oppressive. We lay in our new bunk, a decided improvement on lying on
the wet ground. Griff and I visited a squad of 2,800 prisoners this
morning, of which Nashville is nearly full. They look as well as any I
have ever seen, clothing not as bad as I expected to see. Could not
converse with them for the guards. Our little boy with _Unions_ sold out
before he reached us, so we have not the details of yesterday's work.
Our headquarters are at Franklin. They must be skedaddling very fast.
Moved the picket rope as our horses were fast disappearing in the mud,
which is beyond grammatical comparison. This morning everybody is all
mud from head to foot. We eat it and drink it, and the air we breathe is
muddy.

Fort Gillem, Monday, Dec. 19. Last night it rained very heavily again
and continued till noon to-day. So furiously did it storm that it poured
through our tent wetting everything. Poor me on guard. Afternoon turned
very cold and freezing; it looked like snow. This is most disagreeable
for camp life such as ours. All day we must move with muddy feet where
at night most of the boys are obliged to spread their wet and dirty
blankets to sleep.

Last night we received a big mail from Wisconsin. It told us of snow and
ice, but there was the cheering fireside, warm room and cozy bed, and I
could but long for these comforts once more.

[Sidenote: 1864 Freeing the Slave]

I have been reading aloud the last evenings, Frances Kemble's _Journal
on a Georgia Plantation_. To-night I finished it. How sickening and
disgusting is the detail of this sin of slavery, and I thank God that a
better day is dawning on the poor wronged African. What are the trials
of camp life compared with the great work we are engaged in. I can
cheerfully bear all the discomforts of a soldier's life for the
overthrow of the monster evil.

Fort Gillem, Tuesday, Dec. 20. Everything froze up hard last night, and
it was very cold. Suffered considerable on post. Griff and I wished to
go to town, volunteered to load rations so as to go. Had to wait until
late in the afternoon for our team. Drew hard-tack and salt junk.
Visited Sanitary Commission rooms, obtained a good supply of reading
matter. Bought stationery to write letters and returned to camp. It is
turning warmer, rains again.

The papers tell us of the triumphant arrival of our gallant leader
Sherman at the coast. Invests Savannah, and we expect to join him sooner
or later. Beside this glorious