July 1866

Huntersville, opposite Little Rock. Sunday. At home nearly all day. Went to Mick [Egan's] saloon & asked him for a drink. He said he would not [give me one].

July 2, 1866

Captain Cole came around & took me to Patton’s Office. They did not want a clerk. I went to Captain Skinner’s. Captain Tyler said he would give me a place in the Freedman’s Bureau over the [Arkansas] River at $45.00 & rations per month. Accepted. Afternoon, went up to Coles’ office & wrote. He lent me $5.00. Saw [Capt.] Syberg.

July 3, 1866

Came over [the river] with Winslow, a clerk. Dull. Got boozy. Went over home for rations. Took home.

July 4, 1866

Niggers celebrating. Cole & a lot of others came over. I went to camp & got dinner & liquor. Mary & Fanny [1] came over with my dinner.

July 5, 1866

Went to work. Nailing up boxes. Hard work. Bad water. Wally [Orr] took my room today.

July 6, 1866

Working. Mary came over with my dinner. Finished reading Massacre of Glencoe by Reynolds.

July 7, 1866

July 8, 1866

Sunday. Went over to town. Saw Hughes. Does not want Wally [Orr] & his woman in the house. Saw Cole. Came back about three.

July 9, 1866

Reading & working a little. Very warm. Nothing new. This is a very dull place. Hughes is mad that I have not paid rent. I can’t help it for I have no money.

July 10, 1866

Working & reading a little. Mary came over. Got a letter from home. Sent note to Winslow for nails. Nothing new. I expected to get some money from home but did not. I do not know how I am to get out of debt. Oh! Lord, help me. Prosper me if it be thy will. My mother wants me to go home & [my brother] Steve will send me money to go. But what can I do there more than I can do here? Nothing. I will stay and try the school & see if I can make or do anything at that. Of God, forsake me not. Have mercy upon me in my great trial. Turn not thou against me though all the world does. O God, give me knowledge & understanding that I may be able to see & do better than I have heretofore.

Sunday. Reading. Went to town. Up at [Capt.] Cole’s office. Lent me a book. Said he would send over some writing for me to do by Mary. Wally Orr came back. Had a rain. Saw [Mick] Egan.

July 16, 1866

July 17, 1866

Went over the [Arkansas] River to get wood. Got back about eleven. Went home. [Capt.] Cole gave me some writing to do.

July 18, 1866

Warm. Working a little. Copying & writing & reading. Mary came over with my dinner. Flowers came in. He is hauling wood to town.

July 19, 1866

July 20, 1866

Working a little. Writing & copying. Mary came over. Got acquainted with a man by the name of Storm who was in Kansas with [my brother] James & knows James Griffing & Augusta.

Working & reading. Sent over a list of things to Winslow today. Yesterday, sent letters home & to Augusta.

July 26, 1866

[Capt. Cole] sent for [me] to work in office in town. Writing. Went over. Slept at home.

July 27, 1866

July 28, 1866

At office writing. Got paid off $45.00. Paid Hughes rent $40.00 & Bolter for _____ $2.00.

July 29, 1866

July 30, 1866

Working little, reading & writing. Finished the law papers for [Capt.] Cole & gave them to him. Not quite so warm today. The copying of the papers worth $15.00 [but] have not got paid.

July 31, 1866

[1] Fanny may have been Mary’s daughter who would have been about ten years old at the time.

The Diaries of Ralph Leland Goodrich, 1859-1867