July 31st, At midnight we all jumped out of bed in a hurry, startled by a heavy artillery fire, which at first could not be located. The men assembled on the color line without orders and remained there until the firing ceased, about an hour in all. It turned out to be a rebel field battery, sent under cover of darkness down the right bank of the James, to shell the numerous transports anchored near the landing. Our gunboats, ton jours pres, opened immediately with their big and little guns, but did not silence them for over an hour; curiously little or no damage was done while the possibilities were immense. Two of their shells burst quite close to our regiment, which indicates they did not get the range. When the firing ceased, we turned in again and were soon asleep.
Brigade inspection at half-past seven A. M., rations and ammunition inspected, as well as arms and accoutrements; our regiment was in fine order. Lieutenant-Colonel Parisen takes infinite trouble in seeing everything for himself. Shortly after nine o’clock it commenced raining and continued throughout the day, deliciously cooling the atmosphere and the parched earth. Anxiously awaited orders to march, which did not come, however.
During the civil war, to avoid being burdened with large numbers of prisoners, armies in the field would “parole” soldiers that they had captured, releasing them on their oath that they would perform no military service until formally exchanged for prisoners of war held or paroled by the other side. In the early part of the war, many paroled men would simply go home, or elsewhere, not to be found when time came for the exchange.
Originally intended as a “camp of instruction,” a camp for paroled prisoners was established near Annapolis, Maryland, in the summer of 1862. It came to be known as Camp Parole.
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Letters of Francis Reed of the 7th Cavalry, 80th Regiment Pa.
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July 31, 1862
Camp Parole, Annapolis, Md.
We arrived hear yesterday morning, we heard that exchanging has been stopped. We are all very anxious to be exchanged to go back and square accounts with some of the rebels in the vicinity of Murfreesboro. We are entirely out of money. The rebels took all my clothes they did not leave me anything except what I had on, I have no change and I am pretty dirty. Harry Snyder is situated worse than I am, he has no shoes. He has come about 800 miles barefooted. If we do not get exchanged I shall try and get a furlough from here for a few weeks.
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Library of Congress:
Parole Camp Annapolis, M’d.
Library of Congress Geography and Map Division
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gmd/g3844p.cw0245390
- LC Civil War maps (2nd ed.) 245.39
- Bird’s-eye view.
- Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1864 by E. Sachse & Co. in … the District Court of Md.”
- Includes index to points of interest.
July 31.—The Secretary of War issued an order revoking all furloughs and leaves of absence from the army, except those given by the War Department, on Monday, the eleventh day of August, and ordering all officers capable of service to join their regiments forthwith, under penalty of dismissal from the service or court-martial. On Monday, the eighteenth August, each regiment and corps would be mustered, the absentees would be marked, and if not appearing within forty-eight hours would be dismissed from the service or treated as deserters.
—Several vessels belonging to the mortar-fleet, under the command of Commodore Porter, arrived at Fortress Monroe, Va., having left the south-west pass of the Mississippi on the seventeenth of the month.—The rebel steamer Memphis was captured by the United States gunboat Magnolia, she having run the blockade of Charleston, S. C, on the night of the twenty-seventh. —Simeon Draper, of New-York, was appointed by the War Department a Special Commissioner to superintend the execution of the order respecting officers and privates absent from the army of United States.
—Large and enthusiastic meetings were held in Milwaukee, Wis., Bergen, N. J., and Cincinnati. O., to promote enlistments into the army under the call of President Lincoln, for additional troops Patriotic speeches were made and resolutions adopted, sustaining the Government in a more vigorous prosecution of the war, recommending the confiscation of the property of traitors everywhere, expressing unalterable opposition to compromise with rebels or traitors, and that they would sustain the Government in resisting hostile foreign intervention.
July 30TH.—Both Gen. Jackson and Gen. Stuart were in the department to-day. Their commands have preceded them, and must be near Orange C. H. by this time. These war-worn heroes (neither of them over forty years of age) attracted much attention. Everybody wished to see them; and if they had lingered a few minutes longer in the hall, a crowd would have collected, cheering to the echo. This they avoided, transacting their business in the shortest possible space of time, and then escaping observation. They have yet much work to do.
30th.—Rumors of battle have to-day, waked up our drowsy energies, and put all on the qui vive. Orders at noon to “be ready for action at any moment.” The enemy’s gun boats are coming down the river, and a land attack is anticipated. Humiliated as we feel at being shut up here on the defence, there is a kind of “let ’em come” defiance in every heart and on every face. My own opinion is that it is a feint, and that we shall not be attacked. My experience in the late retreat, has fully gratified all my curiosity to see a great fight. For five days and nights I was not out of sight of our lines; in fact, never left the field of battle. It will require more than idle curiosity to induce me to undergo the same again.
Wednesday, 30th—We camped on a large “secesh” plantation last night. The owner of it being a general in the rebel army, we made ourselves at home, killing all the cattle that we wanted and taking all the honey that we could carry away with us. We started at 8 o’clock this morning and marched fourteen miles, when we bivouacked for the night.
July 30, 1862. Wednesday. — I set the men to drilling in the new target practice. Rode with Bottsford over to see Mrs. Lilley, an old lady whose husband, James Lilley, lately died at Camp Chase in prison. Her son James is still there. As the only male member of the family old enough to do work, I am inclined to ask for his release. Her daughter Emily, a well-appearing young woman, is accused of giving the information which led to bushwhacking Captain Gilmore’s cavalry. I hope it is not so.
I received today letters from Stephenson and Herron and an order from Columbus “authorizing” me to assist in raising a regiment, the Seventy-ninth. I don’t know what to think of all this. Am I required to go home and assist?
30th. Wednesday. In camp on Rocky Creek, Spring River. Issued five days’ rations, preparatory to marching northward. Boys in good spirits. Wrote to Fred Allen. Saw Charlie in the morning. Read Will’s last journal, much better than his late ones. His discouragement about the late reverses. To be sure the present hour looks dark but I have faith in the future. The light will soon break. I have faith to believe that the North will yet be victorious over the South, right be victorious over wrong. I am sorry Will feels so. It looks like an apology for not enlisting. To fear defeat and yet not raise a hand looks faulty.
Wednesday 30th.—Arriving at Knoxville, was ordered to convalescent camp. Don’t like the place; much rather go on to regiment; on guard nearly half the time. Regiment eighteen miles from here, at Camp Hatten.
(Note: picture is of an unidentified Confederate soldier.)
July 30th. To-day was the hottest of the season thus far. The heat was intolerable, and all work not absolutely necessary was stopped. We made desperate efforts to keep cool, but were wholly unsuccessful. Our tents are covered with pine boughs; the fly is up in front as an awning, and the sides of the tents looped up to the cords, making a free circulation, but still we were almost suffocated. We owe much to the ladies of the sanitary commission, who very kindly furnished us with a lot of palm-leaf fans. At noon received orders to prepare three days’ rations, issue sixty rounds of ammunition, and hold ourselves in readiness to move at a moment’s notice. It was really a good thing to have something to do, for we forgot for the time being the great heat. The cooks set to work; ammunition was issued in the few cases where the men were without their proper complement, and the camp soon became animated and interesting. No information was given as to the movements intended, and so we arranged for a final leave taking of the camp by packing up our traps. At 6 P. M. the brigade was ordered out for drill, in full marching order, three days’ rations included; drill lasted until 7 P. M. After it was over, and before the troops were dismissed, six men from each regiment were selected to serve on the James river gunboat flotilla. Nearly every man in the regiment volunteered to go, and those selected considered themselves fortunate; the fact is a foot soldier is always ready to change place with any man riding horseback, sailing on gunboats, or even driving mule teams. Late in the evening received orders to parade at seven o’clock to-morrow morning. Colonel Zook is still on leave of absence, trying to get recruits for the regiment from the governor of the state; we all hope he may get them and soon rejoin us. Companies are much too small for service.
