August 21—Left at 4 A.M. and arrived in Richmond at 6 P.M. Marched to Camp Lee, two miles from the city, and put up any tent we could get hold of, as it was raining very hard and too dark to see. We are all O. K. now.
Diary of a Tar Heel Confederate Soldier By Louis Léon [53d North Carolina Regiment, infantry]
June 26—We received marching orders this morning. The long roll beat at one in the night. We marched four miles on to Richmond, where we met some wounded of our army that had been injured at same bed that I had the last time—the sidewalk—and the wall for my pillow. Katz, Hugh Sample, “Bat” Harry, Lieutenant Belk and some others were left behind, sick.
June 25—Reported fighting near Richmond.
June 24—We had a drill to-day, and went to town to see some friends.
June 23—Moved our camp two miles up the road toward Richmond. It is a very bad camp—low ground and muddy. But there is a factory here, and plenty of girls to make up for the damp ground.
June 22—Nothing new.
June 21—We reached Petersburg, Va., this morning at half-past two, and had barely laid down with a brick wall for my pillow when breakfast was announced in the shape of Mack Sample, who told us where we could get it. I ran the blockade with Katz, and went to see Mike Etlinger. He was not at home. Afterward we met Wortheim, and we all went again and got something good to eat. We then returned to our regiment, which is the 53d North Carolina Regiment, infantry, Col. William Owens, commander. We are enlisted for three years, or the war. We fell in line and marched to our camp, which is on Dunn’s Hill, just outside of the city.
June 20—Up until this date there has been nothing worth recording, but to-day got orders to fall in line with two days’ rations cooked. Left at 12 M. in box cars. We knocked holes in them to get fresh air. We laid over six hours eight miles from Gerresburg in order to let the passenger cars pass us. Several of our company left the train in quest of supper. We found a house where a lady promised to give us supper for fifty cents each. As we were doing full justice to her supper the train started, we left in a hurry, and did not have time to pay for our meal. I don’t suppose she gave us her blessing.
June 8—I am very tired from our first night’s march.
June 7—At 11 o’clock to-night we were roused out of our sleep and marched to Weldon Bridge, as the river was so swift that it was thought the bridge would wash away. We went there to knock the sides off, so that the water could run over it, but we got there without tools. When they came the water was receding, so we returned to camp.
