It has started to get cooler at night now, so the troops have built little "dug out" cabins. They dig a square hole, like a cellar, about ten feet on a side and about four feet deep. Then they lay pieces of slate and other stone in the bottom to make a floor. After the hole is finished, they build walls and gables like a cabin, to surround the hole. They dig a set of stairs into the front, and leave a hole for a "door" in the cabin wall above the steps. Finally, they put poles on the roof and cover them with the canvas from their tents. Most dig out a small fireplace in the back wall opposite the door, and a chimney through the dirt up to ground level. They brace a piece of hollow log above the hole to make the chimney taller. Each little cabin sleeps four men. Some of their beds are very simple, just a ticking full of grass with the soldier's bedroll on it. Others have built small beds, using vines crisscrossed on the frame to hold their bed rolls off of the floor.

Since the wooden part of the cabin is always a little larger than the hole, they have a shelf around the wall. And some have dug small cabinets into the sides, lining them with rocks. They've made places to hang things by boring holes partway into the logs, and whittling pegs to put in the holes.

We could group with anyone we wanted, so Baker, Rob, Cookie and I built our cabin together. I made a few hooks to drive into the small logs we used as rafters for the roof. We dug a larger fireplace than most of the troops and we lined the floor of it with rocks. I couldn't make a crane, but did make a little grate similar to Cookie's so we can keep a coffee pot on the fire. We also cut and split a few cords of fire wood. We don't need much yet, it's not very cold, but I expect that by the end of the month, we'll want a fire at night.

I've decided that I'm not going to write in my journal unless I have something special to write about. This is the only book I have with me, and there's no telling how long it will be before I will be able to get another. So there's no sense in using up the paper to say that there isn't much to do.

A courier came this morning with two messages from General Washington. He brought a message to Colonel Callahan asking if the regiment would continue to serve after December 31^st. Our enlistments end on that date so we can go home if we choose to do so. Colonel Callahan called all of the officers together for a meeting, and Lieutenant Colonel Alsop told me to attend as well. The colonel read General Washington's letter to us, told us to inform the troops as to the content, and asked us to try to encourage them to stay. We will vote as a regiment on the day after tomorrow.

The second message was an order. General Washington has ordered that none of the state militias are to enlist any freedmen or slaves into their ranks.

That puzzles me a great deal. For the life of me, I can't think of any reason why we should not. Admittedly, I don't know but a couple of freedmen, and I don't know any slaves at all. But Tommy would surely be an asset to any regiment, either as a soldier in the line, or as a blacksmith. The other freedman that I know is a farmer, but from all that I have seen, he is a good worker and cares deeply for both his family and his farm. So I find the General's order difficult to understand.

It's going to be hard for me to try to persuade the men to stay when I don't want to stay myself. It would be different, if we were doing anything of value but sitting here doing nothing as we have been is very boring. And I miss Dorothea and the family too. But I will talk to the troops, and see what they have to say.

The Regiment voted to leave on the 31^st of December. The vote was not as close as I had thought it might be. Talking to the teamsters, I got the feeling that they were pretty evenly divided. All of the married men want to go home, and of course Rob and I do. Rob never said why he wanted to go home, but lately I've been hearing Rebecca's name a lot more often. Colonel Callahan will send a message to General Washington informing him of the results of the vote. Headquarters will have to find troops to replace us, if they wish to continue guarding this area.

Just two more months till we go home!

Another courier arrived from General Washington. He carried a message urging the regiment to reconsider staying on after the 31^st.

This time, Colonel Callahan read aloud the General's request that we reconsider staying to the troops in formation. He also announced that we would vote again tomorrow. When the formation was dismissed, there was a lot of talk among the troops. Several were rather irritated by being asked to reconsider our previous decision.

Today we had our first snow. It had been cold all morning, then about noon, it started coming down. Not much, only an inch or so, just enough to white the ground.

We voted on whether to stay, immediately following the morning formation. The results were the same, actually more voted to leave than last time. This inactivity is getting on all of our nerves. Colonel Callahan wrote to Headquarters with the results of the vote, and sent the message back with General Washington's courier.

The weather is much colder now. We added more wood to the stack at the front of the cabin, and also built another stack on either side of the steps down into the cabin. Baker found a wild bees nest a couple of weeks ago, and since the bees were all torpid with the cold was able to rob the nest quite easily. So we now have a stock of honey (which I am very glad for!). And we have a fair supply of beeswax so we can make more candles. With a candle at each of our beds in the cabin, it is fairly light inside. And the fire in the fireplace helps, too.

It's getting close to Christmas and I seem to get lonelier by the day. At home we would be getting ready for the holiday, but there is not much we can do here. Without a priest, we cannot even have a Christmas Mass. The protestant troops are in better shape, since there are a couple of ministers in the ranks. But we Catholics will have to do the best we can. I've talked to Rob and several of the others and we've decided to have a Rosary service on Christmas Day. We don't need a priest for that. I've been asked to lead the service. I've never done it before, but I guess I'll manage somehow. How glad I am that I have my mother's rosary beads. Rob does not have a set, nor do any of the other men that I know.

It's Christmas Day and I'm so lonely that I could cry. I'm not the only man who feels this way. When we were eating breakfast this morning, I noticed a lot of very long faces. I made Rob three nail sets as a Christmas gift. I didn't want to make a big thing of it, so I just laid them on his bed after he got up and left the cabin. Much to my surprise, when I went to the cabin after breakfast, I found a couple of carved hammer handles laying on my bed.

We have decided to have our Rosary service where we normally eat. Yesterday I told Lieutenant Colonel Alsop that we were going to do so, and at morning formation, Colonel Callahan announced the service. The protestant services are to be at noon, so we will have our services about three this afternoon.

In spite of the loneliness, this has been a good day. While we Catholics could not participate in the protestant services, several of us did gather at the back of the group to listen.

I was surprised by the fact that when we gathered for our Rosary this afternoon, several of the protestant troops showed their respect by coming near and listening. Even more to my surprise, Colonel Callahan attended as well. I offered to let him lead, but he said that today, he just wanted to be with his catholic brothers.

After the service, several of the troops thanked me, and Colonel Callahan complimented me. I was very gratified by the response. I still wish we had a priest. It's not the same without Holy Communion.

Only six more days until we can leave for home. We could leave as individuals, but there has been much talk that we should leave as a unit. It might take a few hours longer to get home that way, but we arrived together and we will leave together.

I devoutly hope that I am never away from the family again on Christmas day. I don't think I felt this lonely when my parents died. At least then, I had Master and Mistress to comfort me and to keep me company. Although I have become close friends with many of the men it is not the same as being with my family.

Another courier has arrived from General Washington. The message was that another unit should arrive on December the 31^st to relieve us. There has been much talk among the troops that we should tear down the cabins that we have built, but we voted as a regiment to leave everything as it is. We will take the tent canvas roofs from the cabins, but the new unit can use their tents to cover the roofs. There is a good bit of food in the storage building and a lot of meat in the smoke house. We will take enough for the trip home, and leave the rest of the supplies here for the replacement troops. Although the winter has not been unduly harsh, they will not have been able to bring much with them, so we will leave them enough to get them started.

From all that we hear, we have been most fortunate. The farmers have been willing to supply us with food at reasonable prices. The stores in the village have apparently not raised their prices at all. Judging from the behavior of the farmers around Boston, that is not always the case.

Our replacements have arrived! They got here almost two days early. When their commanding officer saw how well we have prepared the area and heard about the stock of food that we were leaving for them, he told his troops and they gave us a rousing "Huzzah!" in gratitude. Then their commander offered to relieve us tomorrow morning, rather than on the 31^st. When Colonel Callahan told us, we returned their cheer, with great joy!

I showed their blacksmith where I had arranged the smithy, and told him that I would leave most of the charcoal for his use. He doesn't have much iron stock, so I sorted what I have and gave him about half of it. Of course the regimental wagon and my tools will go home with us. He and the carpenter from his unit complimented Robert and me on how well we had organized the area. And they asked if we would mind if they moved into our cabin when we leave tomorrow. Of course we told them to move in and welcome. We even offered to let them move in tonight, since we would be busy packing, but they refused. They said we didn't need them in the way, and they would wait until we left.

So there has been much packing and loading this afternoon and evening. All of the teamsters took enough wood to put in their wagons for one nights fire as we have always done. Then we left the rest for the new unit. We decided that we would also leave the tables and such. While we could carry them in the wagons, the unit replacing us will make good use of them, and we have no need for them on the road. And leaving the tables behind will lighten the load in the wagons.

Tomorrow, we leave! Two more days, and I will see Dorothea and the family! It has been a LONG six months.

I am almost too tired to write tonight. Dawn had barely broken this morning when Colonel Callahan and the other commanding officer called the troops to formation. They exchange salutes and the command was transferred. Our troops marched from the stockade to the cheers of the troops replacing us. As the our troops cleared the stockade, our wagons fell in behind. I was surprised to see the wagons of the other unit drawn up on the road with all of their teamsters standing at attention saluting us. I didn't know how to respond, but stood to my seat and returned their salute. Looking back over our train, I saw that the rider in each wagon had copied me. The drivers stayed seated to control their teams, but each raised his whip in salute as they passed the lead wagon of the other unit.

The rest of the day has passed in a blur. I didn't know that troops on foot could move that fast! They didn't even stop for lunch. Colonel Callahan had talked to the company commanders, and they had talked to the troops. The troops are in a hurry to get home so we ate hard bread as we moved and drank from our canteens.

I don't think we will make it home tomorrow, but we should be able to get there early the next day.

I can hardly wait!