Chattanooga, Friday, March 31. Pelt much better after a good night’s rest. A very cold morning for this season. Notified by Corporal Ray to get my breakfast early and go out to the hill to chop and load logs. Gone all day. I found four letters when I returned, and in them I was surprised to find the familiar faces of Sisters Mary and Ellen. Look as they used to three years ago. I assigned them a prominent place in my album, which is a precious treasure to me.
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
March 31st.—Raining; rained all night. My health improving, but prudence requires me to still keep within the house.
The reports of terrific fighting near Peterburg on Wednesday evening have not been confirmed. Although Gen. Lee’s dispatch shows they were not quite without foundation, I have no doubt there was a false alarm on both sides, and a large amount of ammunition vainly expended.
“Headquarters, March 30th, 1865.
“Gen. J. C. Breckinridge, Secretary Of War.
“Gen. Gordon reports that the enemy, at 11 a.m. yesterday, advanced against a part of his lines, defended by Brig.-Gen. Lewis, but was repulsed.
“The fire of artillery and mortars continued for several hours with considerable activity.
“No damage on our lines reported.
“R. E. Lee.”
We are sinking our gun-boats at Chaffin’s Bluff, to obstruct the passage of the enemy’s fleet, expected soon to advance.
Congress passed two acts, and proper ones, to which the Executive has yet paid no attention whatever, viz.: the abolition of the Bureau of Conscription, and of all Provost Marshals, their guards, etc. not attached to armies in the field. If the new Secretary has consented to be burdened with the responsibility of this contumacy and violation of the Constitution, it will break his back, and ruin our already desperate cause.
Four P.M.—Since writing the above, I learn that an order has been published abolishing the “Bureau of Conscription.”
Gov. Vance has written to know why the government wants the track of the North Carolina Railroad altered to the width of those in Virginia, and has been answered: 1st, to facilitate the transportation of supplies to Gen. Lee’s army from North Carolina; and 2d, in the event of disaster, to enable the government to run all the locomotives, cars, etc. of the Virginia roads into North Carolina.
Friday, 31st—Cloudy and windy today. We are ordered to have company drill four hours a day and dress parade at 5 o’clock in the evening. This is all the duty we have to perform; do not even have camp guard or provost duty. We have no picket duty to do, as the Twentieth Corps is out in front of us. We are drawing full rations now and have plenty of clothing. This is fine soldiering to what it was wading swamps in South Carolina. Nothing more for this month.
31st. Cleared up soon after sunrise, but did not remain so long. Very heavy firing. Musketry and artillery to the right of and beyond Dinwiddie C. H. Very uneasy to know how the day is going. God grant us victory. Success now, the capture of the Southside and the Danville R. R. must bring peace soon. We can leave the cause in God’s care. On to Dinwiddie—there at 6 P. M. 1st Div. all driven back. 3rd Div. engaged. 3rd N. J. ammunition exhausted. Go up at a trot, dismount and go in. Doublequicked half a mile—came upon infantry line which opened fire and charged. Had to fall back quickly. Horse wounded. Many good men lost. Fortified and lay on our arms.
March 31st.—Mr. Prioleau Hamilton told us of a great adventure. Mrs. Preston was put under his care on the train. He soon found the only other women along were “strictly unfortunate females,” as Carlyle calls them, beautiful and aggressive. He had to communicate the unpleasant fact to Mrs. Preston, on account of their propinquity, and was lost in admiration of her silent dignity, her quiet self-possession, her calmness, her deafness and blindness, her thoroughbred ignoring of all that she did not care to see. Some women, no matter how ladylike, would have made a fuss or would have fidgeted, but Mrs. Preston dominated the situation and possessed her soul in innocence and peace.
Met Robert Johnston from Camden. He has been a prisoner, having been taken at Camden. The Yankees robbed Zack Cantey of his forks and spoons. When Zack did not seem to like it, they laughed at him. When he said he did not see any fun in it, they pretended to weep and wiped their eyes with their coat-tails. All this maddening derision Zack said was as hard to bear as it was to see them ride off with his horse, Albine. They stole all of Mrs. Zack’s jewelry and silver. When the Yankee general heard of it he wrote her a very polite note, saying how sorry he was that she had been annoyed, and returned a bundle of Zack’s love-letters, written to her before she was married. Robert Johnston said Miss Chesnut was a brave and determined spirit. One Yankee officer came in while they were at breakfast and sat down to warm himself at the fire. “Rebels have no rights,” Miss Chesnut said to him politely. “I suppose you have come to rob us. Please do so and go. Your presence agitates my blind old father.” The man jumped up in a rage, and said, “What do you take me for —a robber?” “No, indeed,” said she, and for very shame he marched out empty-handed.
31st.—A long pause in my diary. Every thing seems so dark and uncertain that I have no heart for keeping records. The croakers croak about Richmond being evacuated, but I can’t and won’t believe it.
There is hard fighting about Petersburg, and General A. P. Hill has been killed. Dreadful to think of losing such a man at such a time; but yet it comes nearer home when we hear of the young soldiers whom we have loved, and whose youth we have watched with anxiety and hope as those on whom our country must depend in days to come, being cut down when their country most needs them. We have just heard of the death of Barksdale Warwick, another of our E. H. S. boys—another son of the parents who yielded up their noble first-born son on the field of battle three years ago. He fell a day or two ago; I did not hear precisely when or where; I only know that he has passed away, as myriads of our young countrymen have done before him, and in the way in which our men would prefer to die.
A week ago we made a furious attack upon the enemy’s fortifications near Petersburg, and several were taken before daylight, but we could not hold them against overwhelming numbers, and batteries vastly too strong for any thing we could command; and so it is still—the enemy is far too strong in numbers and military resources. The Lord save ns, or we perish! Many persons think that Richmond is in the greatest possible danger, and may be evacuated at any time. Perhaps we are apathetic or too hopeful, but none of us are desponding at all, and I find myself planning for the future, and feeling excessively annoyed when I find persons less sanguine than myself.
