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

Friday, September 14, 2012

Sundaay, September 14.—A very warm day. I went to though Baptist Church, this morning, with Mr. Davis; it was in a very romantic spot. This is a most beautiful place, in a valley, with mountains each side of it. It is one hundred miles northwest of Atlanta, and is the county-seat of Whitfield, and the terminus of the East Tennessee and Knoxville Railroad. It is south of Ringgold; it has some manufactories, and a number of hospitals, with but few patients in them; a large number are daily expected. The ladies of the place are preparing to take care of them when they come.

I have made the aquaintance of quite a number of the residents here, and am much pleased with them. There is a great deal of simplicity and good-heartedness among them; many of them have a very peculiar accent, such as we read of in the “Georgia Scenes;” indeed, I think the author must have lived in the place, as I have seen more than one of his characters here in real life.

The battle of South Mountain, MD. Sunday, Sept. 14, 1862 01231u

“The glorious charge of the 23rd & 12th Ohio Volunteers (Col. Scammon) against the 23rd and 12th North Carolina under the rebel Gen. Garland, who was killed in the charge.”

Library of Congress image.

Wikipedia:

The Battle of South Mountain — known in several early Southern accounts as the Battle of Boonsboro Gap — was fought September 14, 1862, as part of the Maryland Campaign of the American Civil War. Three pitched battles were fought for possession of three South Mountain passes: Crampton’s, Turner’s, and Fox’s Gaps. Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan, commanding the Union Army of the Potomac, needed to pass through these gaps in his pursuit of Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. Despite being significantly outnumbered, Lee’s army delayed McClellan’s advance for a day before withdrawing.

Samuel Garland, Jr., (December 16, 1830 – September 14, 1862) was an American attorney from Virginia and Confederate general during the American Civil War. He was killed in action during the Maryland Campaign while defending Fox’s Gap at the Battle of South Mountain.

September 14. — The entire National army moved from Frederick, Md., at daylight this morning, taking the route towards Harper’s Ferry.—Ripley, Va., was occupied by the advance of Col. Lightburn’s troops.

—This evening the stockade fort at Bacon Creek, Ky., was surrendered to the rebel cavalry under Colonel J. J. Morrison. The garrison consisted of Sergeant Ellis and twenty-eight men of company D, Fifty-fourth regiment of Indiana home guards. The regiment had been posted at different points along the railroad, and this squad at Bacon Creek. This afternoon, about dark, Col. Morrison made his appearance, and, while sending in a flag of truce, planted his artillery so as to destroy the fort He demanded its surrender, threatening, in case of his refusal, to open upon it with his artillery. Sergeant Ellis consulted with the rebel officer, and represented their position to Morrison. It was agreed that the party should be paroled, not to take up arms until regularly exchanged or discharged from the service. The men then surrendered. Morrison destroyed the fort and took about fifty guns.

—Maysville, Ky., was evacuated by the rebels and taken possession of by the National forces under Colonel Norton of the Twenty-first Ohio volunteers.

—General Butler, at New-Orleans, La., issued the following general order: “As in the course of ten days it may become necessary to distinguish the disloyal from the loyal citizens and honest neutral foreigners residing in this Department,

“It is ordered that each neutral foreigner, resident in this Department, shall present himself, with the evidence of his nationality, to the nearest Provost-Marshal for registration of himself and family.

“This registration shall include the following particulars:

“The country of birth. The length of time the person has resided within the United States. The names of his family. The present place of residence, by street, number, or other description. The occupation. The date of protection or certificate of nationality, which shall be indorsed by the Passport Clerk, ‘registered,’ with date of register;

“All false or simulated claims of foreign alliance by native or naturalized citizens will be severely punished.”

—General Loring, the rebel commander at Charleston, Va., issued the following order this day: “The Commanding General congratulates the army on the brilliant march from the Southwest to this place in one week, and on its successive victories over the enemy at Fayette Court-House, Cotton Hill, and Charleston. It will be memorable in history that, overcoming the mountains and the enemy in one week, you have established the laws and carried the flag of the country to the outer borders of the Confederacy. Instances of gallantry and patriotic devotion are too numerous to be specially designated at this time; but to brigade commanders and their officers and men, the Commanding General makes grateful acknowledgment for services to which our brilliant success is owing. The country will remember and reward you.”

—Drafting in the State of Ohio was postponed until the first day of October, by order of Governor Tod.—The First Metropolitan regiment, N.Y.S.V., left Riker’s Island for Washington.

—The battle of South-Mountain, Md., was fought this day, between the rebel army invading Maryland, under General Lee, and the National forces, commanded by Generals Hooker and Reno, resulting in the defeat of the rebels, who, after stubbornly contending the whole day, abandoned the field of battle at night, leaving their dead and wounded in the hands of the Nationals. The loss of the rebels was not known, although it was acknowledged to be greater than that of the Nationals, which amounted to over two thousand killed, wounded, and missing. Gen. Reno was among the killed.—(Doc. 119.)

—The attack upon Harper’s Ferry, Md., was continued by the rebels this morning in a vigorous cannonading from Maryland and Loudon Heights, and from Sandy Hook; the Union troops under Gen. Miles replying frequently.

—The funeral of Col. George W. Pratt, of the New-York Twentieth regiment, took place at Albany to-day. It was one of the largest assemblages ever seen in that city on a similar occasion. It was attended by the Governor and staff, the Tenth and Twenty-fifth regiments, deputations from Masonic orders, and a number of distinguished strangers from New-York and elsewhere.

—An engagement took place at Munfordsville, Ky., between a force of Union troops stationed in that town, under the command of Col. Wilder, Seventeenth Indiana, and a large body of rebels, under General Duncan, resulting, after a fight of seven hours’ duration, in the repulse of the rebels with great loss.—(Docs. 121 and 207.)

—This evening the Union cavalry at Harper’s Ferry, two thousand in number, succeeded in cutting their way out by the Sharpsburgh road, and while so doing captured one hundred prisoners, and the rebel General Longstreet’s wagon train.—(Doc. 120.)