Wednesday, May 1st

Rather cool.  Kate & Maggie went out to the Tunnel Station and made some purchases.  About sixty men met at Gravel Pit to organize Home Guards.  Owing to some mismanagement (attributed to Bill Scott) did not get officers elected.  T. W. Moore & _____Morris were candidates for Captain.  To meet again on Saturday.  William attended a meeting of "Committee of Safety".  He says there are no adequate means of defence at Marietta as yet.  The companies formed being undrilled & without arms --  -- which leaves the Third Regiment of Artillery without any infantry to co-operate with it.  Two or three thousand men should be sent here -- to repel invasion, or if necessary to sustain Union men in Western Virginia.


Editor's notes:

• Kate and Maggie were roughly the same age--Kate was 30 and Maggie 26.  Maggie, a sister of Lizzie Cutler, lived nearby with her mother Mrs. Burgess and step-father, Dyer Burgess.
• Bill Scott is often labeled by Julia as a traitor.  Men who did not whole-heartedly support the Union as well as those who believed it best to compromise with the Southern States, all seemed to be traitors to Julia.