5 September 1861: “the [American] Hotel being crowded the Landlord gave me to understand that we would accommodate him very much if Mr. Moore and myself would take one Bed and give up the balance of the room for other company.”

Item description: Rev. Overton Bernard recounts his traveling experience to Richmond, Virginia. As the capital of the Confederacy, Richmond’s population swelled to record numbers during the war.

Overton Bernard kept this diary while serving aas a bank employee in Portsmouth, Va., 1858-1863.

Item citation: From folder 2 of the Overton and Jesse Bernard Diaries #62-z,  Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Item transcription:

Thursday 5th Septem. at Richmond arrived here last night after Nine OClock slow travel and badly managed Road between Petersburg and Richmond put up at the American Hotel was fortunate in getting a comfortable room with two Beds occupied by Mr. J.J. Moore Auctioneer of Norfolk.

After we had taken the room (the Hotel being crowded the Landlord gave me to understand that we would accomodate him very much if Mr. Moore and myself would take one Bed and give up the balance of the room for other company — I told him Mr. Moore was out and I could not make the arrangement: We thought we were entitled to some accomodation ourselves at $2 1/2 per day board.

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