DIY History | Transcribe | Civil War Diaries and Letters | George C. Burmeister diary, 1861

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1861-11-27 -- 1861-12-01

Wed. 27. The best news that I heard was that Mason
and Slidell, ambassadors to France and England 
sent by the C.S.A., were taken, on board a
British ship near Havana, by Capt Wilkes,
of the U.S. sloop of war, St. Jacinto,  honor to 
brave Wilkes, he merits the thanks of our nation.
Thurs. 28 This day was appointed as a Thanksgiving 
day by 17 Governors for their respective states. 
I did not have any school today.  I attended 
a birthday party at Helen [Langloreakeis?] where 
I enjoyed myself pretty well. went home at 2 A.M.
Frid.29. Our rhetorical exercises were pretty interesting
today. Nothing else of special importance.
Satur.30. Kept school today for the day. I missed
this week. It did not seem natural to me
to keel school on Saturday. Recd a letter from Home.
Sund. December 1, 1861.
Another month has commenced its reign.
how swiftly time flies by new, again
another year is drawing to its close, O,
what tremendous changes have we experienced
this year, how many hearts have been
taken from their cheerful firesides and chilled
forever by the cold hand of death. Civil war
is still raging in our midst. I pray God
that the dreadful conflict may cease with
the closing year, but I am afraid it will not.

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Wed. 27. The best news that I heard was that Mason and Slidell, ambassadors to France and England sent by the C.S.A., were taken, on board a British ship near Havana, by Capt Wilkes, of the U.S. sloop of war, St. Jacinto, honor to brave Wilkes, he merits the thanks of our nation. Thurs. 28 This day was appointed as a Thanksgiving day by 17 Governors for their respective states. I did not have any school today. I attended a birthday party at Helen [Langloreakeis?] where I enjoyed myself pretty well. went home at 2 A.M. Frid.29. Our rhetorical exercises were pretty interesting today. Nothing else of special importance. Satur.30. Kept school today for the day. I missed this week. It did not seem natural to me to keel school on Saturday. Recd a letter from Home. Sund. December 1, 1861. Another month has commenced its reign. how swiftly time flies by new, again another year is drawing to its close, O, what tremendous changes have we experienced this year, how many hearts have been taken from their cheerful firesides and chilled forever by the cold hand of death. Civil war is still raging in our midst. I pray God that the dreadful conflict may cease with the closing year, but I am afraid it will not.