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

Monday, April 20, 2015

Thursday, 20th—It rained some today. We spent the day in raising our tents. There is great rejoicing in camp. Many think that peace is made, and that in a few days we shall likely start for home.

20th. Rainy. Reached home on the morning train. Met my good mother at the door. It seemed so good. She seemed perfectly resigned to the loss of Theodore. Never was more happy in my life. Ma and I went down to see Minnie and Melissa. Happy meeting. Beautiful little baby Bertie. Carrie a little angel, good and beautiful. Now could I only see Fannie and be reconciled as of old my happiness would be complete.

April 20th. Weather fine. Real spring. All is quiet in camp. The body of the martyr President is being carried across the country to his home town, Springfield, Illinois. These are days of mourning. The sudden taking off of Mr. Lincoln is the topic of conversation in our camp. It is generally believed there was a conspiracy among the leaders of the rebellion to murder Mr. Lincoln, so the cry is that the leaders must be punished.

Chattanooga, Thursday, April 20. A fine day. Spring is fast giving way to summer. The trees are clothed in full-grown vegetation, and towerng Lookout with its surrounding hills, that a little while ago were sear and brown, are now in living green.

Drilled an hour on the guns this morning, grazed all the afternoon. R. Grey returned yesterday from a furlough. Takes Griff’s place in the cook house, which relieves me from the care of his horses. On guard mount, guard in the evening instead of morning now.

Mrs. Lyon’s Diary.

 

April 20, 1865.—We have had orders to march back to Greenville. It has rained so much and been so unpleasant that I dread to return the way we came. We were in hopes to go back by way of Richmond. We started at 12 o’clock. It is very warm, roads almost impassable. Bade Jonesboro good-bye.

Camp 1st Mass. H. Arty., Near Burksville Junction, Va.,
Apr. 20, 1865.

Dear Jed:

I have been at work all the afternoon fixing up our tent. I have seen considerable within the last few weeks; when we first struck the “John Henrys “and had followed them a few miles, we began to pick up the relics by the bushels, a great many of which had to be thrown away, as the marches were so severe that the men had rather keep their tack; but we had but little of that. I have got a Confederate States Army Regulations. We are just getting the news of the surrender of Johnson to Sherman. The boys say be ready to meet them at the depot with your drums about the 4th July. They begin to feel more homesick; they feel they have done their duty and now want to go home. Some 60 cannon were dug up near the station today, which the Rebs buried, and placed head boards at the head of the graves; some were Sergts, corpls. &c, quite a joke! Our Co. (just previous to our first move from camp) was changed from the third to the Second Batt. Our U. S. colors got torn all to pieces in our late scrap, and shell broke the staff in three pieces and tore the flag from the staff. We pitch our tent this time as we used to last summer, high, and then build a bunk of poles. We have got a gay one. We have three wool blankets and are hunky! None of us expect any more fighting. I got a chronicle of our new president’s plans and views, the most noticible being, “treason must be punished.” I feel that the South were interested in the late assassination. It will avail them nothing; but will rather injure them. I think they can well say that this is a curious army: a foreign one would have massacred the inhabitants on receiving the news that we rec’d, but with us it was all quiet. Tell mother my catarrh is all right. Give my regards to all the boys and gals.

Love to all.                                           Lev.

20th.—The cars on the Central Railroad will run tomorrow, for the first time, under Federal rule, and the day after we will use our passports and free tickets to leave the city—dearer than ever, in its captivity and ruin. It is almost impossible to get current money. A whole-hearted friend from Alexandria met me the other day, and with the straightforward simplicity due to friendship in these trying times, asked me at once, “Has your husband any money?” I told him I thought not. He replied, “Tell him I have between twenty-five and thirty dollars—that’s all— and he shall have half of it; tell him I say so.” Ten dollars were accepted, for the circumstances of want which pressed so hard, and for the kindly spirit in which it was offered. Two other friends came forward to share with us their little all. God help the warm hearts of our conquered but precious country! I know they will be blessed, and that light will yet shine through the blackness of darkness which now surrounds them.

Thursday, April 20.—The papers are full of the account of the funeral obsequies of President Lincoln. We take Harper’s Weekly and every event is pictured so vividly it seems as though we were eye witnesses of it all. The picture of “Lincoln at home” is beautiful. What a dear, kind man he was. It is a comfort to know that the assassination was not the outcome of an organized plot of Southern leaders, but rather a conspiracy of a few fanatics, who undertook in this way to avenge the defeat of their cause. It is rumored that one of the conspirators has been located.

April 20.— The enemy are gone. I have no idea but that they will be back soon. Mrs. F. and myself lay awake all night, expecting to hear them returning. They have done little or no damage to the place. They burned a large warehouse, filled with private and government stores, and gave the contents to the negroes and poor people. They fired the turning-table, which is still burning; they were in the act of setting fire to the ticket office, when Mrs. Rawlings implored the commanding officer not to do so, as her house would be burned too. He told her, if it would benefit the United States Government ten thousand dollars, and destroy ten cents worth of private property, it should not be burned. So much goodness looks suspicious. They beat and knocked down some of the negroes, and told the people they were the worst behaved negroes they had met anywhere.

One of the stories afloat is, that they had no idea of coming here; but the mayor and some of the citizens met them some miles from town, and offered to surrender the city if they would spare private property. There were not more than one hundred. They were a detachment from the main body, who have gone on to capture Macon. I am told that the captain boasted that, last year, when Sherman went through the eastern portion of this state, he, along with many others, had come to Griffin, dressed in Confederate uniform, calling themselves Wheeler’s men. They then broke open stores and took out what they pleased. They said they had often done so. This will, likely, account for the bad repute of Wheeler’s men.