and camp equipage; the
adjutant makes out the detail for guard and other duties, and transmits
orders received from the division commander to the regiments. All of
these officers have certain reports to make also, which consumes much of
their time.

APRIL, 1863.

1. Adjutant Wilson received a letter to-day, written in a hand that
bespoke the writer to be feminine. He looked at the name, but could not
recollect having heard it before. The writer assured him, however, that
she was an old friend, and said many tender and complimentary things of
him. He tried to think; called the roll of his lady friends, but the
advantage, as people say, which the writer had of him was entirely too
great. If he had ever heard the name, he found it impossible now to
recall it. Finally, as he was going to fold the letter and put it away,
he noticed one line at the top, written upside down. On reading it the
mystery was solved: "If this reaches you on the first day of April, a
reply to it is not expected."

The colored gentlemen of the staff are in a great state of excitement.
One of the number has been illustrating the truth of that maxim which
affirms that a nigger will steal. The war of words is terrible. "Yer
d--d ole nigger thief," says one. "Hush! I'll break yer black jaw fer
yer," says another. They say very few harder things of each other than
"you dam nigger." One would think the pot in this instance would hardly
take to calling the kettle black, but it does. They use the word nigger
to express contempt, dislike, or defiance, as often and freely as the
whites. Finally, the parties to this controversy agree to leave the
matter to "de Co'nel." The accused was the first to thrust his head into
my tent, and ask permission to enter. "Dey is a gwine to tell yer as I
stole some money from ole Hason. I didn't done it, Co'nel; as sure as
I'm a livin' I didn't done it." "Yaas, yer did, you lyin' nigger!" broke
in old Hason. "Now, Co'nel, I want ter tell you the straight of it." I
listened patiently to the old man's statement and to the evidence
adduced, and as it was very clear that the accused was guilty, put him
under guard.

The first day of April has been very pleasant, cool but clear. The night
is beautiful; the moon is at its full almost, and its light falls mellow
and soft on the scene around me. The redoubt is near, with its guns
standing sentinel at each corner, the long line of earthworks stretches
off to the right and