March 28 — Went on picket again at the same place we were yesterday. No Yanks in sight.
March 2012
28th.—Slept on the ground last night, my saddle for a pillow. Greatly to the chagrin of all of us, after having driven in the enemy’s pickets yesterday, we fell back a mile or two, and to-day fall back about seven miles.
“The King of France, with 40,000 men,
Marched up the hill, and then marched down again.”
Major L and party came into camp this morning, unharmed.
MARCH 28TH.—Mr. Benjamin has been promoted. He is now Secretary of State.
His successor in the War Department is G. W. Randolph, a lawyer of modest pretensions, who, although he has lived for several years in this city, does not seem to have a dozen acquaintances. But he inherits a name, being descended from Thomas Jefferson, and, I believe, likewise from the Mr. Randolph in Washington’s cabinet. Mr. Randolph was a captain at Bethel under Magruder; and subsequently promoted to a colonelcy. Announcing his determination to quit the military service more than a month ago, he entered the field as a competitor for the seat in Congress left vacant by the death of President Tyler. Hon. James Lyons was elected, and Col. Randolph got no votes at all.
Friday, 28th—It is warm and dry—it is delightful. There is nothing of importance going on. Our camp is well protected on the left by the Tennessee river and by Owl creek on our right flank. Most of the camp ground lies high and just rolling enough to keep the ground dry. Our camp—the First Brigade of the First Division—lies almost due north and south, so arranged for the purpose of giving the brigade a good drill and parade ground. The camps of the different brigades, all through the woods, face in any desired direction, except the regiments out in front, which are so arranged as to be facing the enemy should they have to form a line of battle.
To Mrs. Lyon
Sikeston, Mo., March 28, 1862.—We are put off here at Sikeston to guard a railroad 26 miles west of Bird’s Point. This is a very pleasant place.
28th. No letters for poor me. Read the latest papers. Rode over with Nettleton for the mail. The boys set the prairie on fire in several places, making one of the grandest sights I ever saw. Slept last night out of doors on the ground with Nettleton.
Camp Hayes, Raleigh, Virginia, March 28, 1862. Friday.— . . . Dr. Webb received an order from the medical director on General Rosecrans’ staff to report for examination before a medical board at Wheeling. If he is singled out, it is an indignity and I do not blame him for resigning rather than submit. I have written to see what it means. I hope we are not to lose him.
Captain Sperry returned with thirteen prisoners and a few horses. Several of the prisoners wished to come in but feared to [do] so. The Rebels are vindictive in punishing all who yield. Abram Bragg and Wm. C. Richmond with other Union men never sleep at home; they hide up on the hills during the night. This they have done for two months past. . . .
Friday March 28th
Very pleasant today. Streets quite dry & dusty. A great movement of troops. A stream of men and Govt Wagons have been going down 14th St for a number of hours. The Divisions of Genl Keyes and Casey, 10,000 or 12,000 each, have moved for Alexandria to embark. Doct David called about 6 o’clock this evening on his way down. The 98th had been paid today and he left $730.00 with me to send to his wife. He kept $100. We all felt quite sad at parting with him and his own eyes were quite moist. We walked out to14th St and stood for near two hours seeing the troops pass. It was quite dark before the 98th came down. We could not recognize many of our friends in the Regt. The street through the City and the road beyond the “Long Bridge” was one living moving mass for miles. Artillery, Cavalry, Infantry & Wagons made up an immense procession. No news of importance tonight.
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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.
March 28th.—I did leave with regret Maum Mary. She was such a good, well-informed old thing. My Molly, though perfection otherwise, does not receive the confidential communications of new-made generals at the earliest moment. She is of very limited military information. Maum Mary was the comfort of my life. She saved me from all trouble as far as she could. Seventy, if she is a day, she is spry and active as a cat, of a curiosity that knows no bounds, black and clean; also, she knows a joke at first sight, and she is honest. I fancy the negroes are ashamed to rob people as careless as James Chesnut and myself.
One night, just before we left the Congaree House, Mr. Chesnut had forgotten to tell some all-important thing to Governor Gist, who was to leave on a public mission next day. So at the dawn of day he put on his dressing-gown and went to the Governor’s room. He found the door unlocked and the Governor fast asleep. He shook him. Half-asleep, the Governor sprang up and threw his arms around Mr. Chesnut’s neck and said: “Honey, is it you?” The mistake was rapidly set right, and the bewildered plenipotentiary was given his instructions. Mr. Chesnut came into my room, threw himself on the sofa, and nearly laughed himself to extinction, imitating again and again the pathetic tone of the Governor’s greeting.
Mr. Chesnut calls Lawrence “Adolphe,” but says he is simply perfect as a servant. Mary Stevens said: “I thought Cousin James the laziest man alive until I knew his man, Lawrence.” Lawrence will not move an inch or lift a finger for any one but his master. Mrs. Middleton politely sent him on an errand; Lawrence, too, was very polite; hours after, she saw him sitting on the fence of the front yard.” Didn’t you go? ” she asked. “No, ma’am. I am waiting for Mars Jeems.” Mrs. Middleton calls him now, “Mr. Take-it-Easy.”
My very last day’s experience at the Congaree. I was waiting for Mars Jeems in the drawing-room when a lady there declared herself to be the wife of an officer in Clingman’s regiment. A gentleman who seemed quite friendly with her, told her all Mr. Chesnut said, thought, intended to do, wrote, and felt. I asked: “Are you certain of all these things you say of Colonel Chesnut?” The man hardly deigned to notice this impertinent interruption from a stranger presuming to speak but who had not been introduced! After he went out, the wife of Clingman’s officer was seized with an intuitive curiosity. “Madam, will you tell me your name?” I gave it, adding, “I dare say I showed myself an intelligent listener when my husband’s affairs were under discussion.” At first, I refused to give my name because it would have embarrassed her friend if she had told him who I was. The man was Mr. Chesnut’s secretary, but I had never seen him before.
A letter from Kate says she had been up all night preparing David’s things. Little Serena sat up and helped her mother. They did not know that they would ever see him again. Upon reading it, I wept and James Chesnut cursed the Yankees.
Gave the girls a quantity of flannel for soldiers’ shirts; also a string of pearls to be raffled for at the Gunboat Fair. Mary Witherspoon has sent a silver tea-pot. We do not spare our precious things now. Our silver and gold, what are they?—when we give up to war our beloved.
March 28.—This day Morgan’s rebel cavalry captured a train on the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. Col. Curran Pope, of Kentucky, was taken prisoner, with a few other Union officers. The locomotive was run into a ditch and the cars destroyed.
—A fight took place this day at Apache Canon, eighty miles from Union and twenty miles from Santa Fe, New-Mexico, between the Nationals under Major Chivington, Capts. Lewis and Wynkoop, and a party of Texans. Three battalions advanced to the canon when the pickets reported no enemy in sight. The command then advanced, when shots were fired at them by the Texans, who were in ambush, and succeeded in killing four privates. The Unionists under Slough, rushed on them, killing twenty or thirty Texans, wounding many of them, and taking seven prisoners, four officers, and three privates. Major Chivington’s command went ahead and surprised the Texan pickets, taking sixty-seven prisoners and sixty-four provision-wagons. A plan of action was determined upon—to meet the enemy in front, and flank them at the same time.
About twelve o’clock, the action became general, the Nationals doing wonders. The battery under Capt Bitter, and also the howitzer-battery under Lieut. Claflin, dispersed the Texans with terrible effect The fight lasted until four o’clock, when flags of truce were interchanged, to bury the dead and care for the wounded The enemy had about two thousand men and one six-pounder. The Nationals had one thousand three hundred men and one six and one twelve pounder and four howitzers. The enemy lost their entire train (sixty-four wagons and provisions) and two hundred and thirty mules; about one hundred and fifty killed, two hundred wounded, and ninety-three taken prisoners, among whom are thirteen officers. Some of the latter held commissions in the volunteer corps of the Territory.
Capt. Cook was wounded. His heaviest injury was sustained by his horse falling down and bruising his ankle. Lieut. Marshall, of Cook’s company, shot himself while trying to break one of the Texan guns lying in the field after the battle. Lieut Chambers was wounded severely, and afterward died. Lieut Baker and Lieut P. McGrath, were also killed. — Denver Extra, Extra, April 9.
— Col. Kensett’s cavalry, accompanied by seventy-five mounted men from Loomis’s battery, returned to Murfreesboro’, Tenn., from an expedition through the country for many miles south and southeast of that place. During the expedition they penetrated as far as Shelbyville and Talahome. Between these places they fell in with about three hundred of Wood’s rebel cavalry, who, as soon as they saw the troops, charged boldly down through a piece of woods toward them. No sooner did Col. Kennett’s men perceive the enemy coming, thinking them in good earnest, they drew out in battle array, and advanced rapidly to meet them. But before they got within gunshot, the hearts of the rebels failed them; quickly as they could, they checked the career of their horses, turned tail and fled from the field, leaving behind them seven dead and several wounded and taken prisoners. Not a person was injured on the National side.— Cincinnati Gazette, April 5.
—A detachment of the First Illinois cavalry, under Capt Thompson, overtook a guerrilla band under Colonel Parker, about ten miles west of Warrensburg, Mo. Fifteen rebels were killed and twenty-five taken prisoners. Among the latter Col. Parker and Capt. Walton. The Union loss was two killed and several wounded.
—Shipping Point, Va., was occupied by the National troops. As the steamer Mount Vernon passed that place they had raised the flag of the Union, and the band was playing the “Star Spangled Banner.” All the rebels who have been in that vicinity for some time past have left, with the exception of two or three roaming companies of cavalry.—N. Y. Evening Post, March 29.
—The steam sloop-of-war Canandaigua, was launched this day at the navy-yard at Charlestown, Massachusetts.
—The following State prisoners were to-day released by the commission relating to State prisoners: J. Barrett Cohen, O. Norris Bryan, A. J. Mitchell, and Wm. B. Bryan, on their giving their written parole. F. P. Ellis was discharged on taking the oath of allegiance. E. P. Bryan, H. A. Stewart, P. W. Carper, and W. J. Raisin were recommitted.
—A resolution was introduced in the Massachusetts Legislature, instructing the Committee on Federal Relations to consider the expediency of addressing to the President of the United States, a memorial asking for the immediate trial of General Stone, then in military confinement. The resolution was opposed on the ground that such interference was uncalled for; though the speakers expressed the hope that General Stone would speedily have a trial, which common justice demanded. The resolution was rejected almost unanimously.
—A reconnoissance was made by the National forces beyond Warrenton Junction, Va. A body of the enemy’s cavalry retreated as the troops advanced, and burned the bridge over the Rappahannock. There was some slight skirmishing, but no loss of life or any wounded of the Unionists.
