Twentieth. — To-day ’tis cloudy and we have fire in the tent and I wear my cloak besides. There are no news of any kind to-day. We are on a little piece of dry land here (some of the earthquake’s “get up” I suppose) entirely surrounded by swamps of the vilest kind, cane and cypress. We have dug wells all through camp. Find plenty of water at five feet. The Rebel battery across the river has been trying to shell us this morning. They sent some shell plenty far enough but they lit off to the right of our camp. General Plummer rides down along the river bank with his staff every day and the Rebels do their best to send him up. The colonel has just started out with him to give the Rebels another chance. There is considerable cane here and it looks as though the country might grow alligators to almost any extent. ‘Tis a grand country for a sporting man. The very paradise of geese and their kindred.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
March 20 — This morning we went below Woodstock on picket, but saw no Yanks. This evening we are quartered in the Court House at Woodstock.
Cloud’s Mills, March 20, 1862.
Dear Father, — I received your two letters containing the two photographs one of which I gave to General Porter, he asking for it first. I liked the full face better than the other, which General Porter took.
I saw Professor Low the aeronaut the other day. He is a very good-looking man and still enthusiastic about the balloon’s crossing the ocean.
Our staff gave General Porter quite a handsome sword last evening. Curiously enough it was the anniversary of his wedding, which together with this sword presentation were, he said, the two pleasantest occasions of his life.
I attended a review of General Franklin’s division with General Porter yesterday. The troops made a fine show, being well drilled and disciplined. Porter’s (Mass.) Battery is in this division. General McClellan was there and rode, of course, at the head of the reviewing column, which consisted of any amount of generals and their staffs. Generals Franklin, Porter, McDowell, Slocum, Heintzelman, who commands our corps d’ armee, Kearny, Barry and numerous others were there. The soldiers cheered McClellan heartily as he rode up and down the lines, followed by about fifty officers.
I think I was mistaken in what I wrote you about McClellan. It came from one of his enemies and I am confident was wrong. If you notice what Burnside says in his report of the battle at Newberne you will see what he says about following out the minute orders given him by McClellan. That will rather knock the N. Y. Tribune, which has been abusing McClellan abominably. I hope you never take the paper.
The whole force of the Army under McClellan is 257,000 men, including Burnside and Sherman, I suppose.
I hear that Sherman is to be superseded by General Hunter. The administration are not satisfied with him, and with good reason.
We are waiting here for our transports, which have already taken some troops, and landed them, and are on the way back for more. I don’t see how we can start before Monday. We shall probably go to the place I wrote you about, in a short note. Don’t speak of it until you hear we are there. . . .
Thursday March 20th 1862
Wet drizzling day, as uncomfortable as need be. No news yet from Comodore Foot. I fear he has met with a repulse. Doct David & his Brother James were down and dined with us today. James is not attached to the Regt but is going down with it. It is expected to go tomorrow, but uncertain. Prof Sparks was here this evening hearing Julia recite her Spanish. He brought he[r] up a Spanish Dictionary & other books in the Spanish language. She seems to be making some progress. I have not been out of the house tonight, looked at the boys writing Books &c, & read the papers.
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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.
March 20th.—All quiet. No move.
MARCH 20TH.—There is skirmishing every day on the Peninsula. We have not exceeding 60,000 men there, while the enemy have 158,000. It is fearful odds. And they have a fleet of gun-boats.
Thursday, 20th—It is cloudy, chilly and very disagreeable weather. A great many of the boys are getting sick with the chills and fever, and the doctors are no account. We have no drill nor dress parade; we seem to be just stopping here in the mud. Troops are passing here every day going up the river. The boys are getting anxious for a fight.
20th. Found the books in use, so busied myself in writing to Fannie Henderson.
Thursday, 20.— Cold; no rain falling this morning, but the storm not over. Fremont at the head of our department, the Mountain District, western Virginia and east Tennessee. Good! 1 admire the general. If he comes up to my anticipations, we shall have an active campaign.
Colonel Scammon returned, also Major Comly, to Fayetteville. They send no news and bring no newspapers. Thoughtless fellows! No, I must not call the colonel fellow. He put down a countryman who came in with, “Are you the feller what rents land?” Colonel Scammon: “In the first place I am not a feller; in the second place, take off your hat! and in the third place, I don’t rent land. There is the door”!
March 20. Newbern, situated at the north confluence of the Trent and Neuse rivers, was, I think, first settled by colonists from Berne, in Switzerland, and in honor of the old town was named New Berne, but for short, is now pronounced as written. The chivalry, in their hasty flight, thought to make a Moscow of it, and fired it in several places, destroying the long and expensive railroad bridge across the Trent river, all the turpentine distilleries (save one) of which there was quite a number, and three squares of the town, in one of which was the large Planter’s hotel. The city has a fine water front on the south and east sides, furnishing ample wharfage for shipping and warehouses. It contains a population of about 8000. The streets cross at right angles, thus forming squares which are compactly built over. The area of the city is much less than many northern towns of 2000 inhabitants, but land is scarce here and it doesn’t do to waste it for building purposes. There are, however, several fine residences with ample surroundings. There are four churches, several halls, one academy, one hotel, court house, jail, post office, printing office, and many large wholesale stores and warehouses. There is a small cotton mill, manufacturing cotton yarn, a lumber mill, one turpentine distillery, tannery, gas works, and a large machine shop and foundry connected with the railroad depot, at the north side of the city. There are two banks here, but at present they do not seem to be doing a regular banking business. Capt. Dan, the provost marshal, occupies the Merchant’s, while the master of transportation occupies the bank of North Carolina. Whether the latter bank discounts or not, I am unable to say, but I know that Capt. Dan does, when there is anything in the bottle. The streets are wide and level, set on either side with handsome shade trees. Altogether it is rather a pretty city. This has been a town of some commercial importance, having had a large inland and coastwise trade, exporting shingles, staves and other lumber to the West Indies, cotton and naval stores to northern ports, and bringing return cargoes of such goods as the market here demanded.
