om the cold with bare hands.

2 P. M. came upon the officers' wagon on side of the road, axle-tree
broken, where we had to stop and take on the load, and it followed in
the rear, with a pole for wheel. A little farther on passed the battery
wagon and forge, both wheel teams having given out, and abandoned and
waiting for men to be sent back. Passed through Woodville at 4 P. M.
Crossed Paint Rock River at dark, having yet three miles to camp through
a low wet bottom, timbered thickly with large tall beach, and it grew
very dark. Sergeant Runyan drew his wagons one side to wait till
morning, but Lieutenant Clark ordered them on.

I reached camp with our wagon at 9 P. M. after much trouble. I never was
out in a darker night. Boys were scattered along the road for miles
doing the best they could to keep warm and escape the storm, as it began
to snow very heavy. Found a bedfellow and joined a squad in an old field
where we made shelter between two old corn cribs from the shakes. Built
a roaring fire. Received mail, and I was happy to read by the light of
the rails of home. Made our beds on the rough frozen ground and slept
well till morning.

[Sidenote: 1864 Sleeping in Cotton]

Brownsboro, Ala., Friday, Jan. 8. Arose in good time, while it was broad
daylight, and found that one of the party had his hat burned up during
the night. An inch of snow on the ground, and it was chillingly cold.
But a small portion of the train came up last night, therefore did not
move until nearly noon. The roads were slippery and hard to travel. E.
W. E. and I took the R. R. After a hard march of ten miles we reached
Brownsboro at 4 P. M. on Flint River, the terminus of the R. R.
communications as yet. Here we found the boys that had come through on
the cars. Cooked our supper by their fires and went in search of shelter
for the night. Seven of us in the squad found a cotton patch in the
middle of a dense forest with a cotton pen. Built a crib of rails,
crammed a foot of cotton into it and covered with the rubbers. The wagon
road seen on the opposite side of a range of mountains, and the Brigade
had not yet come up. Nigger Henry had kindly taken my blankets on his
horse in the morning and was now with the Battery. We could hear the
rattle of the wagons coming in from a distance, and as I was in much
need of my blankets I started to meet them, but found they had camped
three-quarters of a mile back. Climbed a little hill and the hundreds of