Newton County GaArchives News.....MR. MOSS'S DIARY AS KEPT DURING SIXTIES June 1 1916 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Phyllis Thompson mandpthompson@bellsouth.net February 1, 2004, 11:15 pm The Covington News "This Is As I Saw It. It May Be Different As Others Saw It" He Says of 3d Regiment, Company H. BEGINNING WITH THE YEAR 1861 MAY. 1861 13.....Fire at night at Portsmouth, caused by the burning of a plank kiln, ____ ____ much speculation, ____ thinking that the Yankees had caused the burning to draw us out of our quarters, so they could run in and capture them. 14.....Laid out a place for a camp ground about 1 mile from Portsmouth, near the mouth of the Elizabeth River, above the Gosport Navy Yard. 15.....Left the Navy Hospital and went to our new camp ground and put up our tents. 16.....Worked on streets between tents and put floors in tents. 17.....Young's Guard Company H. went to work on batery. 18.....Commenced drilling skirmish drill by the horn of JASPER TURNER, Horn Blowers. 19.....The batteries at Sewil's Point and the steamers on the Yankee side done a little skirmishing at each other. 20.....Long roll was beat at 2 o'clock at night. 21.....We were aroused and went to Bower's Hill. The alarm was a false one, caused by the report that the Yankees were landing troops, but it happened to be some barges or lighters which had drifted away from their fleet. We got back to camp at sun down and me and JOHN LEVY and ROUN VICKERS went to Norfolk after rations. Got there too late, the commisary was closed and we stayed all night. 22.....Tremendous cannonading at Sewil's Point. The batteries made vessels retreat back. 23 Up to the 8th of June.....Drilling every day. JUNE, 1861 9.....W. H. BAILEY got furlough to go home. Heavy rain and wind liked to have blown down all the tents. 10....Some fighting at Newport News. 11....BAILEY left for home on furlough. 12....The boys had a big time in Norfolk. 13....Col. THOMAS JONES came to camps with recruits. He brought 20 recruits. 14....Made out requisitions for 104 men. 15....Work on streets of our camps, hauling sand and putting out trees of cedar on each side. 16....Hauled nice white sand in wheel barrows. 17....Col. T. F. JONES went to Craney Island to take a look at the Confederate batteries on the island. 18....Our drum came by express from home. 19....Col. JONES started back to Georgia. 20....Drew rations for 5 days. 21to 23....Nothing but drilling 24....Heavy cannonading at Sewil's Point. 25 to 27....Artillery practicing at the bateries. 28....Went to cleaning up new camp ground, and a good deal of confusion about it; it was so near the water and marshy places all on one side. 29....I went to making out pay roll for Company H. JULY, 1861 1.....I hired a cook for my mess for one month. Her name was CHARLOTTE. 2.....Tolerable cool for the time of the year, had a severe attack of diarrhea. Heavy firing towards the mouth of James River. 3.....The Regiment went to Pig's Point on a general order given. 4.....Me and Lieut. CARROLL and W. A. DYER and Col. HAL LEE were left to take care of the camp. Capt. BLODGETT had a good dinner fixed up for his men when they got back, had goose, hog, and sheep. He sent me some of all he had for dinner that day. That was the day I saw the first hog skinned. 5.....The Regiment got back from Pig's Point. 6.....H. F. PARKER and W. J. BRIDGES came to us as recruits, Company H. 7.....I took a stroll in the Navy Yard on Sunday, took down the weights of the largest cannon in the yard: it was a Columbiad, weight 15,797 lbs., and the dates of the make that was captured at the City of Mexico. They were Spanish guns, dates of make 1696, 1767, 1767, 1767. One was said to be 65 per cent silver, and would ring like a bell. 8.....Moved our camp down close to the river, 350 yards from old camp. 9.....I quit being Quarter Master for the company, DAVID HARRIS came to Company H., in the place of NAT HODGE by transfer. 10, 11....Went to Norfolk and drew rations for 5 days; plenty of water melons and cantaloupes and the first corn t???? I saw. 12, 13....Plenty of Squashes, tomatoes and beans to eat. 14....Went to the locks at the mouth of the Elizabeth River on the Dismal Swamp Canal. Got out of provisions and our cook quit us on account of it. 15....JOB RUSSELL, SENR., went weighing out rations for the first time after I quit. 16, 22....Done our own cooking and hired a cook, ELISABETH, a mulatto, a month. 23, 24....Powerful hot and rainy. 25....Col. WRIGHT went to Richmond. 26, 29....Drilling: and some of the boys doing a good deal of foraging over the river, on a pork raiser and a few lambs, etc., by crossing in boats. 30....Got 2 months pay from paymaster in Virginia Bank notes. 31....I stood guard for the 1st time in Virginia. To Be Continued. This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/gafiles/ File size: 5.2 Kb