December 19—We got away from the open field at 12 M., and went two miles out of town, and camped in the woods. We met the Bethel regiment to-day. I met quite a number of old friends and comrades of my old company. We compared notes on soldiering. We came to the conclusion that at Yorktown we were playing soldier, but now there is no play in it. We are expecting a fight every hour.
Diary of a Tar Heel Confederate Soldier By Louis Léon [53d North Carolina Regiment, infantry]
December 17—Laid in an old field until 8 P.M., and suffered a great deal from cold. We left here on flat cars and rode all night on them. We arrived at Goldsboro at 10 A.M. on the 18th. The ladies on the road, especially those at Wilson, were very kind to us. They gave us plenty to eat, which we were very much in need of.
December 18—We marched through town and lay all night in an open field without tents. It is certainly bitter cold. The only fires we could make were from the fence rails, as the woods were too far for us to get to.
December 16—I returned this morning and was not missed. We left here with the cars at 8 A.M., and got to Weldon at 3 P.M. on the 17th.
December 15—Sure enough. Got orders to cook five days’ rations. We started at 2 A.M. and got to Petersburg at 8 o’clock that night. I ran the blockade, and went uptown and stayed all night and had a very good time.
December 14—Rumored that we will leave Virginia for North Carolina.
December 13—There was nothing to record up to the 13th, but to-day had division review from 9 A.M. until 5 P.M.
December 8—My birthday to-day. I am a man twenty-one years old, but I must say that I have been doing a man’s duty before I was twenty-one, providing a soldier’s duty is a man’s. I spent to-day in bringing mud to our palace for a fireplace.
December 3—Katz and myself went to Petersburg to-day. We met with friends, and the consequence you can imagine. The headache we had next day was caused by too much whiskey.
December 1 and 2—We moved into our winter quarters. They are very good and strong. There are ten men in each hut.
November 7—It commenced to snow this morning at 6 o’clock, and continued until one in the afternoon. It is three inches deep. We got some whiskey into camp, which tasted very good and made us forget the cold. The balance of this month passed off very quietly. We are hard at work on our winter huts.
