30th. Marched at 12:30. Received letter from Mrs. T. Wood. Camped at Berryville.
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Tuesday, 30th—It is warm and sultry. There are not so many sick and wounded coming in as there were a few days ago. Quite a number, at their own request, are being sent out to the front. When the convalescents are able for duty, they can’t stand it to remain here; the first thought is to get back into the lines. Taking care of the sick is no light work, if one does his duty. The worst is that there is so much sad, heart-rending work to do, ministering to the dying, taking down their farewells to be sent to their homes; then after death, we have to roll the bodies in their blankets and carry them to the “deadhouse,” where other hands take charge and bury them without coffin or ceremony.
Etowah Bridge, Tuesday, Aug. 30. Very hot. Suffered from a cold. Felt quite unwell in the afternoon, feverish and headache. Cousin Griff quite sick, looks bad, can eat nothing. Felt very bad that I could do nothing for him. A letter was brought to picket post this morning by a lady from our lost boys, stating that they were prisoners in humane hands, going southward. A gymnasium pole was put up this day. All hands required to go over it. Force used if persuasion failed, causing much fun and good exercise. Mis-sent mail arrived. I received one dated July 27.
Columbia, S. C., Aug. 30, 1864.
Dear Father, — I send this letter by Chaplain Fowler. He goes home to-morrow.
We are all well. Chaplain Fowler lives in Cambridge, and will endeavor to see you.
Love to all friends. Please have the following list of men from my regiment inserted in the paper for the benefit of friends. They were taken with me on the 30th July.
| Captain W. W. Fay | Sergeant Dwelley | |
| Sergeant Ford | Private Smith | |
| Sergeant Halloran | Private Moriarty | |
| Sergeant Fletcher | Private Deering | |
| Sergeant Morse |
There are 12 more whose names I cannot recall. All the privates were left at Danville.
Tuesday, August 30. — News from the Weldon R. R. turned out to be untrue. Lieutenant Preston was taken sick with fever and sent to the hospital.
Camp beyond Charlestown, August 30, 1864.
Dear Uncle: — We got a big mail today; letters from you, Lucy, Mother, and everybody, all written in July. We have had no general engagement, but a world of small affairs the last week. I think the enemy are giving it up. We are slowly pushing them back up the Valley. General Sheridan’s splendid cavalry do a great share of the work; we look on and rest. This has been a good month for us. We are a happy army.
I see it is likely McClellan will be nominated. If they don’t load him down with too much treasonable peace doctrine, I shall not be surprised at his election. I can see some strong currents which can easily be turned in his favor, provided always that his loyalty is left above suspicion. I have no doubt of his personal convictions and feelings. They are sound enough, but his surroundings are the trouble. We have a paymaster at last.
Sincerely,
R. B. Hayes.
S. Birchard.
[Dr. J. T. Webb, in a letter to his mother from “Camp Charlestown, August 30, 1864,” writes: “This is the place the chivalry hung old John Brown some four years since. It has been a beautiful place, many elegant residences, fine stores, printing press, and public halls. Now how changed! Not a store in the place, in fact nothing but the women and children and a few old men live here; a few of the fine residences look as though they were kept up, but everything around is sad and gloomy, and then to add to all, the Sixth Corps (some fifteen or twenty thousand troops) as they passed through the place, had all their bands, some twenty, play ‘Jonn Brown.’
“I met an old man the other day in the street, and said to him, ‘This is the place you hung old John Brown.’ ‘Yes,’ he replied. ‘How long since?’ said I. ‘Four years since and,’ added he, ‘never had no peace since.'”]
Camp Sheridan’s Army between Charlestown and
Winchester, August 30, 1864.
Dearest: — A lucky day. A big mail — letters (all of July) from you, Uncle, Mother, soldiers, their wives, fathers, etc., etc., and newspapers (all July) without end. So I must write short replies. . . .
We are slowly (I think) pushing the enemy back up the Valley. We have some fighting, but no general engagement. Sheridan’s splendid cavalry does most of the work. Heretofore, we (the infantry, especially [the] First and Second Brigades) have had to do our own work and that of the cavalry also. Now, if anything, the cavalry does more than its share. It is as if we had six or eight thousand such men as Captain Gilmore’s; only better drilled. A great comfort this. Indeed, this is our best month.
The men are fast getting their Kanawha health and spirits back, now that we are rid of Hunter, hard marching night and day, and nothing to eat.
The paymaster, Major Wallace (he inquires after Mrs. Hayes of course), has found us at last. The color-company of [the] Twenty-third is Twelfth men — a fine company of veterans. The color-sergeant is Charles W. Bendel of Maysville, Kentucky, of the Twelfth. He loves the flag as if he thought it his sweetheart — kisses it, fondles it, and bears it proudly in battle,
I hope things turn out so I can be with you about the time you would like me to be at home. Perhaps they will. Love to all.
Affectionately ever, your
R.
Mrs. Hayes.
Colonel Lyon’s Letters.
Claysville, Ala., Tues., 2 a. m., Aug. 30,1864.—You will wonder why I am writing to you at this time in the morning. I will tell you. We had information that a large force of rebels was in our immediate front, on the other side of the river. I spent the whole day yesterday in preparing for an attack, which I confidently expected before long. Last evening Sergeant Moulton came up here from his station on the river and told me that he had information from the same source that this force received orders on Sunday to repair at once to Atlanta and that they all left for that place on that day and yesterday; that his informant saw the last piece of artillery leave; and, further, that the rebels had 13 pieces of artillery. I felt greatly relieved, and not having slept much the night before I congratulated myself on a good night’s sleep in prospect.
I had just sat down to write some dispatches to General Granger to send off in the morning, when I received a note from Lieut. Fish saying that a force had made its apperance on the other side of the river. This was about eight o’clock. I immediately went down to his camp and found that a force has really come into Guntersville, which is about three-fourths of a mile from the river. It was after dark and they could see nothing, but they could hear commands given. I am satisfied that the force is not large, and that it has no artillery; yet their presence made it necessary to use all precautions against a surprise or an attack, and that along my whole line, for their making their appearance here was no evidence that they would not strike at some other point should they attack us, but rather the contrary. So I came back here and have been engaged ever since in sending off orders and dispatches. I expect some gunboats down today from Bridgeport, and when they get here I shall feel easier.
Claysville, Ala., Tues. Eve., Aug. 30, 1864.—The rebel force has certainly left our front. There are two gunboats here tonight, and they will be constantly along our line hereafter. We have been in great peril, but I think the danger permanently passed. We shall have no serious trouble here now for some time, if at all.
August 30th. This fine morning finds us in the woods. We need this rest and sleep that we are having at this time. This is fine timber land. Great large trees, mostly white oak and black walnut. We are enjoying this very quiet time. Very thankful for it.
by John Beauchamp Jones
AUGUST 30TH.—Bright and pleasant.
Gen. Hood telegraphs Gen Bragg that the enemy has shifted his line somewhat, drawing back his left and extending his right wing. Also that dispatches from Wheeler (August 19th) informs him that Dalton was captured, as stated, with 200 prisoners, 200 mules, a large amount of stores; several train supplies destroyed, as well as twenty-five miles of railroad in Sherman’s rear. If that don’t disturb the equanimity ofSherman, he must be an extraordinary general indeed.
Gen. Lee says the Bureau of Conscription has ceased to send forward recruits, and suggests that the conscript officers and their tens of thousands of details be now ordered into the ranks themselves. The Secretary does not agree to this, and the Assistant Secretary’s son-in-law is one of “the Bureau.”
Nine-tenths of the President’s time and labor consist of discriminating between applicants for office and for promotion. They are all politicians still! And the Secretaries of State, Navy, and the Postmaster-General are getting to be as fat as bears, while some of the subordinates I wot of are becoming mere shadows from scarcity of food.
