Item Description: Diary entry dated 20 December 1864 by Sarah Lois Wadley. She writes about rumors she has heard about Sherman’s march through Georgia.
Item Citation: Folder 5, Sarah Lois Wadley Papers, #01258, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Item Transcription:
Tuesday, Dec. 20th.
We have had such a long week of warm, cloudy weather; yesterday evening the wind changed to the north and the rain came down in torrents, and we hoped it would clear this morning, but it has kept up a slow, cold drizzle all day.
Mr. Barr passed Sunday evening and left a letter for me from Mrs. Morancy, she says they will expect the children, and insists upon my going up with them, but I cannot do so, I would like it very much if it were best for me to go. She says they have been having concerts and tableaux at Homer for the benefit of our suffering Missouri soldiers, they have already made $3,000. The papers we received yesterday contain very exciting news, we learn that Sherman is down in the heart of Georgia, has passed through Milledgeville, destroying all the public buildings, there are rumours that we have defeated Sherman terribly at Millen; so near Uncle David! Every Georgian is in arms, they mist have passed right by our old Oakland. Oh, I am so excited when I think of it, how I wish I were a man and in Georgia, how I wish I were there anyway, to know what they we doing, to rejoice with our noble Georgians, and with all the brave soldiers who are there fighting for us; for I am sure the Yankees are but marching to their own destruction; it seems to me Sherman’s audacity is unequalled, but he will meet his just reward. Yet though I do thus wish to be as it were on the scene of action, yet it seemed to me yesterday for the first time that I could begin to see a mercy in our being held back from crossing the river, we should probably have been in that part of Georgia which has been made a battle ground.
I read the President’s message this morning, it is indeed fine in every respect, so calm, earnest, eloquent, and bringing all it’s strength from that high faith in right and humanity, and that strong reliance on God which so enobles human nature.
We have finished “The Antiquary,” which we all liked very much of course, and which we shall be talking about for the next week or two; we were interrupted two nights in the most exciting part. Mr. Gordon has been attending to some business for Father, and in return Father undertook to do a part of his tax assessing over here, he was absent three days. The first night Mr. Gordon very unexpectedly came over to stay all night, and we were all highly astonished by a call from Dr. Melton in the evening; the next night as Loring was away, we thought we would wait until Saturday night when Father would be at home. Mr. Gordon came up again Saturday night to see Father, but we read in spite of his visit, and he seemed highly entertained. I have been writing more by feeling than sight for some time, and precious penmanship I have made of it, it is now quite too dark to write any more.
