Friday, 25th.—Reported Yanks have evacuated Pulaski. Passed Mount Pleasant, Maury County; very nice country. About 20,000 Yanks at Columbia.
Monday, November 24, 2014
Irwinton, November 24, 1864.
Made 12 miles to-day over a rolling but well settled country. This is a nice little 700 county town. I hear that the troops that were at Macon are passing us on our right. Suppose they want to get in our front to annoy us again. They had better keep out of our way. Had another romantic meeting to-day with a Miss Howell. Spent the evening at her house. A charming girl, very accomplished. Admire her very much. Understand to-day that “Pap’s” headquarters are at Howell Cobb’s house in Milledgville. Some of the men saw a Macon paper of the 21st inst. It gave the proceedings of a citizen’s meeting. In resolutions they declared that Sherman’s army must be stopped in its mad career and pledged themselves to turn out en masse and harrass us all day and night. In fact, to give us no rest at all. The operations of the next day show how they commenced their good work. Have not heard anything of them since.
Thursday, November 24. — Thanksgiving up North. We had our dinner of course. Some canned turkey, roast beef, turnips and potatoes formed our repast. In the evening we had pumpkin pies. Received 3 letters. One from Alice, one from General Peirce and one about Sergeant Dwelley. Milledgeville captured by Sherman.
Thursday, 24th—We lay in camp all day. The rebels are still in our front, and there is some cannonading off on our left where the Fourteenth and Twentieth Corps are on the move and destroying property. The Seventeenth Corps burned all the railroad property from Gordon down to the Oconee river. The first brigade of our division destroyed the railroad for some miles in this locality. The Iowa Brigade went out on the railroad this morning and worked for two hours. There was some skirmishing in our front and to our right. Our division supply train is lying at Station No. 15, the Fifteenth Iowa acting as train guard. We received orders to march in the morning at 5 o’clock.
Camp Russell, Virginia, November 20, 1864.
Dear Uncle: — I tonight received yours of the 14th. We have had no battle for a month, and it is a week yesterday since I heard Rebel firing! This is wonderful. It is more than six months since I could say the same. We do not feel settled here, but are getting very comfortable. It is probable that we shall have a rest sometime this winter, but not yet certain. The Sixth and Nineteenth Corps may be needed at Richmond or somewhere, but I think the Army of West Virginia will do guard duty merely. What an interest the country now feels in Sherman! It looks as if he might strike some vital blows. If we get settled in time, I mean to get home by Christmas, if it is possible.
Sincerely,
R. B. Hayes.
November 23. — Awful weather. Linen tents, like a fiish seine for shelter, mud bottomless, cold and cheerless. All that yesterday and day before made many of us cross and gloomy — not me — but today is clear and bright and bracing. The turkeys, etc., sent from the Christian land [have arrived] and everyone is happy and jolly. This is camp life. We are sure we shall make another move back in a few days.
24th. — Thanksgiving Day. Good winter weather and no news.
S. Birchard.
November 24th.—Clear and frosty. Ice half an inch thick this morning. All quiet below.
Col. St. John, Niter and Mining Bureau, required 13,000 men to furnish ammunition, etc.
Col. Northrop, Commissary-General, reports only 15 days’ bread rations in Richmond for 100,000 men, and that we must rely upon supplies hereafter from the Carolinas and Virginia alone. The difficulty is want of adequate transportation, of course. The speculators and railroad companies being in partnership, very naturally exclude the government from the track. The only remedy, the only salvation, in my opinion, is for the government to take exclusive control of the railroads, abate speculation, and change most of the quartermasters and commissaries.
Hon. J. B. Clarke proposed a resolution of inquiry in the House of Representatives, which was adopted, calling for the number and name of employees in the departments, and the State they were appointed from. Virginia has more than half of them.
Gen. Cooper, the Adjutant-General, Northern by birth, turned out twenty of his eighty clerks yesterday, to replace them with ladies.
It is said and believed that Sherman’s cavalry has reached Milledgeville, and destroyed the public buildings, etc. We have nothing from Wheeler since the 18th inst.
November 24th. Our camp located on a high hill, west of the town. Fine scenery at this point. Our picket line will cover from Halltown to Charlestown, a distance of about five miles along the railroad.
Nashville, Thursday, Nov. 24. A still cold night, froze very hard this morning. I think it is ten degrees below zero. Boys skating on ponds, like old times. Detailed early to go after beef. Had to go and obtain post team, then to the slaughter yard located on the Cumberland River. When we reached it we found there was a string of wagons twenty rods long ahead of us, and we had to wait our turn, which did not come before 3 P. M. and we had a good chance to see the magnitude of the work carried on here daily. About one hundred eighty two butchers at work all the time, fifty-four beeves killed before 12 M. An animal would be knocked down and nearly skinned before he was dead, it being weighed out as fast as killed. One hundred thousand rations issued by the government daily. Reached camp in time to eat a good supper and to find no mail for me.
An opportunity offered Griff and me to attend the theatre where the celebrated Alice Kingsbury (Maggie Mitchell) played the part of “Cricket” in the drama called Fanchon. To me it was highly interesting to observe how near art could approach nature. Stage scenery was almost life-like, the grassy woods, shady woodland and bubbling brook, all seemed more real than I could believe possible. As for Alice, she was the principal actress for three hours, and well did she play her part as a poor befriended orphan and an accomplished lady. Anger, sorrow and love depicted with great truthfulness.
24th. Thursday. After breakfast went on picket on middle road, on reserve post. Very quiet but cold—little sleep. Many prayers have gone up today for the welfare of the soldiers and the salvation of the country. May God soon bring the rebs to their senses and bring an honorable peace with freedom to all men.
November 24th, 1864.—Three times a week Mother fixes up a basket to send in to the Tallahassee hospital, fresh butter and butter milk; fresh vegetables from the garden; any kind of fruit we happen to have and always two large loaves of delicious home-made bread. This last is a luxury as flour is hard to get. Father raises wheat and he has put in bolting cloths in his grist mill, so the wheat can be prepared for use. This morning Sister Mart and I carried the basket and I was so sorry for a patient, whom I had not heard of until today. It seems he was shot through the lungs, at the battle of Olustee, and has been here in the hospital ever since. Some of the people here, becoming interested in him, have tried to get him exchanged but have met with no success. He is slowly dying of consumption and he wants to go home. His family live up North, somewhere and Mr. Craig, who goes often to see him, says they are frantic to get him exchanged but they can do no more than the few who are trying in Tallahassee can do. Mr. Craig writes his letters home for him since he has grown so weak; he still cherishes the hope of going home but they say he would not be able to go now, even if the exchange could be made. It is pitiful ! Sick in a strange land and for so long.
