Newton County GaArchives News.....MR. MOSS'S DIARY AS KEPT DURING SIXTIES September 16 1917 ************************************************ 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 13, 2004, 12:35 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 10....We ran into some cavalry and infantry in Morristown soon in the morning. They drove us back to Russellville. We got re-inforced and drove them back. 11....Cleared up in the morning. Evening cold as blazes, not blazes of fire. We found some very nice meat in an old straw pen. 12....Got my furlough after dark, the first one I had had since the war began. I went to fixing up to start in the morning. Several others of the command got furloughs, Capt. RAY and Bugler SMITH. 13....I started at 10 o'clock, passed Bull Gap and Greenville, went to foot of mountain and the others had passed Bull Gap, and it was nearly dark when I stopped at the last house. It was 9 miles over to Paint Rock. I was then 35 miles from starting point. I had a pair of blankets and a silver tea pot carrying for ROD WILLIAMS, and his horse. I dismounted and pulled off my saddle to put up my horse, and when I got back the blankets and tea pot were gone, also a new pair of drawers. Some women or bushwhackers got them. People were passing all night. I done some big talking, etc. 14....Passed Paint Rock where there were several horses killed by bushwhackers. I heard one cap burst up the mountain and I rode a little faster towards home, went on through Marshall, on by Warm Springs and Alexander's bridge, on to Patterson Bridge. Rode until about 9 o'clock at night before I could get anything to eat, or feed for my horse. I had nothing for myself to eat after I had left camp, and nothing for my horse but small stack of wheat straw near the house. They would not agree to sell me anything for a while, but when I told them I had plenty of money and would pay in advance, I pulled out a roll of money, then they agreed to let me have some corn and would fix me up the best they had to eat, so I sat down. There were three of them, and after feeding my horse and telling some good tales, they all three asking whether I was married or not, I told them no, and they wanted to know if I had a sweetheart. Of course, I told them, etc, so I got a good supper and 12 extra ears of corn for my horse. The woman who had just come in with the corn said there were three men where she got the corn were going to stay all night there and the description given suited for Captain RAY and SERRILL, the Bugler. They agreed for me to stay all night. I told some good tales and praised the Southern women, sang a few war songs for them and one about leaving a fair maiden behind who cried when I left, etc. I told them I could not stay all night, as I wanted to go where Capt. RAY and his party were so I could have company along the road. It was nearly 4 miles where they were. I prepared to start and they gave me 10 more ears of corn. I paid them and took a chunk of fire, shook hands and left leading my horse, and it was snowing. I walked two miles and it was still snowing. I struck camp under a thick top pine, made a fire and went to sleep. I waked up pretty soon, got up and gave my horse some more corn and lay down again, and when I woke up it was daybreak. I mounted and went on to where RAY and SERRILL were. They were just gettin up so I told them I would go on and get breakfast further on. 15....We passed through Waynesville, in Haywood county, N. C. and went on to within 1-1/2 miles of Webster and lay out. Could get nothing to eat or feed on, or any where to stay. 16....Passed through Webster, went on to within 3 miles of Franklin and took the left hand road, and I stopped at Mr. HAYS and got dinner and fed. Went 2- 1/2 miles further on and stoppe at Mr. HAYS and stayed all night. He treated us very kind, and our bill was only 2 dollars a piece. 17....Passed through Clayton, county seat of Rabun, camped within 3 miles of Clarksville, county seat of Habersham. Could get nothing to eat or feed on along the road until late in the evening, some women agreed to let us have some cold peas and buttermilk. We dismounted without orders and one of the women took the lid off the pot of peas and a hound dog stuck his head in and got the meat and ran. We made a good meal of peas and buttermilk but did not make peace with the hound dog. 18....Passed through Clarksville and I left the others and went to my uncle, WILLIAM THOMPSON, in Hall county, 8 miles from Gainesville, where I staid all night. 19....Passed through Gainseville and Lawrenceville and on 5 miles and stopped with an old man and staid all night, the three times I staid in house since I left Bull Gap. 20....Passed Loganville, Oxford and Covington, and got home at 3 o'clock in the evening. 21....Rained all day and I staid in house. 22....Went to Social Circle to carry ROD WILLIAM'S horse to his wife. It snowed most all day. I came back on train to Covington and staid all night with JOHN ELLIS. 23....Staid at A. R. TINSLEY'S. 24....Went back home. 25....Wrote a letter to Co. B 16th Ga 26....Went to JACK MOSS'S and staid all night. 27....Went to Austin Chapel for meeting. 28....Went to Covington. 29....Staid all night with JOHN NORTON. 30....Went to R. F. WOODRUFF'S. 31....Went to SMITH'S and back to WOODRUFF'S, staid all night. APRIL, 1864 1, 2, 3, 4....At home all the time. 5.....Went to town and staid all night. 6, 7, 8....At home part of the time. 9, 10......Hunting some little. 11....Went to party, me and JOHN PATTERSON, at FRANK WOODRUFF'S with sisters. Staid all night. Had a good time with the girls, especially the widow TAYLOR. 12....Left home for Covington at 1 o'clock. Got to Covington and staid until 5 o'clock and left for Augusta. Got to Augusta at 4:30 o'clock next morning. 13....Left Augusta at 6 and got to Branchville at 12, to Kingsville at 5, Columbia at 8:30, left at 8:45. Got to Charlotte next morning. 14....Had to lay over at Charlotte until 2 o'clock in the evening, then on to Raleigh, got there at next morning at 6:30. 15....Left Raleigh at 8 o'clock, got to Weldon at 5 in the evening. Left Weldon at 7, got to Petersburg at 11 at night, raining and cold. Lay in open shed until morning and like to have frozen as the wind was from the northeast. I had no blanket or overcoat. They were catching shad all night We could not get off until next evening at 4 o'clock. To Be Continued This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/gafiles/ File size: 6.9 Kb