The Diaries of Ralph Leland Goodrich, 1859-1867
July 1864 |
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July 1, 1864
At
store. Lange sick some. Paid rent to Mrs. Fulton.
July
2, 1864
At
store. Mr. Schreifer buried his little baby girl today. None of Weidemann’s
family attended. When the baby was dying, Miss [Wilhelmina] Lange went in &
told them they had to move. Lange sick in bed at my house.
July
3, 1864
Sunday.
At saloon. Evening, Delano Dodge came. Got drunk together.
July
4, 1864
In
store part of the day. Officers closed us up. [1]
Down the street in afternoon. Business dull.
July
5, 1864
At
store. Business dull.
July
6, 1864
At
store. Business dull.
July
7, 1864
At
store. Night, Delano Dodge there. Went with him on a bender.
July
8, 1864
Saw
federal surgeon. Brought him up to see Mary. Gave a recipe but would do nothing
to take away the child. Mary likes me I know. She is true to me, I think, but
Emily told her if she had anything to do with anyone, it should be with some[one]
that had money. Emily told her not to have anything to do with me as I was poor
& could not support her or give her enough to support her. I always thought
that Emily had a spite against me.
July
9, 1864
At
store. Mr. Schreifer [and his family] moved into my [former] school room today.
July
10, 1864
Sunday.
At store. Mary likes me. She used to have Gus Hudson for her lover.
July
11, 1864
At
store. Nothing new. Business rather dull.
July
12, 1864
At
saloon. Business pretty good. Rainy a little.
July
13, 1864
At
saloon. Business dull. Home early.
July
14, 1864
At
saloon. Business dull. Feel sick. Reading French at saloon all day. Mary, I
think, likes me very well. She has promised to live with me & be my
housekeeper.
July
15, 1864
In
saloon. Business dull. Had Mary today.
July
16, 1864
Saturday.
Business fine. Took in nearly one hundred and fifty dollars. [my brother] Jim
came up today.
July
17, 1864
Sunday.
Wrote letter to Epstein & [my cousin] Lucy Stratton. Down at saloon.
Business pretty good. Got awfully drunk.
July
18, 1864
In
school. Business pretty good today. If [business remains] like today, we will
make money. [My brother] Jim & the other Kansas
5th [Cavalry] boys here.
July
19, 1864
At
saloon. Tuesday. Went on a spree with McDonald.
July
20, 1864
At
saloon. Had a fight – Mr. Lange & a German.
July
21, 1864
In
saloon. Went down at four o’clock. The veterans of the 43d Illinois
went off. [My brother] Jim went off at two o’clock. Mary told me that Monday
night [July 18] of this week, she was delivered. It was very small, dead, &
white. There is no doubt but that it is mine. There was not much pain. It could
not have been painful as she was not sick from the effects. I am glad it is
over. No one knows it but Emily, Mary & myself.
Mr.
Lange had a fight with a soldier today. The soldier threw a tumbler at him &
hit him on the head. He bled like a butcher. Lange hit him over the head with an
iron hammer and he bled like a butcher. I ran for the guards but the men got
off.
July
22, 1864
In
saloon. Business dull. Cool today. Nothing new.
July
23, 1864
In
saloon. Nothing new. Yesterday, [my brother] Jim went north with the rest of the
[Kansas] boys.
July
24, 1864
Sunday.
At saloon. Business pretty good.
July
25, 1864
In
saloon. Lange & I went on a drunk in the evening with McBride.
July
26, 1864
In
saloon. Business pretty good. Lange drunk again.
July
27, 1864
In
saloon. Business dull. Schreifer’s family & my negroes had a fuss today.
July
28, 1864
At
saloon.
July
29, 1864
Got
letter from home and one from [my sister] Augusta. One for [Capt.] Syberg.
July
30, 1864
At
saloon. At Schreifer’s.
July
31, 1864
Sunday.
Wrote letter home. At saloon. Business good.
Lange & I in the afternoon went to Schreifer’s & got drunk.
[1] Many southern businessmen did not want to close their stores on the 4th of July as a form of protest, but the Provost Marshal ensured that the U.S. Federal holiday was respected.
The Ralph Goodrich Collection is the property of the Arkansas
History Commission.