nging for home it created, as home
scenes and accompaniments were brought vividly to the mind's eye. Many
were the thoughts of sleigh rides, hills, girls, etc. by those that are
to enjoy such. One party I saw as I went to water. They had rigged up a
sled with young mules hitched, and a sonorous cowbell for music. They
paraded the streets of Huntsville and were looked upon by the native
fair as crazy, but they knew nothing of the fun. But this uncommon
visitor was not to last long, and the Southern sun soon made it withdraw
slowly but surely.

A bad day for the sick. Tommy very low all day and painful. Evie was on
guard, so I sat up with him till one o'clock in the morning, fed him
medicine regularly with a cold application to be changed every fifteen
minutes. He has not eaten anything for days, save what I have fed him
with a spoon. Fed him farina gruel twice through the night with the
spoon. Coughs severely. Chas. Hutchinson and J. McCann sick with the
same disease.

Huntsville, Wednesday, March 23. Warm day. Snow all gone by night making
it very slushy and muddy. T. J. Hungerford apparently a little better,
but very weak. Sat up long enough to make his bed and bathe him. Hauled
wood in forenoon, drilled in afternoon on gun. No mail. I have a bad
cold settled on my lungs. The right lung pains me considerably. Alex Ray
taken to smallpox hospital, making five in all. Lieutenant Clark and
Paddleford wholly recovered. Captain ---- got into a barroom row with a
citizen in town this afternoon, for which he was put under arrest, but
returned to-night. Hurt his hand.

Huntsville, Thursday, March 24. Weather warm and ground drying. We have
a very pleasant ride every morning to the big spring in town to water
our horses, and back, about two miles. Have to keep in the ranks, which
is not as agreeable as if allowed to go as we pleased. Tommy gaining a
little. Through the kindness of one of the boys' lady acquaintances, he
was supplied with a rocking chair in which he sat for some time. A new
hospital tent is being put up on the hill right above us for the
batteries, where he will be removed soon.

Huntsville, Friday, March 25. Rainy and disagreeable day. Wrote a letter
and read most of the day. Feel quite dull and troubled with bad cough.
Four more recruits arrived from Wisconsin, having been left behind sick
when the others came. Two horses died to-day, which is the same nearly
every day. They have a species of distempe