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

Monday, April 30, 2012

Abby Howland Woolsey to Joe.

April 30.

. . . We had a very pleasant visit the other night from Charles Johnson, of Norwich, just returned from Port Royal. He went down as Allotment Commissioner from Connecticut and had pretty good success. He was particularly indignant about the chaplain of the Connecticut __th who had made a “handsome thing” all along out of the men whose money he received for being forwarded to their homes. He charged them a commission, and then by buying drafts on New York, which are at a premium in Bridgeport, Conn., managed to make his one per cent net. Charles J. arrived out the day of the bombardment of Fort Pulaski and was among the first visitors after its surrender. It was curious, he said, to see the extra defenses prepared by the rebels; heavy timber blindages against the casemates and quarters, all round the fort inside, sodded six feet deep with earth dug from trenches with which the whole parade was crisscrossed. These ditches were already two feet deep with the green, slimy water which had oozed upward through the soil. . . . He said that the 7th Connecticut, now garrisoning the fort, were a pale, peaked, sick-looking set, but every man of them as proud as Lucifer, and he came home with a higher idea than ever of the energy and spirit of our troops. One night he and Colonel Terry and Dr. Bacon couldn’t sleep on account of the mosquitoes and heat, and they agreed to bring out the letters left behind by the rebel prisoners, which had to be examined and sent some day to Savannah by flag of truce. There were more than a hundred; some very laughable specimens of course, but some well written and sensible. About thirty were written in one hand, by some officer for his different privates I suppose, and every one of them began, “We have met the enemy and we are theirs!” always winding up with the earnest advice to their friends, to quit Savannah. . . . Mr. Prentiss has lately spent a week in Washington, in company with Dr. Stearns and Professor Schaff. Everywhere they went, of every great man, Professor Schaff asked his stock question—whether the social and political conquest of the South was not to be more difficult than its military conquest. He received very characteristic answers. President Lincoln thought “perhaps, yes—but it wouldn’t cost so much money! “ Mr. Seward said, decidedly, “No” and then trotted himself out, most obligingly, in a dainty little sort of oration, using one of his fine figures in illustration. “You are like President King,” he said, “who was greatly concerned here, last week, about the dome of the Capitol, how it was ever to be finished, and whether it would bear the weight of the figure of Liberty that is to be placed on it, and how the figure was to be got up there, etc. I don’t know how it is to be done, but the engineers know. The plans were all made to accomplish just that result. The dome was built for the figure, and this figure cast to be in harmony and size with it, and the pulleys and ropes are all agreed upon; and though it is a long way from the ground, where the statue lies now, to the top of the finished dome, I know that the work will be done, and the figure of Liberty shall yet stand on the top of the Capitol.” . . . Mr. Chase was not so eloquent or philosophic. He thought we ought to “do our present duty and leave the future to Providence,” which perhaps was the best answer of all; and putting the three together Professor Schaff was well satisfied with the argument and quite willing to be laughed at by his friends for his pertinacity in asking the question.

April 30th. On the 25th it rained and was very cold and disagreeable; received authoritative information of the speedy arrival of the paymaster, so distributed blank muster rolls to company commanders, with orders to have them filled out promptly. At noon time the whole regiment was detailed for fatigue duty in the trenches, field and staff remaining in camp. The regiment returned to camp this morning, and was immediately mustered for pay. Captain McKay, who was in command, reported very favorably on the conduct of the men who worked well and paid little attention to the shells the enemy fired at them. They looked very muddy and tired and were glad to get back again. Major Potter, the paymaster, arrived last night and put up with us. He is a good looking man who enjoys being in the field immensely and joined in the sport last evening with enthusiasm. He brought along a patent camp cot, which took about an hour to set up and afforded us a lot of fun. We initiated the major in the matter of army drinks (field drinks) and found him a man of excellent taste. He paid the regiment off very quickly during the day.

Georgeanna to Mother.

Floating Hospital, Daniel Webster.
Cheeseman’s Creek, April 30, ‘61.

The sail down the Potomac to Acquia Creek, where we anchored for the night, was extremely pretty. Just as we started the little gunboat “Yankee” passed up, bringing, all on a string, five rebel craft she had just taken in the Rappahannock.

Late in the afternoon we passed the stone fleet, eight boats all ready to sink in the channel, in case the Merrimac should try to run up the Potomac. The rebels having taken up all the buoys, we had to come to anchor at dark. Sunday, the first day, was gone. As for us, we had spent it sitting on deck, sewing upon a Hospital flag fifteen by eight, and singing hymns to take the edge off this secular occupation. It is to be run up at once in case we encounter the Merrimac. Just as we anchored, a chaplain was discovered among the fifty or sixty soldiers on board—men returning to their regiments, and in half an hour we got together for service and an unprepared discourse exhorting the Sanitary Commission to works of charity! The contrabands all came in and stood in a row, so black, at the dark end of the cabin, that I could see nothing but eyes and teeth; but they sang heartily and everybody followed them.

April 30th.—The last day of this month of calamities. Lovell left the women and children to be shelled, and took the army to a safe place. I do not understand why we do not send the women and children to the safe place and let the army stay where the fighting is to be. Armies are to save, not to be saved. At least, to be saved is not their raison d’être exactly. If this goes on the spirit of our people will be broken. One ray of comfort comes from Henry Marshall. “Our Army of the Peninsula is fine; so good I do not think McClellan will venture to attack it.” So mote it be.

April 30.—The schooner Maria was captured near Charleston, S. C., by the U. S. steamer Santiago de Cuba.—N. Y. Tribune, May 6.

—A Reconnoissance in force was made this morning from the right wing of the National army, near Pittsburgh, Tenn., four miles north of Purdy, on the Memphis and Ohio Railroad. The National troops met a force of rebel cavalry, who fled, and were pursued to Purdy. On taking possession of the town, the Union troops burned two bridges and threw a locomotive into the river. Three prisoners were taken, and the Unionists retired, having cut off all railroad communication between Corinth and the North.—Baltimore American, May 2.

—A. G. Curtin, Governor of Pennsylvania, has issued a general order in acknowledgment of the gallantry of the Seventy-seventh regiment of infantry, Pennsylvania volunteers, Col. F. S. Stambaugh commanding, at Shiloh, Tennessee, and of the First regiment of cavalry, Pennsylvania volunteers, Col. George D. Bayard commanding, at Falmouth, Virginia. He orders that “Shiloh, April 7th, 1862,” be inscribed on the flag of the Seventy-seventh regiment of infantry, and that “Falmouth, April 18th, 1862,” be inscribed on the flag of the First regiment of cavalry, and that this order be read at the head of all the regiments of Pennsylvania volunteers.

—In the United States House of Representatives, the following resolution was passed by a vote of seventy-five yeas against forty-five nays:

Resolved, That Simon Cameron, late Secretary of War, by investing Alexander Cummings with the control of large sums of the public money, and authority to purchase military supplies without restriction, without requiring from him any guarantee for the faithful performance of his duties, when the services of competent public officers were available, and by involving the Government in a vast number of contracts with persons not legitimately engaged in the business pertaining to the subject matter of such contracts— especially in the purchase of arms for future delivery—has adopted a policy highly injurious to the public service, and deserving the censure of this House.

—The report of the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War, in reference to the treatment by the rebels at Manassas of the remains of officers and soldiers of the United States killed in battle there, was made public.—(Doc. 155.)