Tuesday, 3d—A new company came into camp today which had only about half the necessary number, and so it was planned to have them join with us and form a full company, but the two companies could not agree on who should be captain.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
September 3rd.—Notwithstanding the extreme heat, I went out early this morning to the Chain Bridge, from which the reconnaissance hinted at last night would necessarily start. This bridge is about four and a half or five miles above Washington, and crosses the river at a picturesque spot almost deserving the name of a gorge, with high banks on both sides. It is a light aerial structure, and spans the river by broad arches, from which the view reminds one of Highland or Tyrolean scenery. The road from the city passes through a squalid settlement of European squatters, who in habitation, dress, appearance, and possibly civilisation, are quite as bad as any negroes on any Southern plantation I have visited. The camps of a division lie just beyond, and a gawky sentry from New England, with whom I had some conversation, amused me by saying that the Colonel “was a darned deal more affeerd of the Irish squatters taking off his poultry at night than he was of the Secessioners; anyways,, he puts out more sentries to guard them than he has to look after the others.”
From the Chain Bridge I went some distance towards Falls Church, until I was stopped by a picket, the officer of which refused to recognise General Scott’s pass. “I guess the General’s a dead man, sir.” “Is he not Commander-in-Chief of the United States army?” “Well, I believe that’s a fact, sir; but you had better argue that point with McClellan. He is our boy, and I do believe he’d like to let the London Times know how we Green Mountain boys can fight, if they don’t know already. But all passes are stopped anyhow, and I had to turn back a Congress-man this very morning, and lucky for him it was, because the Sechessers are just half a mile in front of us.” On my way back by the upper road I passed a farmer’s house, which was occupied by some Federal officers, and there, seated in the verandah, with his legs cocked over the railings, was Mr. Lincoln, in a felt hat, and a loose grey shooting coat and long vest, “letting off,” as the papers say, one of his jokes, to judge by his attitude and the laughter of the officers around him, utterly indifferent to the Confederate flag floating from Munson’s Hill.
Just before midnight a considerable movement of troops took place through the streets, and I was about starting off to ascertain the cause, when I received information that General McClellan was only sending off two brigades and four batteries to the Chain Bridge to strengthen his right, which was menaced by the enemy. I retired to bed, in order to be ready for any battle which might take place tomorrow, but was roused up by voices beneath my window, and going out on the verandah, could not help chuckling at the appearance of three foreign ministers and a banker, in the street below, who had come round to inquire, in some perturbation, the cause of the nocturnal movement of men and guns, and seemed little inclined to credit my assurances that nothing more serious than a reconnaissance was contemplated. The ministers were in high spirits at the prospect of an attack on Washington. Such agreeable people are the governing party of the United States at present, that there is only one representative of a foreign power here who would not like to see them flying before Southern bayonets. The banker, perhaps, would have liked a little time to set his affairs in order. “When will the sacking begin?” cried the ministers. “We must hoist our flags.” “The Confederates respect private property, I suppose?” As to flags, be it remarked that Lord Lyons has none to display, having lent his to Mr. Seward, who required it for some festive demonstration.
TUESDAY 3
Bright day. Firing heard over the river nearly all day, supposed to be fighting going on. collisions betwen the pickets occur every day. A Battle cannot be far off. Death of Jeff Davis reported in the papers. Doct Barnes, Lieut Swan and Qr M Hamilton called upon us today. Tried my combined door fastener, it works to a charm. Called at Doct Smiths this morning, have spent the evening at home. Wife went to meeting.
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The three diary manuscript volumes, Washington during the Civil War: The Diary of Horatio Nelson Taft, 1861-1865, are available online at The Library of Congress.
Boston, September 3, 1861
I Persuaded Hale to insert a leading article about Russell in the Advertiser, which I send to Henry. The folly of our press in assaulting so savagely an agency so formidable as Russell has troubled me, and I’m glad to see that McClellan is wiser and spares a few civil words where they can be so useful. In fact I think McClellan is showing a tact and power of managing men which reminds me of Seward. For already, even at this distance, I see that he has moulded Russell, Wilson and Sumner like wax in his fingers. This is very important and I expect before this reaches you McClellan’s finger will have been seen and wondered at in the columns of the Times. . . .
SEPTEMBER 3D.—My article on the defenses of North Carolina seems to have silenced the censures of the cavilers.
Tuesday, September 2 [3].—Twelve miles from Walkersville to Bulltown. Found McCook and had a good time with him.
Mary Woolsey Howland:
Astoria, Sept., ‘61.
Dear Abby: Sarah and I have been all the morning arranging flowers. . . . Our roses are most luxuriant this year, and just now we have outside the front door two large orange trees from the greenhouse which are one mass of blossom and perfume the whole place. We have been quite on the qui vive yesterday and to-day at the expected arrival of the Great Eastern at Port Morris which is that cluster of buildings, you may remember, next to Casina dock, on the opposite side of the river. The vessel comes consigned to Howland & Aspinwall. The English agents sent them word at the last minute that she would come in by the Sound, so we have been constantly on the look-out. It would be very pleasant to have her lying in sight of the windows for some days. On Saturday we had a fine view of the imperial yacht which passed up the river with royalty on board, and looked beautifully with its gold prow and the gold line running round the sides. Sarah particularly enjoys the river, bathes every day in a highly ornamental costume brought for the purpose, and floats round on the surface like a cork. We have had some charming sails too, and indeed divide our time about equally between the water and the carriage, with occasional short digressions among the rose bushes. Tell Carry that Mr Stagg spent Saturday evening with us, and brought up the package of handkerchiefs which he promised her. They are a dozen of large, fine, colored-bordered ones, very much in the style of those I brought Ned from Paris, and such as I should not at all object to crib for private use. He must have intended them in case of a cold-in-the-head of the War Dept., they are on such a grand scale. However, I thanked him on behalf of the national nose, and will take charge of them for Carry.
“The children are my delight all day, especially Bertha, whose little flower of a face tempts me to continual kisses. Dear little puss, she grows sweeter every day. Una, too, develops continually powers and talents undreamed of. She has learned to say ‘R-r-ra,’ which means Hurrah! and she says it with great enthusiasm whenever a steamer passes full of troops and we all rush out to the bank to wave our handkerchiefs to them,—the children held up by Ann and Maria, and solemnly gesturing with their little hands, and May waving one flag and the gardener’s boy another. The group is so very patriotic that we are generally saluted by cheers from the boats.”
September 3.—The Pensacola (Fla.) Observer gives the particulars of the burning of the dry-dock there as follows:
The dry-dock, originally intended to have been sunk in the channel to obstruct the passage of war steamers into our harbor, but which, from necessity, not choice, was sunk in the bay, about midway between Pickens and the yard, was burned to the water’s edge last night. Who the perpetrators of this act were, is solely a question of speculation, as we go to press, though the Yankees have the general credit of it. Upon this point, however, we soon will be fully enlightened, but upon the point that we have lost over half a million of dollars by the operation our mind is perfectly clear and settled.
—Charles Henry Foster, Union member of Congress from North Carolina, arrived at Philadelphia, Pa., to-day, en route for Washington, to confer with the administration upon affairs connected with his State. Rebel scouts lay in wait for him in Virginia, whose vigilance he successfully eluded.—N. Y. Times, Sept. 4.
—The President of the United States made the following appointments of Brigadier-Generals : Captain George C. Meade, of the Topographical Engineers; Major Lawrence P. Graham, of the Dragoons, a Virginian by birth, and breveted for gallantry in Mexico; Colonel Abercrombie; Colonel Biddle; Colonel Duryea; Colonel Casey, who is lieutenant-colonel by brevet in the regular army; Hon. William A. Richardson, of Illinois; Eleazer A. Paine, of Illinois; Justus McKinstry, assistant quartermaster of the Army; O. O. Howard, of Maine; Charles D. Jameson, of Maine; A. McD. McCook, of Ohio; Ebenezer Dumont, of Indiana; Robert H. Milroy, of Indiana; Lewis Wallace, of Indiana.—Phila. Inquirer, September 4.
—This morning, Captain Julius L. Ellis, of the Seventy-first regiment, N. Y. S. M., and son of Dr. Samuel C. Ellis, died at his father’s residence, in Second Avenue, New York City, of a wound received when leading his company at the battle of Stone Bridge. It is a significant fact that five of Dr. Ellis’s sons fought under the Stare and Stripes at Stone Bridge.
—At New York, Joseph Holt, of Kentucky, addressed on immense and enthusiastic audience on the crisis in the affairs of the republic. He was followed by William Curtis Noyes and the Rev. Dr. Roswell C. Hitchcock, in eloquent and inspiring addresses.
—The Third regiment of New Hampshire Volunteers, under the command of Colonel Fellows, left Concord for the seat of war.
—To-day the secessionists of Missouri committed a most horrible outrage on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad. They had burned several of the bridges of the road, and on a train, with nearly one hundred passengers, coming up to the Little Platt River, the bridge gave way and precipitated the whole train down an embankment, with terrible slaughter.
