August 31, 1862: Shasta City

Shasta State Historic Park; by Tom Hilton, on Flickr

Camp 93

After our long siege in the intense heat, three months with the thermometer nearly all the time above 90°, and often for days or even a week together with it above 100°, [this] hot week was “the straw that broke the camel’s back” with most of my little party. Hoffmann, Schmidt, and Rémond were taken down with fever, and Averill also was at least nearly down. He did not get down entirely, but became unfit for duty. [Today], the three were miserable enough. It was very hot. They lay out under a horse shed during the day, at night they went into the tent.