a company of negroes. All on the island were being organized and armed.

6 Some rain. With some others I went across the island to see a large sand hill about 100 ft. high. It gave us a pleasant view. There are 80 families of whites and about 4000 negroes. Got relieved by the 103rd Pa. and got on the same transport and at one o'clock started for Newbern.

7 Arrived at Newbern at about two o'clock P. M. Got into our old quarters again. Can't imagine what we went to Roanoke Island for. But I am glad to get back to Newbern.

8 Another pleasant day. Looked over my accounts. Found that I had $21.00 due me. I owe 12 dollars. So I shall do tolerable well if I get all that is due me. I also started shop again today.

9 A pleasant day.

10 Quite rainy today.

11 Another rainy day.

12 A little rain today.

13 A splendid day. Nothing new has taken place during the last week in this vicinity. Two years ago tomorrow our forces captured this city. One year tomorrow the enemy tried to retake it. They are again expected tomorrow.

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21 Quite pleasant the past week. Nothing unusual has occurred.

22 Windy and rainy today.

23 Quite stormy today.

24 Pleasant.

25 A stormy day.

26 Pleasant.

27 Pleasant, but windy.

28 Co. F D had to go across the Trent river last night to protect the negroes from abuse from the 1st U. S. colored infantry. Had a pleasant night. Nothing occurred.

29 Had considerable rain today. Was on camp guard.

30 Pleasant day.

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April, 1864

1 A little stormy.

2 A little rainy today. And rather cool.

3 A little cool, but quite pleasant. On picket guard last night, on the beach. Had a good night of it. Was promoted to Sergeant today. I ought to have had that position a year ago, but it is better late than never.

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10 A pleasant day. Anniversary of my 31st birthday.

11 Had several rainy days last week.

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18 A few rainy days last week, but not much rain. Co. E and F went to Rocky Run this afternoon to assist in doing picket duty. I was left behind.

19 The rest of the reg't. except Co. D embarked on a transport to go to Plymouth to reinforce that place as it is attacked by the enemy. They had an iron clad to assist. It sunk two of our gunboats. The Confederate ironclad Albemarle was built at Edwards Ferry, North Carolina on the Roanoke River. It was commissioned on April 17 and on April 19 engaged the Federal blockade fleet outside Plymouth, North Carolina. It was a major Confederate sea victory, allowing them to control the entrance to Plymouth and the Roanoke River.

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21 The reg't. returned as Plymouth had surrendered before they got there. But the reg't. had to go right back to Roanoke Island. The town of Plymouth, North Carolina had been held by Union forces. In an attack from April 17-20, the Confederates recaptured Plymouth and took 2500 prisoners.

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23 Went to Rocky Run to join my company today.

24 A little rainy today. Went on picket for 48 hours.

25 One of the men on the post next to mine left his post and went some distance yesterday to a house. Did not return until this morning. Thought he had got captured.

26 A warm day. Got back to camp safe. Just as I had got to bed after tattoo orders came to pack up and return to Newbern. But had to wait for the picket so did not get started till near 11 o'clock. We relieved some of the 92nd N. Y. A tattoo is a signal, such as a bugle call, directing soldiers to their quarters.

27 About two o'clock reached Newbern. Co. E took steamer, went across the river to Fort Anderson. Our company also crossed to Fort Chase about 3 miles by the above fort. Got no sleep this night. Fort Anderson and Fort Chase were built along the Neuse River to protect New Bern.

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30 Mustered in again for two months more pay. The next time I am mustered it will be out of the service. I shall be glad.

May, 1864

1 Pleasant weather during the past week. Nothing unusual has occurred. One year ago we had a heavy skirmish with the rebs at Suffolk, Va. Soon after we began to move about. Appearances indicate that we will again get on the move. But I shall not have to stop long. Yet it may be long enough for me to lose my head or some other part of my body.

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4 The enemy made an attack on the picket at Deep Gully. A part of our reg't. went up. The rebs had killed and captured some of the 12th N. Y. cav. but that was about all.

5 The rebs made a raid to the Neuse river this afternoon just below the town. They had 9 pieces of artillery. The N. C. loyal cavalry (1 comp) made a charge and captured two pieces. They boarded schooner and took some things. There was considerable Union support in North Carolina and this cavalry regiment was fighting for the Union.

6 A fine day. Yesterday the gunboat drove the rebels away. We have seen nothing of them today.

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9 Very pleasant weather all last week.

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15 Left Fort Chase and came to our barracks in Newbern. Matters remained quiet the past week. Quite pleasant weather. Had a heavy squall of wind one night.

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22 A pleasant day. Quite pleasant the past week. Nothing unusual occurred. Been having drills 1 ½ hours in the evening.

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24 Got orders to have two days rations cooked, and be ready to go on an expedition at any moment. A pleasant day.