Following the American Civil War Sesquicentennial with day by day writings of the time, currently 1863.

Sunday, April 8, 2012

“…it will be the meanest part, possible.”

April 8, 2012

Woolsey family letters during the War for the Union

Abby Howland Woolsey to Georgeanna.

New York, April, ‘62.

I notice what you say of bed sacks. The Sanitary Commission furnished thousands to the Burnside Division for its hospitals at Roanoke. Charley says not one of these was ever filled or used, there not being a wisp of hay or straw or moss or anything, except what was brought there for forage. The men all lay on the board floors. At Fort Monroe it might be easy to send down from Baltimore ready-made mattresses, or the material for filling, but I question whether anyone on the spot would take the trouble of seeing them applied. You could mention the instance of Roanoke to the Sanitary Commission to prove to them that mere sacks are not enough. .. .

Yesterday when I came in from Mary’s, I found “Robert Anderson, U. S. A.” ’s card on the table again. John said he bade him say General Anderson called in person to thank Miss Carry Woolsey for the flowers. . . . James Gibson writes from Belfast that “England did not want war with America, and special prayer meetings for peace were held”; but wasn’t it Earl Shaftesbury who refused to attend, saying such an act would place him in hostility to his government? If England did not mean war, why did she fly to arms in that indignant and indecent haste! Why did Lord Palmerston suppress the nature of the despatch from Seward, read to him by Mr. Adams, and even allow it to be contradicted in his organ the Post? No; two things will always stand on record as showing the hostility of the governing class in England toward America in its life and death struggle;—this hurry to make a casus belli of what ought to have been a question for diplomacy to settle; and that first great wrong done us in the outset, when the English ministry, while Adams was on the railway train, the very day he was on his way from Liverpool to London, last May, hastened to declare the North and South equal belligerents. They confound the law-power and the law-breaker; they call the police and the burglar brother-rogues. . . .

It is just as Mr. Scharff’s father said at the very beginning of the war, “Well, John, I don’t know what part England will take in this matter, but I am very sure of one thing, it will be the meanest part, possible.” . . .

Ladies willing to serve.

April 8, 2012

Woolsey family letters during the War for the Union

Jane Stuart Woolsey to Mother in Washington.

Thursday Evening.

Dear Mother: Your letter, or rather Georgeanna’s, Eliza’s check, etc., arrived this morning, with the important item inscribed, as usual, on the flap and disfigured in opening. We are very sorry to hear that Hatty doesn’t get on faster. Perhaps if, instead of a “good old soul” of a doctor, she had an enlightened young one, she might get sooner rid of her sore throat. I believe much more devoutly in modern than in ancient doctors . . .

Sarah, Abby, Carry, Miss Parsons, Charley and Robert have all gone to the “Reception” of the Cumberland’s men to-night. It was time to show some interest in them. The Chamber of Commerce has got this up. I hope it will be a success. You remember the officer calling to the half-drowning men, “Shall we give her another broadside, boys?” and the “Aye, aye, sir,” and the final volley, as the water rushed in at the portholes. We have had two visits lately from Prof. Hitchcock on the subject of a ladies’ committee of visiting; auxiliary to the gentlemen’s committee of the New England Soldiers Relief Association. He asked us to collect some names of ladies willing to serve (visiting only), and we have enrolled six or eight: Mrs. Gurden Buck, Mrs. H. B. Smith, Miss Annie Potts, Margaret Post, etc., etc. I fancy there will be little to do really, as there is a resident superintendent and wife, and, I believe, nurses, in the house corner of John st. and Broadway. You will see the details of the arrangement in the papers. . . .

All the flags are out again for the Western victories and the Western heroes. Col. Bissell, the officer who made a river 12 miles long to flank the rebel position, is Mrs. Dr. Parker’s brother, a man of extraordinary energy and perseverance. .. .

Mrs. Bacon told Sarah that Frank had 700 sick men under his care and made a point of seeing every man every day, so never wrote, leaving that business to Theodore. We sent, him and Mr. Withers each, another bundle of papers by the last mail.

Post image for Barren and deserted country.–Diary of Josiah Marshall Favill.

Barren and deserted country.–Diary of Josiah Marshall Favill.

April 8, 2012

Diary of a Young Officer–Josiah Marshall Favill (57th New York Infantry)

April 8th. This morning nearly all the brigade was detailed on fatigue duty to build docks, bridges and roads; thousands of men are at work on the docks, as no artillery or stores can be landed until this is done. I rode over the country in the afternoon, finding it barren and deserted; saw two houses which were occupied by women only. Not a man here outside of our own army.

Post image for A Diary of American Events.

A Diary of American Events.

April 8, 2012

The American Civil War,The Rebellion Record—A Diary of American Events; by Frank Moore

April 8.—Island Number Ten, on the Mississippi River, with the neighboring rebel works on the Tennessee shore, having surrendered yesterday, was taken possession of by the United States gunboats and troops under the command of Gen. Buford. Seventeen rebel officers and five hundred soldiers, including the sick and those on board transports, were taken prisoners. Seven rebel steamers, including the gunboat Grampus, were captured or sunk, and large quantities of military stores and ammunition were taken.— (Doc. 120.)

—General Halleck at St Louis, Mo., telegraphed to Secretary Stanton as follows: “Brigadier-Gen. W. M. Makall, late of the United States Adjutant-General’s Department, and two thousand of the rebel forces, have surrendered to Gen. Pope, and it is expected that many more will be captured to-day. Immense quantities of artillery and supplies have fallen into our hands.

“Later.—Gen. Pope has captured three generals, six thousand prisoners of war, one hundred siege pieces, and several field batteries, with immense quantities of small arms, tents, wagons, horses and provisions. Our victory is complete and overwhelming. We have not lost a single man.”

—The guerrillas in Western Virginia are still troublesome. Two secessionists belonging on the Valley River, in the upper end of Marion County, were shot this day by a detachment of Capt. Showalter’s company. Their names were Sack Barker and Levi Ashcraft. A band of guerrillas (supposed to belong to the same gang from which Riblet and Conway were captured) had taken prisoners a couple of young men, soldiers in Capt. Showalter’s company, and their comrades in rescuing them captured the two guerrillas above named, and killed them on their attempting to escape. This took place near Texas, on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.— N. Y. Tribune, April 15.

—Jefferson Davis proclaimed martial law over the department of East-Tennessee, under the command of Major-Gen. E. K. Smith, and the suspension of all civil jurisdiction, except in certain courts, and also the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus. The distillation and sale of spirituous liquors was also prohibited. —(Doc. 141.)

—At Providence, Rhode Island, by order of Lieut. Gov. Arnold, a national salute was fired on the great bridge this afternoon, in honor of the National success at Island No. Tea—N. Y. Times, April 9.

—Gen. Milroy occupied Monterey, Va., this afternoon. The rear-guard of the enemy is at McDowell, and their mounted scouts were driven in on Wednesday, by a scouting party of Gen. Milroy’s command. Both Monterey and McDowell are in Highland County, Va.—(Doc. 121.)

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