Following the American Civil War Sesquicentennial with day by day writings of the time, currently 1863.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Saturday, 14th—We struck our tents early this morning and at sunup marched down to the landing on the Missouri river, where under the quartermaster a large detail of men worked nearly all day loading our commissariat on board the boats. At sundown our regiment, with a part of the Second Illinois Cavalry, started up the river.

SATURDAY 14

Weather fine yet, dry and not freezing. Nothing new of any great importance. I was in the Office all day. One of the Halls in the Patent Office is used as a Military Hospital, about 100 Soldiers from the Indiana Regts are sick there. Two Dead were carried out today. Prof Sparks, the Linguist, called at our home and spent an hour or two this evening. I have spent the rest of the evening in makeing a foot Stool for the Pew in Church. I work in the Wood House.

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The three diary manuscript volumes, Washington during the Civil War: The Diary of Horatio Nelson Taft, 1861-1865, are available online at The Library of  Congress.

December 14, Saturday. — A fine day, warm and bright,— the tenth! Western Virginia is redeeming itself. Our men think there is something wrong. The nights are clear, frosty, and moonlit.

DECEMBER 14TH.—Nothing.

December 14.—The excitement in England relative to the boarding of the Trent continues:

The Liverpool Mercury of this day, states that the Earl of Derby had been consulted by the Government. He approved of its policy in reference to the American difficulty, and suggested to ship-owners to instruct the captains of outward bound ships to signalize any English vessels, that war with America was probable. This suggestion had been strongly approved by the underwriters.

—The Legislative Council of Kentucky, at its session this day, elected the following gentlemen as delegates from Kentucky to the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States: Henry C. Burnett; John Thomas; Geo. W. Ewing; Dr. D. V. White; T. L. Burnett; Jno. M. Elliott; S. H. Ford; Thos. B. Monroe; Thos. Johnson; Geo. B. Hodge.—Louisville Nashville Courier, Dec. 16.

—The Green Mountain Cavalry, Vermont Volunteers, under the command of Colonel Lemuel B. Platt, left the encampment at Burlington for the seat of war.