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Re: Winter Quarters - 13th Alabama Inf

11 01 1861 [Friday]

From the pages of the Athens Post appears this article:

Comfortable Winter Quarters--A Good Suggestion.

An officer of the Third Regiment North Carolina State troops at Aquia

Creek, Virginia, writing to a friend, describes a mode of improving the

comfort of tent life in winter, which we publish for the better of others.

He writes:

Since Monday the weather has turned suddenly cold, which we feel

very sensibly. Fortunately, at the suggestion of Gen. Holmes, I

commenced last week digging cellars about 2 feet deep, and making

fire-places for my tents, and am pleased to report the experiment works

admirably. With a handful of chips the tents made warm and comfortable,

more so in fact than log cabins or shanties, and at less expense and

labour. The plan is simple and I cheerfully give it with the hope of

benefitting other brothers in arms, who like ourselves, expecting to winter

in Baltimore, Washington, Philadelphia and New York, have not time or

orders to put up shanties, but in the meantime do not care about

freezing to death or getting frostbitten. Dig the cellar not quite as long or

wide as the tent to prevent rain coming in, about two feet deep; in the

rear wall or side dig a hole, shape of a fire-place, (small) say 8 X 10 inches

deep—run the flue or hole out 18 inches back of the tent, then build a

common dirt or clay chimney, four or five high, and you have comfortable

winter quarters.

[Athens Tennessee Post, Athens, Tennessee, Friday, November 1, 1861]

11 27 1862 [Thursday]

Was spent in getting wood an building fireplaces for our tents. Some built

with sticks and clay while others built with old bricks. [Lenoirs, Tenn.,

Travels of the 43rd Regiment, Tennessee Volunteers, Diary of I. J. Stamper,

Co. F, Lt. and Fife Master]

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Winter Quarters - 13th Alabama Inf
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