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Thursday October 2 1862
    Departed at 12 m. before 6. morning smoky & hot. Very weak myself, but heard nothing of the other sick of the house,-
Mercer & the Baby, hope they both had a good night. After Breakfast in my room reading some Halking some Got Mary
Mercer to write a letter for me to Tommy in answer to his of Tuesday from the Army. At 9 went into Mercer's room & sat
talked till 10, & came out with him while the Fire Bells were ringing & a [small?] fire on Garland Hill. Came in here, Mercer walking
to & from his room more than he has done before since he was sick & complaining less of his pain. Read & dozed some till
now 1/2 after 1. Was gratified at Katy, coming in about 12, with the Baby looking languid but dear of fever. Loola in
here now. I shall walk about some from here to Mercer's room. I talk & read some till Dinner. After Dinner, in my room Do
Mercer came in, & soon after Mercer, & sat till after 4. Mercer then walked backward & forward to the front door till fatigued I read
till 5, & shall walk backward & forward to Mercer's room, & sit some till [night?]. Did so, &sat till Supper. After Supper in my room
with some of the Household at different times, Mary & Loola till 1/2 after 9 to bed Slept 6 1/2 hours.

Friday Oct 3
Dressed 20 m. before 6. Smoky warm morning. Every thing quiet with the sick. Weather as hot as August. After Breakfast in
my room was in, Mary and Loola Mercer came in & sat some. Mercer then came in Walk in, for exercise through the passages. I began
to read again & about 10 went to his room & sat a short time there, & came back & read & again walking. I continued so till between
12 & 1, when Loola came in, & was called soon to see Miss [Lhecto?] who has been in town sometime for her trip to the Springs, now 25m after
Shall walk some presently & go to Mercer’s room, & talk some, if I have anyone to talk to till dinner. I am much affected by the
[?] of the weather in my weak condition. After dinner reading, Mercer asking about Catherine She came in & sat & after
Mr Wm Blackford came in & sat till after Sundown & went. I shall walk as much as I can before supper & be with Mercer. Wallace [?]
[?] into Mercer’s room, & took tea in there & sat till ½ after 9. Went to bed & slept 6 hours. Katy & the younger part of the hour
[?] Mr Wm [Lainghome?] where [they?] had Tablaux


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Saturday Octo. 4 Letter from Dr Morris
Dressed at 10m before 6. Clear hot morning, heard nothing of the sick of the family, I sick & weak with diarrhea
After breakfast, in my room trying to read but so sick & weak unable to do much at it, Mercer walking for exercise backward &
forward, had to lay down in the couch & doze & sleep till nearly 12, & got up trying to read till now 10m. before 2. Weather intolerably
hot, Loola just gone out. I shall continue doing little or nothing till dinner, talking a little, & reading some. Got a letter from
Dr Morris [?] [?] [?] [?] [?]. After a Dinner of boiled milk & bread, I sat & read as well as I could for weakness & the heat of
the weather. I shall continue so till 5, when I will try & walk some till night or Sundown. Mercer walking for exercise at about
5. Mr [Spead?] came into my room & sat till nearly dark & went, & I walked a very little, & to Mercer’s room & sat till near
supper. Dr Mercer in there some of the time. Went to my room, & after supper, Berta sitting with me, Mr Ned [Lainghome?]
& Mr Wm [Lainghome?] (a [blessed?] [?] man) came to see me, & sat till ¼ to 9, & went I continued to sit with Berta till
½ after 9, & went to bed, exhausted, & slept fully 6 hours.

Sunday, Octo. 5
Dressed ¼ before 6. Clear & hot. Little George Mercer who has been quite sick for 4 or 5 days, said to be better after breakfast.
in my room reading Richmond paper, Mercer walking about for exercise, seems strengthening & [?], still taking
Fowler's Solution of Arsenic, between 9 & 10 I went to his room & sat a little, & returned to mine, & lay on the couch & slept a
little till near 11. Got up & read till now 5m after 1. Shall continue to read & walk & talk till dinner & now & then in Mercer’s room
Family who went to church not yet returned after dinner in my room reading, Dr Mercer came in after, Mercer walking, to &
fro. Mr [Lainghome?] came in with the Baby & all went out at 5, & I shall try & walk & go to Mercer’s room till dark, now 10m after 5. Walk
till dark & went into Mercers, Mr Geo. [Lainghome?] in there as well. I sat till tea & took it in there, and sat till 10m before 9 & went to my
room & sat by myself, all the others of the house still at church, till ½ after 9, went to bed & slept more than 6 hours. Cooler night


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Monday Octo. 6 Drew a check to Logan Waller to be sent to Richmond by Mr [Lainghome?].
Dressed 10m before 6. Clear & cooler, had a little fire. Hear nothing from the sick yet. After breakfast in my room talking to those
who came in. Mercer walking about. I then read some & walked a little & read till 11, & wrote a check to be sent to Logan Waller
for $179.72 to pay for coal bought for me in Richmond, & for transportation of furniture, Bacon etc Between 11 & 12 Leila [Tucker?] & [Loola?]
came in & sat till after 12, & went out, when I read till now ¼ after 1. & shall continue in the same way to walk some & talk & read
some till dinner. Cool beautiful day, but very dry, the sick some better. After dinner in my room doing little or nothing, & nothing to
read. Mercer walking to & fro for exercise. Katy brought the Baby before she [?] about 4, & gone to ride, now 5. Shall walk dome & go into Mercers
room till night. Walked about, & went into Mercer’s room just before dark, when Dr Tucker & Mr George [Lainghome?] came
in they sat some time, & after they went I walked again a little & went to my room. After supper, [Loola?] in there, Dr Mercer & others came
in & Mr [Lainghome?], they sat till ¼ before 10, & went out & I to bed. [?] I slept badly about 4 hours.

Tuesday Octo. 7 Little George worse with croup I think from what they tell me
Dressed 10m before 6. Clear morning, & warm. I sick & feeling awfully. I am reminded by my feelings, that October is a fatal month to my family.
After breakfast, in my room now on the couch too ill to do anything but sleep, to which I am much [?], till now 5m before
2. Poor Little George is thought worse. God spared him, I understand Old Mrs [Speed?] was to see me before 12 Oclock but I was too sick to
see anybody. My Stomach much deranged, as well as my Bladder. Shall spend the rest of the day on the couch or sopha before & after dinner.
Did so on the sopha till night, Mercer backwards & forwards. After supper, Mercer, Mr [Lainghome?], Dr Mercer in here, Mercer & Mr L went
before 9, & Dr Mercer at 9 & I to bed. Slept 6 ½ hours. Catherine was here in afternoon & went at dark. Dr Tucker also.

Wednesday Octo. 8th
Dressed 5m before 6. Clear, hot & dry. The sick, Little George particularly, I hope better, I, as weak as water. After breakfast, in
my room reading & now & then talking to those coming in, Mercer walking, to & fro & Katy in here with the baby. After she went out got on the
couch & read & dozed till 12, then got up & read till after 1. Mercer walking still. I shall try if possible to walk some,


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& converse & read till dinner. The sick rather better to this time, now ½ after 1. Day warm & bright. After dinner reading a little by myself-
Leila Tucker came in between 3 & 4, & sat till 20m after 4, Mercer walking as usual in & out here. Old Daniel Williams came in to see
me & went at ½ after 4. I shall try & walk presently & later before dark go into Mercer’s room Katy going to ride, now 20m before 5, I too weak to go. Walked
& went to Mercer’s room before dark. Dr Tucker here about dark. I sat, & took tea in Mercer’s room, & after 25m after 9 went
to bed. Mr [Lainghome?] in Mercer’s room till then & Dr Mercer some before. Slept poorly about 4 ½ hours.

Thursday Octo. 9 Little George [?] [?]
Dressed 8m before 6, hot, dry & clear. Little George reported as having a bad night, heard nothing from the other sick. After break-
=fast sick, weak & weary, [?], suddenly shocked by Mary’s [scudding?] to ask me to come upstairs & see poor little George who they all
considered to be in extremis. I had no idea. I [?] accomplish the getting upstairs but determined to make the attempt in spite of
consequences. After a hard struggle I got up to her room & found him ill, indeed, a piteous to see so beautiful so bright &
so intelligent a boy almost “in articulo mortis.”? He seems to have won the affections of all who saw him long enough to discover his
qualities. I immediately insisted upon calling in for the advice. After I left the room Dr [Hereston?], Randolph, & [Tucker?] all of the
army came in, & they prescribed Antispasmodics, [?], & calomel, & under that treatment he seems to have revived some. They de-
=clare it a case of Membranous Dyptheria [sic]. Little “Daisy”? has also Dyptheria but of not so severe a character, as yet. Mr & Mrs
[Speed?] were all here, & I had a long, interesting conversation with him. He goes to Richmond this afternoon with his sister Mrs [Reedd?]
who goes to Philadelphia under a Flag of Truce to join [?] [?], an Officer in the United States Navy. Our conversation
related to poor Mrs Waller, & we are in hopes to get [?] there for her comfort, through the agency of Capt [Reedd?], who will [?]
funds here for her children – who are here. I have been sitting in here almost in a state of stupor, since they went away
Mercer [continuing?] in his walks for exercise. I shall do nothing more till after Dinner then talk if anybody shall come
in. Anxious & fearing to hear from upstairs constantly. Now ¼ after 1. Since Dinner sitting by myself, except Mercer now & then


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walking in, & I am in the most dreadful state of suspense on poor little George’s account, that from all I can hear is in a hopeless state. Shall
[write?] no more tonight, but walk about my room in extreme misery, now ½ after 4 I shall follow him in a few days. Walked about a little
& went into Mercer’s room before dark. After a short time Mr [Stabler] came in to see poor little George, showing how the dear little
Fellow had endeared himself to all old & young who knew or saw him. After Supper he would to George’s room & seemed to feel much for him.
I sat in Mercer’s room till 10m before 10 & went to bed, & was sick with diarrhea in the night, & slept badly 4 or 5 hours. Catherine staid with George.

Friday Octo 10 Little George better. Some hopes of him. Rain.
Dressed at 10m before 6. Sent to hear how George was just now, & heard from his father, that he was no worse. I am afraid to hope. Mor-
=ning dark & cloudy, but it seems hard to rain after so long a spell of dry weather. I am, indeed, sick, & weak, & with a disease that
is fatal to all my family. Diarrhea after Breakfast, it is reported George is better, & our hopes are revived, & the household brightened by
it although the weather is gloomy. Sitting, reading by myself Dr [Tucker?] came in, & sat with me a short time & went & I read again, Mercer coming
& going in his walk for exercise. About 12, Mrs [Speed?], the elder, came in to see me & sat till a few minutes before 1, now raining gently, & went home
in the carriage that brought Catherine. I shall walk some, read some, & talk some till dinner & hope the rain may continue & break up this
distressing drought. Now 10m after 1. George still [?], better & breathing much better. Catherine came to my room before dinner in high
spirits about George. After Dinner, not raining but cloudy. [Sitted?] in here reading. Mercer walking to & fro, till now ½ after 4. Shall walk
some till dark. Walked & went into Mercer’s room before dark, & sat there. Dr Mercer & Mr [Lainghome?] in there some of the time.
Mr [Stabler?] called to see George after tea. I sat till ½ after 9. Went to bed, raining at the time, & slept 5 or 6 hours.

Saturday Octo 11 George still better
Dressed 10m before 6. Dark, very cloudy & raining fast. Has I believe rained very gently most of the night. George the same.
I have still diarrhea. After Breakfast, in my room reading & talking to anyone coming in. I was talking with [Loola?] & [Leila?] when
I am glad to see Mary Mercer come in, the first time she has left George’s room for days. It shows that he must be better. After
they went out I read generally & walked some till about 12. I reclined on the couch for a short time when Dr [Tucker?] came in


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& sat a short time & went at 1, & I got up & walked a little till now ¼ after 1.Has been raining nearly all day to the time. Not raining
now but cloudy & dark & may rain again. I shall continue I expect in the same way till dinner. Good accounts from little George.
After Dinner the weather as gloomy & dark as possible, & I solitary & alone. Dr Mercer came in & sat a little while & went out & I sat idle
looking at a paper now & then till ½ after 4. Weather damp, cool, & dreary. What a prospect, to one in my forlorn & helpless condition. Will try
& walk generally till dark & go in Mercer’s room. My blood seems to have ceased circulating. Walked about & went into Mercer’s room just
before dark & sat & took tea. After that Dr Mercer came in, & about 8 Mr George [Lainghome?] & Charles came in & sat till 10m before
9, & went with Mr Geo [Lainghome?] who had been in little George’s room. I continued in there till 20m before 10, & went to bed & slept fully 6 hours.

Sunday Octo 12 Cool, dark & gloomy
Dressed at 4m after 6. Dark, cloudy & cool, heard nothing from the sick. After Breakfast, in my room reading some & talking with
the members of the household as they step in for a moment or so till they [?] [?] & I in the most  cheerless & uncomfortable
room in the most cheerless & uncomfortable weather, dark, damp & gloomy read by myself, & dozed till 12. Mr [Lainghome?] came in [?]
walking across the room for exercise. They soon went out, & I sat till now 10 minutes after 1. Shall walk some & read alternately to keep my
blood in circulation till dinner. George said to be [much?] better. After Dinner, weather cold, dark & raining. [Leila?] [Tucker?] came in
& sat till after 4 & went out, & I then read the Psalms of David till ½ before 5. Shall now walk & rest at intervals, till Dark. It has
rained since 12, & now is gently. Walked about till nearly dark & went to my room to rest, Mercer there walking backward & forward. Mr [Lai?]-
=[nghome?] came in & we sat till supper, & went to Mercer’s room & took it in there. After Supper, Dr Mercer & some of the girls came in, & after they
went out, & then the Gentlemen went out before 9. I sat till ¼ before 10. Raining [here?] all night, slept 6 hours. Cold & uncomfortable.

Monday Octo 13. Dark & raining. Gave Mercer [?] & [?] for paying [our?] money to Captn Routh.
Dressed 5m before 6. Cold dark & raining [?] all night, nothing from the sick yet. After Breakfast in my room talking to [those?]
of the family who came in, Katy, [Loola?] & Mary Mercer. Did some business with Mercer, delivering him orders from Quarter M-
=aster General to pay to Captn Routh the money placed to his credit in the Confederate Treasury also a letter or telegram from Dr [Morrisey?]


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that the Quarter Master General has instructed him to tell Mercer to pay over to Captn Routh. Also a letter from Captn
Routh to pay it over to Mr [Whitewall?] his Agent. These letters were deposited in my hands for safekeeping while Mercer was
so ill on 28h of last Aug. Mary went out after 12, & Mercer before 1. Raining most of the morning not now 5m after 1 but
still dark & cloudy. Shall walk some & go to Mercers room some till dinner. After Dinner in my room, reading, Mercer walking
backward & forward. Now ½ after 4. Shall walk some now generally till dark. As I commenced walking, Catherine [Speed?] &
Leila Tucker came in & sat till just before Sundown & went, & I walked till near dark & went into Mercer’s room & took tea
in there & sat till 10m before 10, & went to bed. [Loola?] in there some of the time. Slept between 5 & 6 hours. Rained all night.

Tuesday Octo 14. Telegram from Dr Morris about my [Beales?] Negroes.
Dressed 5m before 6. Dark, cloudy & drizzling, after raining all night. After Breakfast in my room talking to different members
of the household, & quite sick. About 10, was taken much worse Diarrhea, very bad. Attempting to read & doze on the couch about 12, got
a telegram from Dr Morris , saying that Dr Coleman had just returned from Gloucester, where he had seen some men from Wms-
=burg who delivered a message from faithful Wilkins, saying that if means were taken I could recover twenty five of my
people from [Beale's?] who are willing to come to me. Answered telegram asking Dr Morris to make the effort in his own way for
being nearer & seeing [?] person for on [?] he can manage it better than I can, who am unable to anything, even to think.
I also asked him if some plan could not be devised to get some or all from[ Townfarm?] & [Semple’s?]. I'll bear the expenses, of course.
Wrote by [?] (Loola) a letter to Dr Morris, to urge him to move. Shall do little, but [?] & try to read till Dinnertime felt
well enough in the afternoon [pursued?] the [same?] [course?] & maybe, walk a little. Now 20m before 2, still cloudy, but not raining. Dr
Mercer’s here, before Dinner raining at the time. After Dinner reclining just on the couch & then on the sopha, reading a very
little till now 20m to 5, very dark, tho not raining. Shall try & walk a little before night. Walked a very little, Kate Mercer came
in my room, & after dark went into Mercer’s, & sat before & after tea, Mary & Dr Mercer there. I went to bed very weak, at ½ after 9 & slept
5 or 6 hours.


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Wednesday Octo 15
Dressed at 6. Rather dark morning, but clouds seem breaking. I very unwell. After Breakfast, reading in my room, Mary Mercer
came in & talked till after 9 I then read the papers, & walked about some, Mercer walking for exercise. Read again & dozed some on
the sopha, weak, shall walk some, go into Mercer’s room at times, till dinner. Now 10m after 1. Day bright & warm since & only this mor-
=ning. I feel very lonely, always by myself. Katy’s conduct to me much changed, rarely seeing her, & never conversing, the reason why
I cannot [till?]. Indeed it seems I am shunned pretty much by all, & little done for my comfort, altho, I am at all the expense of a [?]
household. After Dinner reading in here, Mercer in his walk coming in now & then, till 35m after 4. Shall walk some & go into
Mercer’s room before dark, I expect. Did so, Mr Blane (Randolph) from Wmsburg was here & gave Mary Mercer & those who saw her
shocking accounts of Yankee Rule there from letters from his mother, who, with his father, is now there. [?] in the [?]. I took
tea in Mercer’s room, who seems very unwell, & Mary in there after Mr Blane went, & Katy, who went out at ½ after 9 & I to [?] 6 or 7 hrs

Thursday 16h October. Mercer walked into the yard for the first time & little George & Daisy & [?] first [down?]
Dressed 5m after 6 Foggy morning, more sick ([?] in the house) & Berta at Catherine’s, where she has been for a week. [?] [?]
the matter with all. Dyptheria. After Breakfast, Reading in my room. Mary Mercer came in, Mercer walking backward &
forward. After she went, I read the papers again & between 10 & 11 was delighted to see Daisy & little George come in to see me,
the first time he has been down since his dreadful illness. He has not yet recovered his voice, speaking in a whisper. He soon
went back upstairs to his room. Reading again. Mercer came in & asked me my opinion of his walking in the yard, & he
went out & walked for some time on the pavement. The first time he has been outside the Door since the 2d day of Aug, on which he
attacked with Typhoid fever & Dysentery & afterwards leaving him in most violent Neuralgic pain in the floor [?] I also
stepped in the porch for an instant the first time for months. Came back & read till after 1, when Dr [?] stepped in & now [?] [?]
25m after 1. Walked a little & talked some to Katy Mercer before Dinner. After Dinner, feeling badly, read as well


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I could till ½ after 4 shall walk, if I can, till dark. Pleasant weather to those who go out. Walk [?] out somewhere- Katy brought
the Baby down & staid some in my room & went out & I with her to Mercer’s room near [?], where we found [Colo?] Maurice
[Lainghome?], who was so badly wounded at [7?] [?] has come to see Mercer on crutches. Walked some after he went at dark, &
went out to Mercer’s room, he complaining of pain. Took tea in there & sat there with Dr Mercer, Mary, Kary, & Mr [Lainghome?]
who went before 9 & I sat till 40m after 9, went to bed & slept between 6 & 7 hours.

Friday Octo 17 Check to Mr [Lainghome?] for house $150.
Dressed 10m before 6 clear morning & pleasant after Breakfast, started to ride with Mercer & Kate Mercer we went 3 or 4 hundred
yards where Mercer found that the jolting was too much for him, returned back & delivered him at home, & went back
with Kate & rode over to Tate's Spring road, & turned & came back home 10m after 10. Found Mercer here, &, at
about 1/2 after 10 Mercer went for a walk & went as far as Dr Mercer's Hospital on Clay Street, I then read until he returned
about 12 & he better for the walk. [Loola?] in here, and sat till Mr [Lainghome?] came in before 1, & I gave him a check for $150
for expenses of the house. Mercer came in & bothered me. Now 35m after 1. Shall walk & talk & read some till dinner
Mr [Lainghome?] brought me $134.50 for [here?] of [?] & Monroe to Taliaferro, & [?] & I sat [?] to [?]'s Springs [then?]
season. After Dinner, Corbin Mercer & Mercer came in, sat & talked with Corbin, who has been sick for a day or two, till 1/2
after 4. Shall walk about till Sundown & go into Mercer's room at dark. [Royall?] [Reedd?] came in to take leave, going to
school in the country in the morning. Walked about & went into Mercer's room, where Kate & Baby were, & walked some more & went
again to Mercer's room about dark & sat before & after supper, Dr Mercer & Mary came in, and sat till 1/4 after 10, & [event?] to bed as I did. Slept 6 hours.

Saturday Octo 18h
Dressed at 3m to 6. Clear & rather cool. After Breakfast Mary in here, I went to ride at 10m after 9 with Kate Mercer, over Wat-
ery Branch & near to the first Tollgate, turned & came down the [?] leading by the Train Grounds, turned to the right before we
got to the Train Grounds & came back by the [?] & met Mercer & Corbin Mercer near Mr Jack [Lainghome?]'s walking. [?]