November 15. Friday. — General Benham’s brigade return from the pursuit of Floyd. He runs like a quarter-horse. One of the servants says that when Floyd was here, Mrs. Mauser said she hoped he wouldn’t leave. He replied: “I assure you, madam, I’ll not leave Cotton Hill until compelled by death or the order of the Secretary of War”; and, added the darkey, “The next I saw of him he was running by as fast as he could tar.” At night, a fierce snow-storm; no shelter for many of the troops; bivouac in it!
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Camp of the 83rd Penn. Volunteers,
Hall’s Hill, Va., Friday, Nov. 15, 1861.
Dear Friend P—s :—
We are still rusticating in the same camp where we have been since the first of October. There have been no movements of importance in this part of the army since then. The troops have been employed very busily in the meantime in perfecting themselves in all the duties of the soldier. Our regiment has earned the reputation of being the best in General Porter’s division. A suit of fancy uniforms (Zouave) was lately presented to General P. with instructions to give it to the best drilled regiment in his division. A committee was appointed from General McClellan’s staff who were to award the prize at a review of the division. Last Friday the trial came off. The weather was rainy and every way unfavorable, but some fifteen or twenty thousand troops were on the ground to compete for the prize. General McClellan said he was highly gratified with the discipline of the troops. He never saw better movements in his life. The committee were unanimous in awarding the uniform to the 83rd Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers. What do you think of that? It is no small thing for a new regiment to beat a number of regiments that have been in the field all summer, and the far-famed “Ellsworth Avengers,” but we have done it. We have earned a good reputation and we mean to keep it. We are now to have the post of honor and of danger—that of rifle skirmishers to be thrown out in advance of the army in action. It is expected by many that we will be sent south soon, to follow up the successes of the naval expedition by more and greater victories. At last our government has begun to show its hand and a policy to work with vigor. The papers teem with our victories in small battles, and the rebels are beginning to see that we have a government yet, a fact that they will find to their cost before we are done with them.
15th. A cold rainy day. Some snow towards night. Spent the evening at the tent. Played checkers and read. Boys played euchre.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1861.
A wet misty day and very chilly. Went down to Genl McClellans Head Qrs for Lieut Gaul in reference to his furlough. Went from there to the Post office and then home. Holms & [Vanamburgh?], privates of the 27th, called with letters from Lieut Swan. Elder Buck called with the furlough of Lieut Gaul, who started for Home on the 5 o’clock train. Aleck [Tower?] and Ed Dickerson called in the evening and spent an hour or two. They are Sutlers for the 35th Regt stationed in V.A.
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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.
Friday, 15th—We received orders to leave for the South and everybody is happy in the thought that we are going to leave. A great many got passes to go down town to purchase supplies, such as letter paper, stamps and the like. We had our last drill on the old camp ground yesterday and got ready today to move.
November 15th.—Horse-dealers are the same all the world over. To-day comes one with a beast for which he asked £50. “There was a Government agent looking after this horse for one of them French princes, I believe, just as I was talking to the Kentuck chap that had him. ‘John,’ says he, ‘that’s the best-looking horse I’ve seen in Washington this many a day.’ ‘Yes,’ says I,‘ and you need not look at him any more.’ ‘Why?’ says he. ‘Because,’ says I, ‘it’s one that I want for Lord John Russell, of the London Times,’ says I, ‘and if ever there was a man suited for a horse, or a horse that was suited for a man, they’re the pair, and I’ll give every cent I can raise to buy my friend, Lord Russell, that horse.’” I could not do less than purchase, at a small reduction, a very good animal thus recommended.
Letter from Captain Lyon to Mrs. Lyon.
“Pilot Knob, Nov. 15,1861.—We have just returned from our expedition, making a march of 135 miles in 11 days. We went south to Greenville, the county seat of Wayne county; and then 25 miles farther southeast to the St. James river, only 25 miles from the Arkansas line. We have been here just four weeks, and have marched 16 days, and over 200 miles, in the time.
“I assure you that I have an abiding faith that I shall return to you well and sound, our lives made all the happier by the consciousness that I have discharged my duty to my country in the hour of her peril.”
NOVEMBER 15TH—We have intelligence that Missouri has joined the Confederacy. She will be scourged by the vengeful enemy; but will rise some day and put her foot on the neck of the oppressor. Missouri is a giant.
The battle of Ball’s Bluff near Poolesville had taken place while we were on “leave of absence” at home, and on our return to Washington, Major Potter, U. S. paymaster, and his wife, starting on an expedition to pay the troops up the Potomac, invited Chaplain Hopkins and ourselves to join the party, which we did with great delight, though it involved a three days’ journey in our own carriage—a formidable thing at that time. It gave us an opportunity of visiting the scene of the desperate fight at the Bluff and the encampments at Poolesville and Darnestown and of taking supplies to these distant hospitals.
From Eliza’s journal.
From Eliza’s journal.
. . . “The officers told us the whole story of the battle and described terrible scenes to us of cold, suffering and death by drowning which we hope to forget…
While standing on the dreadful bank where our poor wounded were dragged up (and from which we plainly saw the rebel pickets across the river gathering in a little group), we understood fully and bitterly the wicked incompetency of whoever is responsible for this blunder…
Bright and early next morning we left for Darnestown on the return drive. There Captain Best, of Battery F, 4th Regular Artillery, was our host, and a most kind and attentive one, he and the other officers turning out of their tents for us and treating us like queens. Frank Crosby turned up there as Senior 1st Lieutenant, a position, Captain Best told us quietly, he worked fourteen years for in the regular service. Our tent was the salon and round our little fire that evening gathered Captain Best, General Hamilton of Wisconsin, Major Crane, Lieutenant Hazzard of Battery A, R. I. Artillery, Colonel Stiles of the 9th N. Y., Captain Perkins, Lieutenants Muhlenberg and Crosby, Dr. Wier of the Battery and others. They all came laden with refreshments from the sutler’s, and all seemed to enjoy the fun. . . Next day we called at Fort Muggins, lunched with the General, dined with Lieutenant Hazzard of Battery A, and left for Washington. We were stopped on the way for lack of countersign and marched to Tenallytown between files of soldiers! but managed to establish our innocence, and finally reached the Ebbitt house at 8 P. M.
At Darnestown we received the first official confirmation of the success of the great expedition and the capture of Port Royal. Captain Rodgers of the navy was selected by the Commodore as the first man to go on shore and run up the Stars and Stripes; and Dr. Bacon, who was one of the party, was sent inland with General T. W. Sherman’s proclamation, issued on his own responsibility, to the citizens of South Carolina, exhorting them to “pause and reflect upon the tenor and consequences of their acts,” etc. So deserted was the whole neighborhood of all but slaves that they had to go twelve miles to find a white man to hand the proclamation to, and he took it with oaths and under protest.”
15th.—This was fast-day—a national fast proclaimed by our President. I trust that every church in the Confederacy was well filled with heart-worshippers. The Rev. Mr. Jones preached for us at Millwood. This whole household was there—indeed, the whole neighbourhood turned out.
We have been anxiously awaiting the result of an anticipated fight between Price and Fremont; but Fremont was superseded while almost in the act of making the attack. We await further developments.
