July 20th [1862] We are in camp [Baxter Springs KS] with good water and good grazing for stock. The men enjoy the rest and the health of the camp is fast improving. The pure spring water is almost magical to restore health, the weather is also cooler. [Cooler relative to the triple digit temperatures in Indian Territory since the end of June.]
Camp Bowen, Benton County [AR]
Nov 4th [1862] The day is fair but windy.
Nov 11th Weather still fine and nights cool.
Nov 13th Day fine and night beautiful.
Nov 14th [camp on Flint Creek near Cherokee line]
The day has been beautiful
Nov 16th The day is gloomy and Sunday. It has rained all night and rather unusual for the season of the year… The day has been a gloomy one. Night has again come on and a misty rain is hanging over us making the camp very disagreeable.
Nov 17th This has been a gloomy day again. Not over one hour of sunshine. …The rain is falling fast tonight and our camp is on low muddy ground.
Nov 18th Still it rains slow but steady. The mud in camp is increasing. The weather is mild which makes the rain more bearable, otherwise the suffering of the contrabands [runaway/freed slaves] and refugees would be terrible.
Nov 19th The night has been dark and rainy. The morning opens with increased rain. The ground is saturated and the mud is getting very deep. The weather is growing colder. The whole country looks very gloomy. … At 12 o’clock the sun came out and the sky cleared up. The wind breezes up and turns cold.
Nov 20th The morning opens beautiful, clear and cool but very pleasant. …The day has been fine throughout. Mud has dried up very fast.
Nov 22nd The day has been beautiful – one of those old fashioned Indian summer days.
Nov 23rd Sunday has come again and as fine an autumn day as has ever shown on Western soil.
Nov 24th This has again been a day of unusual splendor, one of those fine, balmy, matured autumn days.
Nov 25th The morning is cool, the night has been frosty but clear. The day looks like a storm – the air feels like snow.
[Cane Hill AR]
Nov 30th The nights are cold and we lay on the ground in the open air.
Dec 13th Kane Hill Arkansas [sic]
This morning the sky was overspread with clouds, heavy thunder boomed from the west and a very heavy rain set in – warm like a summer shower.
Dec 14th Again the day has been very rainy – mingled with hail. Though very warm, the rain has fell in torrents, swelling the small streams in the mountains so as to almost prevent our pickets from proceeding at a reasonable distance from camp.
Dec 16th The day has been very fine. The pleasant sunshine and the pure clean air has been a magic tonic upon the whole army.
Dec 17th The day has again been fine.
Dec 18th Again the day has been fine.
Dec 20th The day has been mild but cloudy, has much the appearance of a storm.
Dec 21st The day has been quite pleasant.
Jan 3rd [1863] This morning we started for Elm Springs [AR] and arrived at camp at 4 o’clock. The day was fine like a summer’s day.
Jan 6th Elm Springs
The weather is fine.
Jan 15th Camp Curtis [1 ½ miles from Maysville AR]
The weather is cool. Snow is falling and bids fair for real weather.
Jan 16th The day has been a very cold one. The snow is flying in real northern winter style.
Jan 17th The day has been a little mild and it looks like a little rain or snow.
Jan 18th Raining falling this morning and continued during the (day) taking off all the new snow and making mud, the “King of Terrors”.
Jan 19th Rain continues all night…
Jan 20th Weather still lousy…
Jan 21st The weather during today has been fair, with high wind, which helps to dry up the mud.
Jan 22nd The weather a little damp and looks much like rain.
Jan 23rd The day has been very pleasant and the weather looks like being settled.
Jan 24th This morning the rain is falling…
Sunday Jan 25th Rain is the order of the day and mud is the ruling element.
Jan 26th Still in camp and it is still raining.
Jan 29th The day is gloomy and the mud is unbearable.
Feb 2nd Camp John Ross [19 miles northwest of Maysville AR]
For two days the weather has been very cold and the wind very severe.
Feb 7th The weather is mild, looks much like rain.
Feb 8th The weather has moderated very much.
Feb 11th Camp on the route [to Ft Scott KS]
We have lain in camp all day and the rain has poured down in torrents… Tonight the rain is pouring down. The thunder and lightning is brisk… The rain is so terrific that fires cannot be built to cook.
Sunday Feb 15th Camp at Redding’s Mills (Missouri?)
Weather fine – much like spring.
Feb 20th Camp at Fort Scott [KS]
The last 24 hours have been very stormy, rain, hail, and snow.
March 8th
The weather has been very bad and the road from here to Leavenworth [KS] has been almost impassible.