Julia A. Wilbur ALS to [Anna M. C.] Barnes, December 22 - December 24, 1862

a fire & such a performance cd. not have occurred outside of Alex.
If it were not for soldiers we sh. be badly off here. Col. Tait was
obliged to leave, & he gave the Command to Col. De K. who arrested 20
men & sent them to the slave pen, wh. is the [common?] receptacle of
all mischief. - To day has been a hard one. Col. Tait is called a
rough, coarse man, & I have been a little shy of him; & he is a pro
slavery Dem. Mr. K. tells me, but my short acquaintance with him
I mean to turn to account. Col. T. thinks Miss Jennie Kimball's com
pany is very agreeable, & she went with me this morning to see him;
He has the disposal of confiscated houses. He was very gracious & [bland?] & he
assured me that if there were a house rooms to be found I should have them.
In the P.M. I went to him again & he said there was a room in a bank, carpeted &
furnished all nice, that I cd. have if ladies only were to occupy it, but he cd. not
have men use it nor niggers going out & in. - I told him I thought it wd. not
answer, & I wd. like a small house, & he has two men out looking for a
house. - When I first went to see the barracks I was so dis
appointed that I was almost sick, & I felt that I wd. move the earth but what
I wd. have them different. Can you believe it? the rooms are 10 ft. by 12 ft.
Each building 150 ft. long with 2 rows of rooms, the upper part all in one room
& a stairway at each end. Three families were to be kept in these 10 by 12
boxes through the day, then go out doors & up into this upper part
& there sleep altogether! just as if they were cattle. My Dear friend,
I felt that if there was no other way to remedy this that I would appeal
to the President. I know he wd. not permit such an outrage to be put
upon these helpless people. - Mr. G. was with me, & I hoped I cd. sleep I went
to Capt. Wyman, & the Quarter Master &c &c. & they agreed to divide the cham
ber above as it is below, & have a trap door & a step ladder in each room
to go into the room above, so that each family may live by itself.
& the other two buildings we might arrange as we wanted them.