Saturday / December 15, 1838 / Golconda, Illinois
"We therefore harnessed, & leaving our fire & wood, went on with other wagons to the place specified. Here we found a man of Wafford's detachment still on the ground drunk. That company left here this morning. We now again selected a place for our tent, & put it up, and gathered wood for the sabbath. My dear wife had also made her tea, when word came that we must not camp there, as the owner would not allow the Cherokees to cut or burn any wood. Mr. Taylor also who was yet behind wished the detachment to [go] farther & camp on public land. It was now nearly dark, Saturday night, as we were quite tired and hungry, yet we could only prepare for another encampment, about a mile distant. We had now no time to prepare wood, but found dry bushes etc. near our tent, so as to answer our purpose for the night."