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

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Mecklenburg County, July 15.—Mr. _____ and myself summoned here a short time ago to see our daughter, who was very ill. Found her better—she is still improving.

Richmond is disenthralled—the only Yankees there are in the “Libby” and other prisons. McClellan and his “Grand Army,” on James River, near Westover, enjoying mosquitoes and bilious fevers. The weather is excessively hot. I dare say the Yankees find the ” Sunny South” all that their most fervid imaginations ever depicted it, particularly on the marshes. So may it be, until the whole army melts with fervent heat. The gun-boats are rushing up and down the river, shelling the trees on the banks, afraid to approach Drury’s Bluff. The Northern papers and Congress are making every effort to find out to whom the fault of their late reverses is to be traced. Our people think that their whole army might have been captured but for the dilatoriness of some of our generals. General Magruder is relieved, and sent to take command in the West.

July 15TH —Gen. Pendleton has given McClellan a, scare, and might have hurt him if he had fired lower. He planted a number of batteries (concealed) on the south side of the river, just opposite the enemy’s camp. The river was filled with gun-boats and transports. At a signal, all the guns were fired, at short range, too, for some minutes with great rapidity, and then the batteries were withdrawn. I happened to be awake, and could not conjecture what the rumpus meant. But we fired too high in the dark, and did but little execution. Our shells fell beyond the enemy’s camp on the opposite side of the river. We lost a few men, by accident, mostly. But hereafter in “each bush they fear an officer.”

Tuesday, 15th—No news from Richmond.

July 15th. Has changed the affairs of the fleet materially. Before daylight a firing of cannon had been heard up the river, and a gunboat had been dispatched to reconnoitre. As time passed, the firing neared us, and soon cannon balls could be seen dropping into the river below a-bend which hid objects from our view. The enemy proved to be the rebel ram Arkansas, which had chased our gunboat down the Yazoo river, and now came booming along, firing at our ships as she came. As no danger was apprehended, our ships were all lying without steam, and so near together that for one to fire endangered the rest.

All hands were called to quarters, and the ram came on and passed us, while each vessel which could fire upon her, did so, but we were not able to sink or disable her. Preparations were immediately made to follow her, and on the same evening our ships got under way, resolved to run down by the batteries and destroy the ram if possible. We commenced firing about dark, the ball being opened by Commodore Davis’s iron-clads, and in twenty minutes from the time of opening fire, we were in full blast. We passed slowly by the city, receiving fewer shots than formerly and being unable to discover the ram, which had been secreted behind a huge wharf-boat, and consequently we were unable in the darkness to harm her. We came to anchor below the city, and found our casualties to be, in killed three, and Captain Broome and Mr. Hoffman severely, and four of the crew slightly, wounded.

Green Meadows, July 15, 1862. Tuesday. — Captain Drake with Companies H and I returned this morning. The mounted men crossed the ford just above Bluestone on New River. The water was too deep and current too strong for footmen. They (the horsemen) called at Landcraft’s, Young’s, etc., etc. They learned that the only enemy now in Monroe is probably the Forty-fifth [Virginia], some cavalry, and artillery; and they have withdrawn from the river towards Centreville or some other distant part of the county. All others gone to or towards the Narrows or railroad.

At 9 o’clock I took four companies, A, C, E, and K, and the band and went to Packs Ferry. There the men went in swimming. Crossed 262 of them in the flying bridge — an affair like this [a crude pen sketch is given] — which swings from side to side of the river by force of the current alone. The bow (whichever way the boat goes) is pulled by means of a windlass up the stream at a small angle. The men enjoyed the spree.

We returned at 6:30 P. M. The scenery is of the finest; the river is a beautiful clear river. Strange, no fish except catfish, but they are of superior quality and often of great size.

The enemy shows signs of activity in Tennessee again. Our men will have a hard time during the next two or three months trying to hold their conquests. We will have our day when cold weather and high water return, not before. About Richmond there is much mystery, but supposed to be favorable.

15th. Stayed in camp and read “Guy Mannering,” good story. Pastured my horse and Brownell’s.

Culpeper Court House, Va. Street scene -- 1862

During the Civil War, Culpeper was a crossroads for a number of armies marching through central Virginia, with both Union and Confederate forces occupying the town by turn. (Wikipedia)

Library of Congress:

Photo taken by Timothy H. O’Sullivan

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA

Record page for image: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/cwp/item/cwp2003000109/PP/

Tuesday, July 15, 1862.—Sunday night about ten we reached the place where, according to our map, Steele’s Bayou comes nearest to the Mississippi, and where the landing should be, but when we climbed the steep bank there was no sign, of habitation. Max walked off into the woods on a search, and was gone so long we feared he had lost his way. He could find no road. H. suggested shouting and both began. At last a distant halloo replied, and by cries the answerer was guided to us. A negro said “Who are you? What do you want?” “Travelers seeking shelter for the night.” He came forward and said that was the right place, his master kept the landing, and he would watch the boat for five dollars. He showed the road, and said his master’s house was one mile off and another house two miles. We mistook and went to the one two miles off. There a legion of dogs rushed at us, and several great, tall, black fellows surrounded us till the master was roused. He put his head through the window and said,—”I’ll let nobody in. The Yankees have been here and took twenty-five of my negroes to work on their fortifications, and I’ve no beds nor anything for anybody.” At 1 o’clock we reached Mr. Fetler’s, who was pleasant, and said we should have the best he had. The bed into whose grateful softness I sank was piled with mattresses to within two or three feet of the ceiling, and, with no step-ladder, getting in and out was a problem. This morning we noticed the high-water mark, four feet above the lower floor. Mrs. Fetler said they had lived up-stairs several weeks.

______

Note: To protect Mrs. Miller’s job as a teacher in New Orleans, the diary was published anonymously, edited by G. W. Cable, names were changed and initials were often used instead of full names — and even the initials differed from the real person’s initials.

USS Essex - 1s02823u

US Navy Naval Historical Center:

USS Essex, a 1000-ton ironclad river gunboat, was converted in stages from the steam ferry New Era. Originally constructed at New Albany, Indiana, in 1856, the ship was purchased in September 1861 by the U.S. Army for its Western Gunboat Flotilla. Modified into a 355-ton “timberclad” gunboat, and retaining the name New Era, she took part in an expedition up the Cumberland River in November 1861. Renamed Essex soon thereafter, she received iron armor and other changes and was then actively employed in operations during early 1862, engaging Confederate gunboats near Lucas Bend, Missouri, on 11 January. On 6 February, she was badly damaged by enemy gunfire during an attack on Fort Henry, Tennessee.

During subsequent repairs, Essex‘ Commanding Officer, William D. Porter, spared little expense (albeit without official authorization) in upgrading his ship into one of the most powerful ironclads on the Western Rivers. Lengthened, widened, reengined, rearmored and completely altered in appearance, Essex was back in service in time for operations against Vicksburg, Mississippi, in July. On the 22th of that month she ran past the enemy fortress city, engaging and damaging the Confederate ironclad Arkansas along the way. After joining Rear Admiral Farragut’s squadron as the only Federal ironclad on the lower Mississippi, she helped repel an attack on Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on 5 August and was instrumental in the destruction of the Arkansas the next day.

Essex was formally transferred to the Navy in October 1862 and remained active on the rivers through the rest of the Civil War. She bombarded Port Hudson, Louisiana, and helped with the occupation of Baton Rouge in December 1862. In May-July 1863 she participated in the capture of Port Hudson. She took part in the Red River expedition in March-May 1864. Essex was decommissioned in July 1865. After her sale to private interests in November of that year, she reverted to the name New Era. She was scrapped in 1870.

Library of Congress:

Summary: Photo shows the USS Essex, launched in 1856 as the New Era and acquired during the American Civil War by the US Army in 1861 for the Western Gunboat Flotilla. Transferred to the US Navy in 1862 and participated in several operations on the Mississippi River, including the capture of Baton Rouge and Port Hudson in 1863.

“Probably Baton Rouge, La.” handwritten on back of card.

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA

Record page for image: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/97501522/

July 15.—A body of Union troops, numbering about six hundred men, under the command of Major Miller, Second Wisconsin cavalry, attacked the combined rebel forces of Rains, Coffee, Hunter, Hawthorne, and Tracy, numbering about sixteen hundred, at a point eight miles beyond Fayetteville, Arkansas, and routed them with great loss.—David E. Twiggs, who was dismissed from the United States army for treason, died at Augusta, Ga.

—This morning the rebel iron-clad ram Arkansas passed down the Yazoo River into the Mississippi, and landed under the batteries at Vicksburgh, passing through and receiving the fire of the Union fleet of gunboats and mortars. The ram returned the fire, but, except killing and wounding a number of men on several of the gunboats, without material damage to the fleet. The ram, though struck by a great number of shot, was not much injured.—At about six o’clock in the evening, the whole Union fleet got under way, and while the mortars attacked the land batteries, the gunboats, in the hope of sinking the Arkansas, poured their broadsides into her, but without effect. The bombardment lasted for an hour, when the fleet dropped below the city, and came to anchor.—(Doc. 152.)

—The town of Henderson, Ky., was entered by a band of rebel guerrillas, who broke into the soldiers’ hospital, (whose inmates had been removed to Evansville, Ind.,) robbing it of its blankets, sheets, etc., and then left, without doing any further mischief.

—In consequence of the difficulty of procuring small change, caused by the premium on specie, postage-stamps were now first spoken of as a substitute.—New-York World, July 15.

—The rebel Colonel Morgan visited Midway, Ky., at noon to-day, and cut the telegraph wires and tore up the railroad. He took away with him every thing he could convert to his use. He had four twelve-pound howitzers. In the evening he left for Georgetown, and encamped there on Gano’s farm.

—At Cleveland, Ohio, the City Council appropriated thirty-five thousand dollars to aid in recruiting for the new regiments.—At Detroit, Michigan, a meeting was held to facilitate the raising of new regiments. Patriotic resolutions were passed.

—A very large gathering of citizens was held in the Capitol Park, at Albany, N. Y. Great enthusiasm was manifested. Governor Morgan presided, and among the Vice-Presidents were Mayor Perry, Senator John V. L. Pruyn, John Tracy, General Cooper, and other prominent citizens. Strong resolutions in favor of the new levy, and recommending an extra session of the Legislature, to authorize the giving of a State bounty to volunteers, were introduced by George Dawson, chairman of the committee, and unanimously adopted. Speeches were made by Lyman Tremain and others.

—The Ninth regiment of Vermont volunteers, under the command of Col. George I. Stannard, left Brattleboro this morning at nine o’clock, en route for the seat of war. This was the first regiment recruited under the call of July first, for three hundred thousand additional troops.

—A large and enthusiastic public meeting was held this day in Union Square, New-York, in behalf of the Union and in support of the Government in its efforts to suppress the rebellion. Speeches were made by Mayor Opdyke, General Fremont, General Walbridge, President King, Professor Lieber, Rev. Dr. Vinton, Rev. Dr. Hitchcock, Rev. Dr. Clarke, E. D. Smith, William Allen Butler, and others. — New York Tribune, July 16-17.