"Standing Guard Mount is Cold H--l."

Sunday, January 24, 1864, Along the Rapidan

If the Yankees wanted to end this war quickly, they would do well to cross the river with one hundred men and capture us all without firing a shot. The winter looks at us with great disfavor. The snow is up and the temperatures are down. Standing guard mount is cold H--l. The massive stockpile of firewood that we had cut is nearly exhausted. It is so cold that the wood-cutting parties can not keep up with the demand. No one knows what we shall do. We shall freeze to death. We take some comfort that it is just as cold for those Yankees across the river but we know that each and every one of them has an overcoat issued by Massah Linkum.

Some of us are more lucky than others. Jeffy Turner, McAteer and Hagins have been granted furloughs. Assistant Surgeon Keith has sent John Neill to the hospital along with Howell and Blackmon. Troy Crenshaw had returned to the company after being absent since being wounded at Second Manassas, only last month and he is now being detailed away as a shoemaker. I certainly hope that it is warm where they are going. I know it is warm where I would like to send the Yankees. Truesdale has returned from furlough and he says that he should have stayed home.

Once again, the ladies of the Confederacy have come through for us. Lieutenant Williamson has been in receipt of a box from Shiloh Soldier's Aid Society. Every man in the company has a new pair of wool socks. Five of us have new blankets. Drawers, scarves, trousers, shirts and a single pair of gloves were received with gratitude. The Lieutenant said that he would write a letter of thanks on behalf of the company.

There was nothing to eat in this box but some other packages from other kind ladies contained treats that disappeared rather quickly. There was one apple pie that met with some sort of accident in transit and made a mess of the rest of the contents and we cared not the least. We ate the, "pie", as if it had been presented to us on a silver salver.

Chaplain Betts led us at church call this morning. He called upon the Great Provider to grant us the usual things but today he added a request for sunshine. If he gets his wish, we shall all convert.


I Send You These Few Lines:


It's winter and it's hard. The winter of '63-'64 was a cold one in Northern Virginia for both sides. Tooms correctly observes that the Union side was better prepared to handle the winter elements than their grey opponents. Industrial nations will always enjoy that advantage over agricultural nations.

All the persons mentioned as going to or coming back from furlough or being sent on special detail or to the hospital were listed on the muster roll for January and April for 1864. This muster roll and all such rolls are in the National Archives repository in College Park, Maryland.

That box and all of its' contents was one of many boxes sent to Confederate troops in the field or in hospital during the war. The full contents of this particular box, sent specifically to Company I, of the 12th South Carolina Regiment, were listed by Lieutenant Williamson in his letter of thanks as, "Five blankets, two quilts, six pair linsey pants, twenty-one pair cotton pants, four pair drawers, eleven cotton shirts, one pair gloves, sixty pair wool socks and three scarfs." I cannot imagine what use cotton pants would have in such a cold winter but I suppose it is better than going without.

A note about the new year, 1864. We, living in 2014, know what the outcome of the war will be like. Tooms and his people do not. They do not know how long this war will last or what they will face once the campaign season begins. They do not know that whereas 1863 was bad, 1864 will be evil. This year, the kid gloves come off.