Monday, 18. — No signs of Jenkins last night. Heard cannon firing down Kanawha and got ready some rail barricades under direction of Colonel Ewing — rather shabby affairs; could see it gave confidence to men. Ordered back to Fayetteville; returned at dark.
Friday, November 18, 2011
18th. Monday. Theodore, Roxena and mother came to camp in the afternoon.
November 18th.—There is a storm of exultation sweeping over the land. Wilkes is the hero of the hour. I saw Mr. F. Seward at the State Department at ten o’clock; but as at the British Legation the orders are not to speak of the transaction, so at the State Department a judicious reticence is equally observed. The lawyers are busy furnishing arguments to the newspapers. The officers who held their tongues at first, astonished at the audacity of the act, are delighted to find any arguments in its favour.
I called at General McClellan’s new head-quarters to get a pass, and on my way met the Duke of Chartres, who shook his young head very gravely, and regarded the occurrence with sorrow and apprehension. McClellan, I understand, advised the immediate surrender of the prisoners; but the authorities, supported by the sudden outburst of public approval, refused to take that step. I saw Lord Lyous, who appeared very much impressed by the magnitude of the crisis. Thence I visited the Navy Department, where Captain Dahlgren and Lieutenant Wise discussed the affair. The former, usually so calm, has too much sense not to perceive the course England must take, and as an American officer naturally feels regret at what appears to be the humiliation of his flag; but he speaks with passion, and vows that if England avails herself of the temporary weakness of the United States to get back the rebel commissioners by threats of force, every American should make his sons swear eternal hostility to Great Britain. Having done wrong, stick to it! Thus men’s anger blinds them, and thus come wars.
It is obvious that no Power could permit political offenders sailing as passengers in a mail-boat under its flag, from one neutral port to another, to be taken by a belligerent, though the recognition of such a right would be, perhaps, more advantageous to England than to any other Power. But, notwithstanding these discussions, our naval friends dined and spent the evening with us, in company with some other officers.
I paid my respects to the Prince of Joinville, with whom I had a long and interesting conversation, in the course of which he gave me to understand he thought the seizure an untoward and unhappy event, which could not be justified on any grounds whatever, and that he had so expressed himself in the highest quarters. There are, comparatively, many English here at present; Mr. Chaplin, Sir F. Johnstone, Mr. Weldon, Mr. Browne, and others, and it may be readily imagined this affair creates deep feeling and much discussion.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1861.
Cold, clear day but no frost. Went to Geotown in the morning to pay my rent. Got there an hour too early, waited in the Hotel (reading the morning paper) for Mr Bangs. Walked over and rode in the omnibus back. Bought a fine board for the parlor. Have concluded to discard the old grate and have got up a wood stove. Oak wood is $10.00 pr cord, pine $9.00, Hickory $12.00, all owing to the Blockade of the Potomac. Lieut McFarlan called this evening.
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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.
Monday, 18th—We left Keokuk at daylight and ran all day without accident or incident. We again tied up for the night, for fear of encountering a “secesh” battery on the banks. The weather is delightful and riding on the “Father of Waters” is very enjoyable.
Caroline Carson Woolsey to Eliza.
Nov. 18th.
Dear Eliza: Your most delightful letter has just been read aloud amid the cheers of the assembled family. What a splendid time you are having with your brigadiers and serenades. How I should like to sacrifice myself and join you in a few of your “noble” sprees, and become acquainted with some of your suffering generals. We, meantime, have been devoting ourselves, giving all our time and energy to the work of soothing and captivating a poor nervous soldier, Major Anderson. I suppose you heard that we started on our Christian enterprise the day after you left again for the same work. When we reached Tarrytown, the scene of our labors, we were received, as such heroines should be, with a great deal of state, and as we found a dinner-party of some twenty awaiting us we rushed up stairs to dress in our red silk and our mauve. . . . The whole regiment of us encamped in the house for the night and we had a jolly time.
On Wednesday, General Anderson, wife and son arrived. Mrs. A. is a great invalid and did not appear for the first two days, and when at last she was announced I looked to see a pale shadow glide in, and was astonished by the sight of a little, fat, plumpy woman with big bare arms and a good deal of jet jewelry; quite a talkative, frisky person. The General is lovely, quiet and gentlemanly and devoted to young ladies—a very important requisite in a hero. His health is very much shattered but his loyalty is unshaken. We were speaking of a lady who was engaged to a Southerner. “Break it off,” he said, “break it at once, he is a lunatic; I would as lief go into an insane asylum and argue with a man who calls himself Christ, as reason with a secessionist.” Mrs. Anderson said she never saw such a change as being up in Tarrytown made in her husband. In town he was worn out by callers and indifferent people who came to see the hero and ask him why he did not do this and that and the other at Sumter; and propound their own theories as to how he should have acted. . . . We told General Anderson you were in Washington doing what you could, etc., and he said “God bless them, it is a good work they are doing.” . . . We were sorry to come home on Tuesday, but had to, as I had invited the _______s and Mr. ______ to dinner. When we got home about an hour before dinner not a soul was here, Mother and Abby gone to Sing Sing for the day, Jane dodging a procession on Broadway, and one dish of chops ordered for dinner! We sent William out for jelly-cake, beef, etc., and with a spread of linen and glass, which fortunately was not in the closet of which Mother had the key, we set out quite a nice little table. . . . Cousin Mary Greene, Gardiner, and little Gardy arrived yesterday; the two last are still here. Gardy cuts into every conversation, asking innumerable and unanswerable questions: is now reading Ferdinand Second as pastime! aged ten.
NOVEMBER 18TH.—To-day the Secretary told me, in reply to my question, that he had authentic information of the seizure of Messrs. Slidell and Mason, our commissioners to Europe, by Capt. Wilkes, of the U. S. Navy, and while on board the steamer Trent, a British vessel, at sea. I said I was glad of it. He asked why, in surprise. I remarked that it would bring the Eagle cowering to the feet of the Lion. He smiled, and said it was, perhaps, the best thing that could have happened. And he cautions me against giving passports to French subjects even to visit Norfolk or any of our fortified cities, for it was understood that foreigners at Norfolk were contriving somehow to get on board the ships of their respective nations.
November 18.—The New Orleans Crescent very strongly urged planters to destroy their “cotton or other property,” rather than let it fall into the hands of the Yankees.—(Doc. 171.)
—The rebel Congress to-day met in Richmond, Va. Howell Cobb took the chair. Rev. Mr. Flynn, of Georgia, chaplain of Col. Cobb’s regiment, opened the session with prayer. The Secretary called the roll, when it was found there was a quorum present, six States being represented.—Present—Messrs. Barry, of Mississippi; Tenable, of North Carolina; House, Jones, Atkins, and De Witt, of Tennessee; Curry and Chilton, of Alabama; Cobb, of Georgia; William Ballard Preston, Tyler, Macfarland, and Rives, of Virginia.
The Chair announced the presence of a quorum of the House.—Mr. Venable, member from North Carolina, moved that a committee be appointed to wait upon the President and inform him that there was a quorum present in the House, and Congress was ready to receive any communication from him.—The Chair appointed the following members: Messrs. Venable, of North Carolina, Scott, of Virginia, and Barry, of Mississippi.—Richmond Enquirer, Nov. 19.
—Judge Thomas S. Richards was shot through a window of the court house in Memphis, Scotland Co., Mo., while confined as a prisoner in the hands of Colonel Moore, of the Home Guard. Colonel Moore subsequently offered a reward of one thousand dollars for the apprehension of the assassin.
—The steamers Georgia and Georgiana arrived at Baltimore this morning from Newtown, Worcester Co., Maryland. Four thousand Federal troops were preparing to go into Virginia. On the way up the Pocomoke River a boat was sent ashore with General Dix’s proclamation, which was read to a large number of Virginians in a farm-house, who declared it entirely satisfactory, and claimed the protection of the Government from the secessionists, who were forcing them into the ranks against their will. The gunboat Resolute had given them protection through the day, but at night they had to seek shelter in the woods.—(Doc. 159.)
—General Drayton, at Hardeeville, South Carolina, assured the Governor of that State that he had “neither seen nor heard of any act of pillage or incendiarism in any direction” on the part of the slaves.—(Doc. 172.)
—Colonel Wofford’s Eighteenth regiment of Georgia Volunteers left Richmond, Va., for Manassas, via Fredericksburg.—National Intelligencer.
—Captain A. H. Foots was appointed Flag-officer of the fleet in the Western Military Department. He thus ranks with the Major-General. This arrangement will obviate any possible conflict of authority between the commanders respectively of the land and water forces.
—The following military appointments were made to-day, viz.: Assistant Adjutant-Generals of Volunteers—Captain Leonard Scott, for General Paine’s brigade; Captain George A. Hicks, for General Burn’s brigade; Captain John Pound, for General Pace’s brigade; Captain Andrew C. Kemper, for General Wade’s brigade; Captain William Von Dohn, for General Duryea’s brigade; Captain Charles A. Reynolds, to be an assistant quartermaster in the regular service; William Sheffler, to be an aide-de-camp to Major-General Banks.
—North Carolina, by a Convention of Delegates representing forty-five counties, declared a Provisional Government, and entirely repudiated the secession act of the State, reaffirming her loyalty and devotion to the Constitution of the United States. The Convention met at Hatteras. The act passed contained several sections, the substance of which is as follows: The first declares vacant all the offices of the State; the second names Marble Nash Taylor Provisional Governor; the third adopts the Constitution of the State, with the statutes and laws contained in the revised code of 1856; the fourth repudiates the ordinance of secession pawed at Raleigh on the 20th of May, together with all other acts then adopted; the fifth directs the Provisional Governor to order a special election for Members of Congress; the sixth gives to the Governor authority to make temporary appointments to official vacancies. The Convention adjourned, subject to the call of the President Governor Taylor issued his proclamation for an election in the Second Congressional District, which will be held on Wednesday, the 27th inst.—(Doc. 173.)
—A portion of the Fourteenth regiment N. Y. S. M., from Brooklyn, while on picket duty about a mile and a half west of Fall’s Church, Va., were attacked by rebel cavalry and forced to fall back, with one man wounded. They were subsequently reinforced by a considerable body of troops, when the rebels retired, with a loss of several killed and wounded.—N. Y. Times, November 19.
—Gov. Buckingham, of Connecticut, in a general order, congratulated the soldiers from that State who went with the Port Royal naval expedition, for having been the first to land upon the traitorous soil of South Carolina.—N. Y. Times, November 19.
—The Massachusetts Twenty-sixth regiment, under command of Col. Jones, and the Connecticut Ninth, commanded by Col. Cahill, embarked from Boston this afternoon on board the steamship Constitution. Both regiments were enthusiastically cheered on their march through the city. They were reviewed on the common by Gen. Butler previous to embarking. They were splendidly armed and equipped.—National Intelligencer, November 21.
—Letters from Upper Arkansas relate the imposition practiced by Albert Pike upon the Comanche Indians, and the conclusion of a treaty between these Indians and the Confederate States.—(Doc. 174.)
—The Sixty-ninth New York State Volunteers, a new regiment recruited mainly from the old Sixty-ninth New York State Militia, left New York for the seat of war. Previous to its departure, the regiment was presented with a stand of colors at the residence of Archbishop Hughes. Speeches were made by Father Starrs, V. G., Judge Daly, and Col. Meagher. —(Doc. 175.)
—One hundred and fifty rebels were captured by a company of Union cavalry near Warrenburgh, Mo.
—Jeff. Thompson with two hundred men boarded the steamer Platte City at Price’s Landing in Missouri, ransacked her in search of papers, and took off two men whom he hung as spies.—(Doc. 176.)
