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

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Post image for Woolsey Family during the War.

Woolsey Family during the War.

June 19, 2012

Woolsey family letters during the War for the Union

Sarah C. Woolsey to Georgeanna Muirson Woolsey.

New Haven Hospital, June.

I have been so very busy that my conscience does not reproach me at all for not writing. . . . A fortnight ago our wounded came—240 of them, all dreadfully neglected and needing attention of every kind. I cannot just this moment recollect the name of the ship which brought them, but there was only one surgeon on board to care for them, no nurses and hardly any provisions; the wounds of many had not been dressed for nearly a week when they got here, and seven or eight died on the passage. For the first few days most of them were placed in tents on the hospital grounds, but since then the new Barrack Hospital has been finished, and all except about twenty very bad cases are quartered there and doing very well. They would not let any young ladies enter for the first three or four days, the sights and sounds were too bad for them. Such was the enlightened decision of the excellent incapable in charge, but Friday I worked my way in, and since then have been there nearly every day, taking charge of the linen room and giving out clothes, etc. to the men. At first everything was in dreadful confusion, but gradually our department is getting into order, and in the course of three or four days will be thoroughly systematized. A good old lady and myself are to take turns in presiding over the clothing supplies, and as she is rather inefficient and feeble, I hope to take a very big half of the time. The small corner they give us as a store-room was yesterday all shelved and cupboarded under my direction, and will be capable of holding three times the supply it did before. . . . I go up at nine and stay till seven, and all day long the nurses are coming after sheets, and shirts, and bandages, and rags, and towels, and soap, and the men stopping at the door to ask for trousers or coats, and in time I hope to get the true tailor’s measure in my eyes. Such fine, manly, patient fellows as they are. Many of them, almost all, from Michigan and Pennsylvania and New York; not one Connecticut man among them. From the linen room one can organize little rushes into the wards to see special cases, etc., so it is not to be despised even though not as satisfactory as the actual nursing would be. Just outside of our long wooden barrack is a small wooden kitchen, and there Harriet Terry and Rebecca Bacon preside over the diet for the special cases who cannot eat the hospital rations, and if one looks in there about twelve, such a smell of good things greets the nose as it does one good to experience; and arranged on the table are such nice little messes all labelled and numbered—such brown crisp toast and savory chops, and smoking beef-tea, and little messes of this and that; and later the great trays come in and carry them off down the long entry, and so, many poor fellows are made comfortable. One building, which holds eight wards, and comprises four tents full of sick, is all well managed, orderly and thriving, with good paid and excellent unpaid nursing; but in the main hospital where the housekeeper has control, it is all mismanagement, confusion and waste; really sickening to see. The men are doing pretty well though, and all of them are so happy and grateful for the care taken of them. A very nice man from the 105th Pennsylvania, for whom I was writing a letter yesterday, told me to tell his mother not to feel anxious about him, for he was cared for just as if he was at home, and had everything he desired.

Terrible Explosion of the Boiler of the Mound City – Great Loss of Life on June 17, 1862.

June 19, 2012

Miscellaneous document sources

Engagement at Charles City–Explosion of the Boiler of the Mound City–Terrible Loss of Life–Total Defeat of the Rebels.

USS_Mound_City_01Memphis, June 19.–An expedition, composed of the gun-boats St. Louis, Lexington, Conestoga and Mound City, with transports carrying the Forty-third and Forty-sixth Indiana Regiments, under Colonel Fitch, was sent hence some days since to remove the obstructions from the White River. On the 17th the expedition reached St. Charles, 85 miles from the mouth of the river, where the Rebels had erected a battery.
An engagement ensued, lasting an hour and a half. While the gun boats engaged the batteries, the troops under Colonel Fitch landed a short distance below and proceeded to storm the place. During the cannonading, a ball entered the boiler of the gun-boat Mound City, causing a fearful explosion and loss of life. The crew consisted of one hundred and seventy-five, of whom one hundred and twenty-five were killed and wounded. The following officers are among the killed:–John Kenzie, Jan Scoville, John Green, Henry R. Brown, Jos. Nixon and John Cox. Captain Kelty, the Flag Officer, was badly scalded, but it is thought will recover.
Colonel Fitch’s charge on the battery was a perfect success, driving the enemy out at the point of the bayonet. The Rebel loss is 125 killed and wounded, and 30 prisoners. General Halleck has occupied Holly Springs.
Chicago, June 21.–The following fuller account of the fight with the Rebel batteries on White River has just been received.

Memphis, June 19.–The gun-boat Conestoga has arrived with despatches containing the particulars of the engagement at the Rebel fortifications below St. Charles.
On the 17th, the gun-boats St. Louis, Mound City, Lexington, and Conestoga, and transport New National, having on board the Forty-sixth Indiana Regiment, Col. Fitch, which left here a week ago to open communication with Gen. Curtis’ army, and remove the obstructions from White River, ascended that stream. The gun-boat Mound City, Captain Kelty commanding, was about a mile and a half in advance. In a bend of the river near St. Charles, two concealed batteries opened on the Mound City. Her decks were immediately cleared for action, and as soon as the range of the works was obtained, the guns opened fire.
Capt. Kelty signaled to Col. Fitch to land his force below the fort, which was successfully accomplished. The Lexington and St. Louis shelled the woods, under cover of which Col. Fitch gained the rear of the Rebel position.
At this juncture a ball from a siege gun on the bluff struck the forward and port side of the Mound City, penetrating the casements and passing through the steam drum. The vessel was filled with the escaping vapor, and nearly every one on board was scalded; only twenty-three of the officers and crew, out of one hundred and seventy-five, escaped from injuries. The scene which ensued was horrible. Many of the crew, frantic with pain, jumped overboard, and some of them were drowned. Boats from the Conestoga, which was coming up at the time to support the Mound City, were sent to their relief; but the Rebels fired on the men in the water with grape and canister from their field pieces, murdering most of those who were attempting to escape.
Being apprised of the state of affairs in the river, Colonel Fitch’s regiment pushed forward and carried the fort by storm at the point of the bayonet. The Rebel works consisted of two batteries, the lower one mounting six field pieces, and the upper one three heavy siege guns, manned by from 400 to 500 men, under command of Colonel Frye, late of the United States Navy. About 200 Rebels are said to have escaped, over 150 are reported killed and wounded, and thirty taken prisoners.
Among the prisoners is Colonel Frye, who was wounded in the shoulder. He has been brought to Memphis by the Conestoga.
Captain Kelly, of the Mound City, was severely scalded about the face and hands. He will recover. Second Master Hearth, Third Master Kinzie, Fourth Master Scoville, Master’s Mate H. R. Browne, Paymaster —–, Chief Engineer John Cox, and Assistant Engineers John McAffee and Hollingsworth were killed. Pilot Chas. Young was severely scalded, and is reported to have since died. Surgeon Jones and Carpenter Manning were slightly scalded. From eighty to one hundred of our sailors have already been buried, and over twenty are missing.
Colonel Fitch, report[ed that] but few of his men were wounded and none [died], and but for the unfortunate accident on the Mound City, the Rebel works would have been carried without loss on our side. She can easily be repaired. The Flag Officer has sent to Cairo for another crew. The Rebels have obstructed the channel above, by sinking two large steamboats and a gun-boat, believed to be the Maypol.

Philadelphia Inquirer
Monday, June 23, 1862

Post image for A Diary of American Events.

A Diary of American Events.

June 19, 2012

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

June 19.—A skirmish took place between the Twentieth Indiana regiment, in General Kearny’s division of the army of the Potomac, and a body of rebel troops, which lasted for more than an hour. The Union troops held their position with slight loss, having had only three men wounded. In the afternoon, Gen. Kearny complimented the regiment for its bravery and discipline.

—The confederate schooner Louisa, laden with cotton, two flatboats, laden with rice, and a steam tug-boat, were captured about twelve miles up the Santee River, by a boat’s crew of the United States steamer Albatross, blockading off the North-Santee River, S. C.

Post image for “All the prisoners and deserters that we get concur in saying that at least 10,000 have deserted since the evacuation.”–Army Life of an Illinois Soldier, Charles Wright Wills.

“All the prisoners and deserters that we get concur in saying that at least 10,000 have deserted since the evacuation.”–Army Life of an Illinois Soldier, Charles Wright Wills.

June 19, 2012

Army Life of an Illinois Soldier, Charles Wright Wills, (8th Illinois Infantry)

Note: This letter—a document written in 1862—includes terms and topics that may be offensive to many today.  No attempt will be made to censor or edit 19th century material to today’s standards.

Rienzi, Tishomingo Co., Miss., June 19, 1862.

This is one of the few days that remind one of Illinois, although there are very few nights that might not remind a Greenlander of his home. I think there has not been a night yet that I have not slept under three blankets, and there have been many nights that I would have used a dozen if I had had them. The natives say that ’tis the Gulf breeze that makes the air so cool after about 7 or 8 p.m. I wish that it would get along about eight hours earlier daily; but to-day there are clouds kiting about so o’erhead that the sun don’t amount to much only for light, and ’tis cool enough to make underclothing comfortable. The colonel, A. D. C. and myself visited the camp of the 7th Illinois yesterday at Jacinto. We found them surrounded with a brush parapet, felled trees, etc., ready as they said for a twelve-hour’s fight. They’d been visited by a scare. There is no enemy within 15 miles of them and hasn’t been. They are camped in the suburbs of a beautiful little town that fell in among the hills in a very tasty manner (for a Mississippi town). In one little valley near a fine residence there are three springs bubbling up in line and within a foot of each other, which are so independent that each furnishes a different kind of water. The first pure, cold, soft water without taste, another chalybeate, and the third, strong sulphur. The waters of the three fall into one little basin and run thence into a bathhouse twenty steps distant. There is a neat vine covered arbor over the springs with seats arranged within, and altogether ’tis a neat little place—good to water Yankee horses at. There were several gangs of negroes at work in the corn and cotton fields along the road yesterday, and I thanked God they were not in Illinois. Candidly, I’d rather see them and a whole crop of grindstones dumped into the Gulf, than have so many of them in our State, as there are even here. Yet, it don’t look square to see the women, if they are niggers, plowing. I have no reason for the last sentence, only it isn’t in my opinion what petticoats were designed for. Talking about niggers, these headquarters are fully up with anything in that Potomac mob on the colored question. They got Jeff Davis’ coachman. What of it? J. D. isn’t anybody but a broken-backed-politician-of-a-civilian, and of course his coachman is no better than a white man. But we, we have, listen, General Beauregard’s nigger “toddy mixer,” and my experience fully proves to the satisfaction of your brother that the general’s taste in selecting a toddy artist is fine. He is a sharp cuss (the nigger). He left them at Tupelo day before yesterday, p.m., slipped by the pickets while ’twas light without their seeing him, but after dark he was suddenly halted by their videttes when within ten feet of them. He ran by them and they fired, but as usual missed. He is really the servant of Colonel Clough, of Memphis, but the colonel is now on Beauregard’s staff, and John (the boy) was selected as drink mixer for the general-pro tem. He reports that Price started with the flower of the flock, only some 3,000 posies, to Virginia, but said posies, like their vegetable brethren, wilt and droop by the wayside, and unlike them, scoot off through the brush at every chance, and that is the last of them as far as soldiering is concerned. Hundreds of the dissatisfied Rebels pretended sickness and lay by the roadside until the army passed and then heeled it for home. All the prisoners and deserters that we get concur in saying that at least 10,000 have deserted since the evacuation. A couple of very fine-looking young fellows, Kentuckians, came in this p.m. Their regiment with two others are the outpost guard between the Rebel Army and ours. They were in a skirmish the other day at Baldwin, where two of our companies were surprised and lost six men, taken prisoners. There were 60 of our boys and they reported 400 Rebels. These deserters say there were only 42 Rebels; but the next day 700 Rebels came onto 75 of our men and the chivalry were put to flight in a perfect rout. So it goes. There was a flag of truce came in last night to our picket. Brought a dozen packages for Halleck and company, with a number of letters for Northern friends, all unsealed. Several of the envelopes were of common brown wrapping paper. There are a good many things about this advance of an army that are more interesting than the main army the infants know of. We cavalry feel as safe here as in Illinois, but General Ashboth keeps calling on Pope for more men all the time.

What do you think we’ll have to eat to-morrow? Answer: Lamb, roast goose and liver (beef), blackberry pies, plum pudding, new peas, string beans, onions, beets, fresh apple sauce, etc. That’s a fact, and we have a cow that furnishes us milk, too, and a coop full of chickens, maccaroni for our soup, and we get all the beef brains.

Tell Colonel Kellogg that the boys are talking about him yet, like a lot of chickens for their lost “Mar.” The 7th has plenty to do now, if I wasn’t so tired I’d write you a copy of the orders I sent them to-day.

The enemy keeps annoying our outposts, and rumors come to-day of their being on the way for this place to surprise us. All bosh, I suppose. I hope they are too gentlemanly to disturb us while we are doing as well as we are here. It would be worse than the old lady where I stayed night before last. I went to bed at 12:30, and about 5 she sent a servant up for the sheets to wash. The joke was on our family, but I told her that she had better let me roll over the whole house if she had to wash up after me, for it would improve the health of her family to scrub the premises and them. Fine people here. They’ve commenced bushwhacking. One of my orderlies was shot through the thigh night before last while carrying some dispatches. “Concilate,” “noble people,” “high spirited.” Oh! Strangulate is the better direction.

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