This was a warm fine day. We had squad and company drill, Regimental and dress parade and that took up the major portion of the day. I never saw a New Year day so pleasant and beautiful in weather. We drew new caps and distributed them. This evening it has become exceedingly windy - it blows like a gale around our tent up here on the hill, but we are safe enough yet. I don't know how it will be before morning. We have some funny characters in our company; so different and of all sorts and shades - such as it is said are required to make up a world. From the Captain to Dick Langly our servant, from Wilter the tallest man down to Beur the smallest, from Newhart the orderly to Campbell the 5th Sergt, from Allison the tallest corporal to John Dawson the shortest, we have grades and shades which make a wonderful variety in the company's components. Campbell is nicknamed the Chaplain, Stewart, the Commodore, Phillips, the Adjutant & so on. Phillips is a small blackhaired man, about 35, and is always looking on the best side of everything. Bully for that, is his expression, for everything good bad and indifferent. He is religious, and on inspection has his knapsack arranged, like a little old womans, and his little stock of religious books quietly paraded. He is careful of his person, earnest in drill, marches with his little toes turned up, and has a wheezing little cough, half affected, which he indicates his whereabouts night and day. He uses it to attract attention, he has a queer cozening way of edging up to you, sort of a way of stroking you like a cat the [?] the [?] [?], when he wants anything of you. He does everything you want him to do, does it with alacrity and pleasure, and at the same time quietly parades everything he does, the mannaer in which it is done and completeness before you, so that you lose none of its excellence. Stewart is a tall clumsily made fellow, with hands like shovels, good natured, ignorant, never seen beyond the blue ranges of his nature valley, always eating, & spends all he has for eatables. Ask for him, the answer will most probably be, at the sutlers, or [?] they make fun of him, but he is good natured, only his expressness makes him easily imposed upon. I received a letter from Annie and one from Amelia Dansen this afternoon. George and I boxed up our useless stuff to send home.
