Sabbath, Jan. 12

Little Sarah very sick last night.  I slept but little.  Her mother and Kate were also up two or three hours.  I did not feel well enough to attend Sabbath School and meeting so staid at home.  No preaching.  Weather very uncomfortably damp.  Some days the water drips from the walls.  A number of Ohio troops ordered into West Virginia.  Order countermanded.  Regiment required to hold themselves in readiness.

The Old Stone House

Peggy's comments:
Kate Dawes, also a niece of Julia's, lived with the Cutlers.  They lived in the Old Stone House which was built about 50 years prior to 1861 by Julia's father, Ephraim Cutler.  It was often damp and some folks suspected that the house itself contributed to the frequent illnesses of  its occupants, especially the children.

In January of 1861, General McClellan was still formulating a plan to attack the Confederates.  His notion was to have one decisive battle.  Lincoln was eager for the army to move.