Diary and Letters of Rutherford Birchard Hayes

Monday, February 3. Charleston, Virginia.—Leave this morning on the steamboat ––for Gallipolis. Reached there at 2 P. M. A drizzly, cold day, snow on the hills, mud, snow, and slush at Gallipolis. With Avery and Bill Brown over town; oysters, eggs, and ale. At nine P. M. on Dunleith down the Ohio.

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Loup Creek Landing, five miles below Landing, February 2. — Sunday morning finds us waiting for a steamboat to get down Kanawha River. General Meigs took us aboard about 12 M. A cold ride — occasional gleams of sunshine — down the Kanawha to Charleston. A picturesque valley, high hills, ruins of salt-works, etc., etc., a fine river, make up the scene. A servant girl of Mrs. Mauser, apparently under the auspices of Thomas (he passed her on the steamer as his wife!), was met by our team yesterday and taken aboard a half mile out of Fayetteville. She must have been there by preconcert with Thomas. The feeling of the soldiers, a sort of indifferent satisfaction, easily roused to active zeal, expressed itself, “Another shade of Mrs. Mauser’s lost.” Not another syllable by way of comment in a circle of six around the camp-fire.

Reached Charleston before dark. Avery and I took quarters at the Kanawha House, a good hotel. Visited General Cox; a good talk; a sound man; excellent sense. I wish he commanded our brigade. . . . Heard the church bells at Charleston — the first for six months; a home sound.

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Camp Union, Fayette, Virginia, February 1, 1862. — Rain all night last night; mud indescribable and unfathomable. Lieutenant Avery and Secesh prisoners start today.

At 2 P. M., having heard that General Schenck would perhaps reach camp in a day or two, and fearing that he would object to my absence (he having himself been away two months and over!!) I started on the doctor’s stumbling gray for Loup Creek Landing. It rained a cold storm, mud deep. Thomas, the gay, dramatic colored servant of Dr. Webb, and my orderly (Barney) in a waggon with my baggage. I got to Loup Creek Landing, sixteen miles, after dark alone. Stayed there in a cabin, fitted up with bunks for soldiers, with Lieutenant Avery’s guard of the seventeen Secesh prisoners. Bill Brown the life of the party. Poor accommodations for sleeping. Little sleeping done. So ends the first.

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Camp Union, January 31, 1862. — Inspection day. Good weather until dark when a rain “set in.” Had a review and inspection. Satisfactory. Cannon firing with a new brass six-pounder, cast by Greenwood. First two shots four hundred and fifty yards, plumb in line, two and one-half feet below the centre of the target. At parade, had practice in musket firing — six rounds — eight hundred shots. Put one hundred and fifty-four balls in a board five feet high by twenty inches broad — one hundred yards. Very good. A jolly evening. Read the letters in the 27th and 28th Commercials to Avery, Bottsford, Captain Moore, Dr. Webb, etc.; then a talk and laugh at campaign jokes. Colonel Scammon returned from Raleigh; thinks the mud too deep for forward movements for a month or six weeks.

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Fayetteville, Western Virginia, January 28, 1862.

Dear Brother William : — The excellent glass has reached me. It is all I could ask. I will settle with you when I see you. In the meantime, accept thanks.

I have applied for leave of absence during February, and if granted, shall leave for home the last of the week. We are a good deal in the field just now, and have made some good moves lately, considering the weakness of our forces, and that we have but forty cavalrymen. I see in the papers a good deal said about “too much cavalry accepted.” If we had only five hundred now, we could do more injury to the enemy than has yet been done by the Port Royal expedition. We are elated with the victory in Kentucky. I am especially pleased that McCook gets the plumes.

Sincerely,

R. B. Hayes.

W. A. Platt,

Columbus, Ohio.

[Fayetteville], January 28, 1862.
Tuesday A. M. — before breakfast.

Dear Lute : — I am getting impatient to be with you. I have sent for leave of absence during the month of February. I expect to get a favorable answer so as to leave here by the last of the week. If so, nothing but some inroad of the enemy south of us will delay my coming. They are threatening “Camp Hayes” — mustn’t let that be taken — and we sent Captain Sperry’s company and two of McMullen’s Battery there in the night, last night. I suspect that will settle the thing. I am delighted with the Kentucky victory, and particularly that my friend McCook and his regiment take the honors. We were good friends before the war, but much more intimately so since we came into service. Our regiments, too, fraternized more cordially with each other than with anybody else.

Do not give it up, if I should not come quite so soon as I wish. I am bent on coming as soon as possible — am getting ready. Sold my horse. Sorry to do it, but he was unsafe — would sometimes stumble. Will get another in Ohio. I do want to see you “s’much,” and I love you “s’much.” Good-bye. Affectionately,

R.

Mrs. Hayes.

Tuesday, January 28, 1862. — Dr. Jim left this morning for home, taking letters to Lute, Mother, Uncle, Platt, and others. Warm and bright all day, but oh, so muddy! Called on by two really good-looking ladies — Mrs. Thurman (husband Secesh soldier) and Miss Mary Mars.

General Rosecrans replies to my application for thirty days’ leave: “Ask Hayes if thirty days isn’t too long for these times?” I construe this as friendly, but the colonel thinks it is another instance of injustice to him. He thinks after he has recommended it, and in view of the fact that Colonel Ewing has over sixty days, Colonel Fyffe ditto, Lieutenant-Colonel Eckley about the same, Majors Ferguson and Degenfeld and Lieutenant-Colonel Jones, all of this brigade, and all our company officers, it looks unfair.

“Ah, but,” said I, “circumstances may have changed.” “Yes,” said he, “but I have judged of that in asking the leave, and he don’t take my judgment.”

Well, well, I have made up my mind to do my duty and do it cheerfully in this war, and if orders don’t suit me I shall obey them without demur.

Captain Gunckle, ordnance officer, Gauley, will furnish new bright muskets, shoulder-straps and plates, and ball and buck cartridge.

Monday, [January] 27, 1862. — Snow, sleet, finally rain. Rumors of “Secesh” cavalry and troops in various directions. Six hundred crossing Packs Ferry, threatening Raleigh. A like number of cavalry crossing to Princeton, ditto. Colonel Tompkins and a regiment above Camp Lookout, etc., etc. All probably with very slight foundation in fact. Two howitzers sent to Camp Hayes. Houses prepared to resist an attack by Major Comly. The major is plucky beyond question. All safe in that quarter.