Transcribed from my notes in the field:Thursday the 8th/
I arrived at Martin's Station after a bit of wandering toward the Wilderness Road, and I brought the falling weather with me. It has rained intermittently since my arrival.
My introduction to Capt. France was followed immediately by a change of clothing so that I would look more like the remainder of the company. I removed my leather neck stock in favor of a plain silk one and was told that my black coat would make me a perfect Indian target in the woods.
The ranging company consists of 8 men made up of Indian fighters and long hunters, and a squaw they refer to as 'Agee' (pronounced AH-GEE), the cherokee word for 'woman'. She does all the cooking for the company.
Capt. France says that tomorrow we will start scouting for Indians and searching for their camp.
The men of the company are:
Capt. Tim France
Lt. Wm. Maddox
Sgt. Tim McKaye
Pvt. Jim Hamilton
Pvt. John Gallentine
Steve Artman
Neal Brown
Read Ridley (Scribe)
& myself
Once it was discovered that I did not have a haversack of my own, Capt. France announced it to the company and left it to them to decide my punishment. It was finally agreed upon that I would aide Agee in her duties about the camp. I was also designated the runner, which means that I was in charge of carrying the written reports from our camp to the station itself and delivering them into the hand of Capt. Titus.
I was assigned a place to sleep under two canvases that were strung together with some fresh straw strewn inside on the ground. I laid my blankets in the middle between Ridley and Gallentine and stowed my little bag near the head of my bed.
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