Vincent DeLong's Diary of 1864

Monday, June 20, 1864

____ ____ considerbal ___ ____
___ (second line too faint to read)
____ get (yet?) and gambel I never wil
forget the plesure ride I took yesterday
or rather displesples (that's what it looks like) ride laid
some time before they notest any ____
as this the last word (east ward?) in this ____
and (not?) after it is don up it feels ___
I wish I could go on fort(?) the _____
is being loaded with the wounded ___
mind (?) my turn (?) wil come to

Tuesday, June 21, 1864

____ found myself refreshed considerb
al and ____ ____ load today
a great many of the 5 corps and
Phers(?) goes to day and all the
worst cases we ma stay a week
to get our turn on the boat
but the government wil get them
away as soon as they can
we hav beautiful weather and
canonading is yet hurd _____

Wednesday, June 22, 1864

another beautiful day and
we hav no sight to go to day
as the second corp ar going
our turn wil come again lex(?)
and that ma be 3 or 4 yet the
battel is goin on in front not
many wounded comes ___ to day
but a great many are going (?) and
____ ____ a great many _____
____ (bottom line too faint to read)

wounds and amputations (vertically along outside of page)

Thursday, June 23, 1864

could heare the gun boats at work
last work last night they made
the darndest noise that I ever
hurd we dont go to day more of
the 2 corps yet goes

Friday, June 24, 1864

(Vincent has written vertically across the Friday and Saturday spaces. Reading ahead to Sunday, he appears to be in a hospital of some sort.)

____ ____ ____from parcel and my ____
_____ Every mom (morn?) ____ ____ the plase for(?)
____ northern city ____ very hot to day
and Saturday looks like rain but I guess we
wont get any although we kneed it bad enough
the wind blows considerbal and covers this wars
patients with dust as the road is near and of cars
____ military point as this the road is in use
much as a city street I hav wished a number
of times that ___ would arise somewhar so I could
hav letter adresed to me that might heare
from home

(then horizontally along the bottom of the page:)

a felon (fellow? It looks more like felon) raised me to night

Sunday, June 26, 1864

caried a smalpox patient out of this
ward this morning
it is Very hot to day
I dont feal wel and of
corse as others are leaving
daly for som northern city
and confering (?) wil heal ___
and am out of health natur
ly want to go with them
but begin to think our(?)
turn wil come after a while

Monday, June 27, 1864

another sultrey day if the wind
didnt blow considerbal and
I wodent wonder if we did get
some rain before another soon
begin to think I am going to
stay heare til we ar well or
buried a litle hilside ____
spoted with graves of soldiers since
my arival at this plase and all with
in a week and 2 days only

Tuesday, June 28, 1864

we got a refreshing shower
last night and before morn
I was glad to couch down
under my blanket we got beds
to day and apearances indicate
to keep this as a military
repo some ____ the cars
___ from heare ____ ____

(last two lines too faint to read)

(In a darker ink written vertically and crossed out are the words:)

these lines should of bin writen in blood

Wednesday, June 29, 1864

continues cool canonading comenced
in front Early brisk and continued
at intervals all day I am wel in (not sure on those last two words)
well but feal a little better to
nite a number of those who could
walk went last night their
destroytis land as to fortres
Monroe to the McClellan hosp
-ital never mind we wil go when
this plase is evacuated if not soon(?)
wel

(Fortress Monroe is on the Chesapeake Bay in Hampton, Virginia. The Chesapeake and McClellan Hospital was nearby. There is a present-day VA Hospital and National Cemetery adjacent to Hampton University.)

Thursday, June 30, 1864

other boats has arived and the
doctor is going threw with
his asistants and picked out 23 (?)
of the worst cases noone comes he
comes again I intreat (?) him to let
me go get (yet?) 6 Oclock finds me prety
comfortbaly situated on second
deck on the flore and we are
gliding swiftly down the James (the James is the major river near Petersburg, but the word is smudged)
get to the An____ (?) about sundown(?)
and anchored