"Christmas at sea - & Christmas on Sunday, a great beginning did we have. At about 6 a.m. we shipped such a sea that it came up nearly to the sail, washed one man, West, over the lee sail into the sea, but fortunately the next sea washed him back again. Several men were [illegible] on deck. Whittle knocked out the lee port aft, and hollered for all hands to come on deck. It was not until then that I got up. In the meantime the sea had come aft, burst open the ward room door, and completely flooded the ward room. It came into my room in such quantities as to make every thing on the floor wringing wet and some of it even was washed up on my bunk. It rushed in and out in floods. I got my valise on a chair and intended to take it quickly until Whittle cried out, when I went out in the ward room in my bare feet, in fact, just as I got out of bed. Then what a scene presented itself , every one of the officers up and in their bare feet looking in a hopeless kind of way at the water which some were starting to get it under. Smith stood at his door with a mat trying to keep the water out, when finding his attempts ineffectual he gracefully resigned the task and returned to his bed. Chew stood up on his trunk and moved between that and his bed in 'helpless energy' trying as he said to 'stare the water out of his room'. The water was bitterly cold, being 42o, and every now and then we had to get up on something to relieve the cold. At last the water in the ward room was pretty well cleared out and we began at our individual rooms. I was trying to bail out mine with two pair of stockings, when Williams came to my rescue and between us we got it out. I went back to bed about 7 to try and get warm again, at which I did not succeed before breakfast time. What looking rooms ours were - soaking wet, and everything near the floor in the same way, our shoes, [illegible] etc. etc. A great beginning to a happy Christmas. But I never saw such good humour manifested - no cursing, all laughing and joking about our misfortunes. Blew very heavily all day, with a very heavy sea running, hence the ship very wet, taking in a great many seas, no more, however, large enough to come into our ward room. Spent the day very uncomfortably, cold, wet, ship rolling etc. I only hope my relations at home and my friends everywhere are having a better day for it, and are all as happy as we are. Cook and Steward tried [tired??] themselves and gave us a first rate dinner - who would think that a ship which had not dropped our anchor for sixty seven days could have for dinner goose, [illegible] pork, nice corned beef, fresh potatoes etc., mince pies, etc., etc. They deserve a great deal of credit, all hands, cook, steward and boys. We drank at dinner the health of the absent ones etc., and had a happy time. I going down with my plate, knife, glass and all, so also old Smith. Scales gets red in the face and comes down off deck at 8 p.m. with a cramp in his stomach. Warm the ward room with heated shot at night; I had kept candles going in my room all day, and so passed our Christmas of '64 at sea. How are my friends in Europe spending theirs and where? How I should like to see some & all of them tonight - may God bless them! And in my own home how is it there? How I wish I could give them a little of my plenty, which I see wasting around me every day! Ah! me! What an awful thing this war is, and how terribly those at home have suffered - may it soon cease! Lat. 42o 57' (S) Long. 53o 25' (E)"

- From the journal of surgeon Charles E. Lining; original held at the Museum of the Confederacy; used with permission.