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

Friday, March 6, 2015

Post image for “Good country here, foragers get plenty, and also pick up many Rebel deserters and stragglers.”–Army Life of an Illinois Soldier, Charles Wright Wills.

“Good country here, foragers get plenty, and also pick up many Rebel deserters and stragglers.”–Army Life of an Illinois Soldier, Charles Wright Wills.

March 6, 2015

Army Life of an Illinois Soldier, Charles Wright Wills, (8th Illinois Infantry)

Five miles northeast of Cheraw, S. C.,

March 6, 1865.

Crossed the Peedee this morning. Just after we passed through the town a 12th Indiana boy seeing some powder scattered on the ground threw a coal on it. It communicated with a concealed ammunition magazine and made a fine explosion, killed and wounded 20 or 30 men in our division, stampeded a lot of horses and burned some citizens. There have been half a dozen of such explosions. Good country here, foragers get plenty, and also pick up many Rebel deserters and stragglers. Our foragers yesterday found two of Kilpatrick’s men and five Rebel lieutenants all drunk and put them under guard.

Post image for An Artilleryman’s Diary–Jenkin Lloyd Jones

An Artilleryman’s Diary–Jenkin Lloyd Jones

March 6, 2015

An Artilleryman's Diary–Jenkin Lloyd Jones, 6th Battery, Wisconsin Artillery.

Chattanooga, Monday, March 6. Quite cold and windy, health is excellent. Sergeant Hutchinson and five men left this morning to go to the hills, and stay a week chopping timber for quarters and stables. Busy in camp also, hewing logs and putting them up. One completed, six logs high, and 12 x 18 feet. Myself and two others sent with axes to Major Mendenhall, commanding reserve artillery, to chop his fire wood. Worked about an hour and were relieved.

There is but one source of discontent in camp, and that is short rations. Bread does not near hold out, although I think that we get the prescribed rations full. A day’s rations is always eaten in two meals, and as all are out of money to buy extra, it is severely felt. I urgently recommend to Congress that it speedily rectify the mistake they made when they reduced the soldiers’ rations and raised his pay. But our mess have plenty by selling sugar which we do not need and buy bread stuff. Griff got a peck of meal to-day.

Post image for Downing’s Civil War Diary.–Alexander G. Downing.

Downing’s Civil War Diary.–Alexander G. Downing.

March 6, 2015

Diary of Alexander G. Downing; Company E, Eleventh Iowa Infantry

Monday, 6th—Pleasant weather. We started at 9 a. m., marched eight miles and went into bivouac near Bennettsville. We are marching through a fine country and have plenty of forage. There are no rebels in front of us at present. We are nearing the state line now between South Carolina and North Carolina, and our army has certainly made a wide path of desolation through the state.[1]

[1] In our march through South Carolina every man seemed to think that he had a free hand to burn any kind of property he could put the torch to. South Carolina paid the dearest penalty of any state in the Confederacy, considering the short time the Union army was in the state, and it was well that she should; for, if South Carolina had not been so persistent in going to war, there would have been no war for years to come.—A. G. D.

Post image for War Diary of Luman Harris Tenney

War Diary of Luman Harris Tenney

March 6, 2015

War Diary of Luman Harris Tenney.

6th. Another clear, beautiful day. 1st Div. in yesterday. Saddled up at 4 A. M. Moved out to guard train at 6. Moved in rear of brigade at 9. Marched through a passage underneath the Virginia University. Rear guard. Marched all night. Halted every five minutes—burned many rails. Rather poor country.

Post image for A Rebel War Clerk’s Diary

A Rebel War Clerk’s Diary

March 6, 2015

A Rebel War Clerk's Diary at the Confederate States Capital, By John Beauchamp Jones

March 6th.—A bright frosty morning. This day I am fifty-five years of age.

It is now reported that Gen. Early made his escape, and that most of his men have straggled into this city.

One body of Sheridan’s men are said to have been at Gordonsville yesterday, coming hitherward, while another were near Scottsville, aiming for the South Side Railroad.

The Adjutant-General, having granted furloughs to the returned prisoners two days ago, to-day revokes them. Will such vacillating policy conciliate the troops, and incite them to heroic deeds?

The President and his wife were at church yesterday; so they have not left the city; but Gen. Lee’s family, it is rumored, are packing up to leave.

I bought a quarter of a cord of oak wood this morning to mix with the green pine, and paid $55 for it.

Gen. Early’s cavalry, being mostly men of property, were two-thirds of them on furlough or detail, when the enemy advanced on Charlottesville; and the infantry, being poor, with no means either to bribe the authorities, to fee members of Congress, or to aid their suffering families, declined to fight in defense of the property of their rich and absent neighbors! We lost four guns beyond Charlottesville, and our forces were completely routed.

There are rumors to-day that a column of the enemy’s cavalry has reached Hanover County. Gen. R. E. Lee has ordered Major-Gen. Fitz Lee’s cavalry to march against them.

Twelve M. They are bringing boxes to the War Office, to pack up the archives. This certainly indicates a sudden removal in an emergency. It is not understood whether they go to Danville or to Lynchburg; that may depend upon Grant’s movements. It may, however, be Lee’s purpose to attack Grant; meantime preparing to fall back in the event of losing the day.

Four days hence we have a day of fasting, etc., appointed by the President; and I understand there are but three day’s rations for the army—a nice calculation.

Gen. Johnston telegraphs the Secretary that his army must suffer, if not allowed to get commissary stores in the North Carolina depots. The Secretary replies that of course his army must be fed, but hopes he can buy enough, etc., leaving the stores already collected for Lee’s army, which is in great straits.

Post image for Rutherford B. Hayes.

Rutherford B. Hayes.

March 6, 2015

Diary and Letters of Rutherford Birchard Hayes

Monday, March 6. — Sheridan last Monday with a large cavalry force went towards Staunton, Charlottesville, and Lynchburg to destroy stores and connections with Richmond. Mud and water his chief enemies.

Post image for A Diary From Dixie.

A Diary From Dixie.

March 6, 2015

A Diary From Dixie by Mary Boykin Miller Chesnut.

March 6th.—To-day came a godsend. Even a small piece of bread and the molasses had become things of the past. My larder was empty, when a tall mulatto woman brought a tray covered by a huge white serviette. Ellen ushered her in with a flourish, saying, “Mrs. McDaniel’s maid.” The maid set down the tray upon my bare table, and uncovered it with conscious pride. There were fowls ready for roasting, sausages, butter, bread, eggs, and preserves. I was dumb with delight. After silent thanks to heaven my powers of speech returned, and I exhausted myself in messages of gratitude to Mrs. McDaniel.

“Missis, you oughtn’t to let her see how glad you was,” said Ellen. “It was a lettin’ of yo’sef down.”

Mrs. Glover gave me some yarn, and I bought five dozen eggs with it from a wagon—eggs for Lent. To show that I have faith yet in humanity, I paid in advance in yarn for something to eat, which they promised to bring to-morrow. Had they rated their eggs at $100 a dozen in “Confederick” money, I would have paid it as readily as $10. But I haggle in yarn for the millionth part of a thread.

Two weeks have passed and the rumors from Columbia are still of the vaguest. No letter has come from there, no direct message, or messenger. “My God!” cried Dr. Frank Miles, “but it is strange. Can it be anything so dreadful they dare not tell us?” Dr. St. Julien Ravenel has grown pale and haggard with care. His wife and children were left there.

Dr. Brumby has at last been coaxed into selling me enough leather for the making of a pair of shoes, else I should have had to give up walking. He knew my father well. He intimated that in some way my father helped him through college. His own money had not sufficed, and so William C. Preston and my father advanced funds sufficient to let him be graduated. Then my uncle, Charles Miller, married his aunt. I listened in rapture, for all this tended to leniency in the leather business, and I bore off the leather gladly. When asked for Confederate money in trade I never stop to bargain. I give them $20 or $50 cheerfully for anything—either sum.

Post image for Through Some Eventful Years

Through Some Eventful Years

March 6, 2015

Through Some Eventful Years by Susan Bradford Eppes

March 6th, 1865.—The battle is on and since daylight we have been listening to the booming of cannon. Natural Bridge, where the two armies met, is only eighteen miles (as the crow flies) from Tallahassee and these big guns can be heard plainly. This is our first experience in warfare at first hand and I do not feel quite as bad as I expected. I am so hot with anger, I would like to take part in the fighting myself. Now, while I am scribbling this, we are waiting at the depot, for there are no telegraph lines, no way to hear from the battle except by courier or by train.

Mother has been sending the nicest lunches to us to be sent down to Natural Bridge, for distribution among the soldiers; others are doing this same thing and I hope none will go hungry. Dick Long rode in a few minutes ago with a dispatch for the Governor. Of course we do not know what it is but we will waylay the messenger on the return and, if possible, stop him long enough to hear the news. There he comes now. It was impossible to get anything out of Dick. He positively would not tell us one thing, except how well “Yannie” behaved in the fight. Then he and Yannie were off like a flash. Well, I suppose that is the way for a courier to do his part.

It is night, the battle is over and we have some news at last. God has been good to us and the enemy was completely routed, though we were outnumbered four to one. All the troops were negroes but the officers were white, if we had not been reinforced at the critical moment, things might have been different but a Regiment of Georgians rushed in and the enemy fled, not knowing how many more might be coming. We lost two men, Captain Simmons and a private whose name I have not yet ascertained. Poor Mrs. Simmons, she has a little two weeks’ old baby and has been very ill. After the terrible excitement of the last forty-eight hours Tallahassee should sleep well tonight.

We have a ten-mile ride before us but it would not be right to stay in town when Father and Mother will be anxious to hear the full account of the battle, before they sleep.