1 June 1862: “This is the first day of summer, a summer which promises to bring sadness to us, evils thicken around, and the clouds are no longer gathering, they seem about to burst…”

Item description: Entry, dated 1 June 1862, from the diary of Sarah Wadley.

More about Sarah Lois Wadley: Sarah Lois Wadley was born in 1844 in New Hampshire, the daughter of railroad superintendent William Morrill Wadley (1813-1882) and Rebecca Barnard Everingham Wadley (1819-1905). Although born in New England, she appears to have been raised in the South, and lived with her family in homes near Amite in Tangipahoa Parish, Monroe and Oakland in Ouachita Parish, La., and near Macon, Ga. Sarah Lois Wadley died unmarried in Monroe County, Ga., in 1920.

Item transcription:

Sunday, June 1st/62–

This is the first day of summer, a summer which promises to bring sadness to us, evils thicken around, and the clouds are no longer gathering, they seem about to burst, God grant it may be with blessings, not with cursings. We hear news constantly of some weak rash act, some cowardice, some treason in our Confederacy. Our enemies seem to be gaining ground, but it may be a delusive dream but still I love to cherish, I believe we shall prevail, I believe that God has not, and will not forsake us.

The Yankee gunboats have commenced firing on Vicksburg, damaging some Churches, and private homes, but nothing more. Father brought home last night a sermon of Dr. Lord’s on the last infamous proclamation of the Yankee General Butler, it makes one’s blood boil to read it. Can we believe that such men will prosper?

The war and public matters occupy my thoughts so much that I scarcely think of noting down the events of our quiet life, this week, however, has not been so quiet as usual.

Monday, I spent the day with Miss Newcomb and Miss Bennett; found Carrie Young there, I enjoyed the day very much, brought home some flower roots and cuttings, and also “Evangeline” and Trelawny’s “Last days of Shelly & Byron”, the former I read yesterday, there are many beautiful passages in it; the latter does not deserve to mentioned in the same paragraph, it is, as far as I have gone, hardly worth reading Tuesday night Father came home, Thursday evening we went down to see the Misses Bry, who moved out this week.

This morning Major Bry, Miss Puss and her brother and sister came to see us. Yesterday evening we had quite a little tornado and a heavy shower. Mr. Bennett, who was on his way home from Monroe, stopped in from the rain, he In a very pleasant man, I gave him Jackson’s “Tallulah & other poems” to take to Mrs. Bennett, she is a Georgian, and every Georgian’s heart must warm over those poems.

Yesterday evening Father brought home a buggy, it is a very nice little one, and very convenient, it seems strange for us to have a buggy, we never had one before. Willie, Grandma and Georgie have gone down to the mill in it this evening.

Willie had a little flower bed fenced off for us, last week, and we have all been very busy in it this week, we have a good many cuttings in it, and some flower seeds planted.

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