October 11—Went on picket one mile below Charlestown on the Harper’s Ferry pike.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Saturday, October 11th.
Miriam went off to Clinton before daylight yesterday, with Mr. Carter and Mrs. Worley. She would not let me go for fear mother should keep us. At midnight they got back last night, tired, sleepy, and half-frozen, for our first touch of cool weather came in a strong north wind in the evening which grew stronger and stronger through the night, and they had worn only muslin dresses. I shall never cease to regret that I did not go too. Miriam says mother is looking very sad. Sad, and I am trying to forget all our troubles, and am so happy here! O mother, how selfish it was to leave you! I ask myself whether it were best to stay there where we would only be miserable without adding anything to your comfort or pleasure, or to be here, careless and happy while you are in that horrid hole so sad and lonesome. According to my theory, Miriam would remind me that I say it is better to have three miserable persons than two happy ones whose happiness occasions the misery of the third. That is my doctrine only in peculiar cases; it cannot be applied to this one. I say that if, for example, Miriam and I should love the same person, while that person loved only me, rather than make her unhappy by seeing me marry him, I would prefer making both him and myself miserable, by remaining single. She says “Fudge!” which means, I suppose, nonsense. But our happiness here does not occasion mother’s unhappiness. She would rather see us enjoying ourselves here than moping there. One proof is, that she did not suggest our return. She longs to get home, but cannot leave poor Lilly alone, for Charlie is in Granada. Oh, how willingly I would return to the old wreck of our home! All its desolation could not be half so unendurable as Clinton. But Lilly cannot be left. Poor Lilly! When I look at her sad young face, my heart bleeds for her. With five helpless little children to care for, is she not to be pitied? I think that such a charge, in such dreadful days, would kill me. How patiently she bears it!
October 11, Saturday. We have word which seems reliable that Stuart’s Rebel cavalry have been to Chambersburg in the rear of McClellan, while he was absent in Philadelphia stopping at the Continental Hotel. I hope neither statement is correct. But am apprehensive that both may be true.
Saturday, 11th—We were routed out this morning at 1 o’clock and started for Corinth, seventy miles distant. It soon began raining, and after marching six miles in the rain we met our provision train. We stacked our arms by the roadside, drew some rations and had a good square meal again. The hard-tack and coffee, with the bacon broiled on our ramrods in the fire, tasted mighty good—better than any pound cake eaten at home. While resting here and feasting, a number of the boys who had gone into the negro huts, caught up with us. They were in the cabins, nice and dry, and thought when we were routed out in the night, that it was to form in line, but in the morning found out their mistake and hastened to catch up with the command. A few of them were taken prisoners by the rebel cavalry following us. After our meal we continued our march till we reached the Tallahatchie river, and bivouacked in heavy timber on the banks of the river. We traveled thirty-five miles today, the weather being quite cool.
Saturday, 11th. Up before sunrise and got roasted potatoes and honey for breakfast. Marched at sunrise. Passed Wier’s and Cloud’s Brigades at five miles—and Schofield’s. Encamped at Ferguson Springs, eight miles from Cassville. Arrived at 3 P. M. Feasted and rested.
Saturday, 11th.—Passed back through Harrodsburg; took right-hand pike; marched ten miles, and halted one miles from Camp “Dick Roberson,” now called Camp “Breckinridge.” Official reports are that the Confederate loss in the battle of Perryville was between 1,500 and 2.000. We are on left wing, in the bend of Dick River; have lived four days without drawing any rations, except three crackers each and some pickled pork; been living on parched corn. 8 P. M., drew some flour and bacon.
Sharpsburg, Md., October, 1862.
Dear Sister L.:—
I always liked Steve. We tented together ever since we left Erie, and he was sensible. He is a queer, eccentric genius like his relatives, but he did not stay long. He was just out of the hospital and he fell out on the march. I’ve heard nothing of him since, so I went on alone again.
At Hall’s Hill our Tommy came back. Tommy Hopkins is an Irishman. He is now nineteen years old. At sixteen he came over alone, and now he has not a relative this side of the ocean. He came into our company a total stranger. Now no man in the company has more friends than Tommy. There is something so manly about him that no one can help liking him. No one could be more obliging, and now no one could receive a favor more easily than little Tommy Hopkins. At Malvern Hill he was terribly wounded. Dauntlessly he faced the foes of his adopted country, but a stern trial was in store for him. While loading he was struck by a Minie ball which cut off the forefinger of his left hand, went through the ball of his thumb and out at his wrist then in at his breast, and only stopped when it struck his shoulder blade. He refused all assistance and went a mile to the hospital alone. His wound was dressed. Next day, in all the rain and mud, he walked to Harrison’s Landing, ten miles. A brave young heart is Tommy’s. With no kind friends to write and soothe his pain while in the hospital, he still kept his spirits, and finally ran away from the hospital and came to us. Of course I welcomed him back with his stump of a hand and the great red scar on his breast. There is no other man in the regiment I like as I do Tommy. But he couldn’t handle a gun, so the colonel took him to headquarters for an orderly.
Well, then I got in with T. H., a bilious, crotchety, quarrelsome old bach. He is terribly profane, boasts of being selfish and everything else that is disagreeable. I tented with him till we came here and then I changed. My chum now is a quiet, inoffensive, obliging fellow, a new recruit by the name of Palmer. He sings, reads and talks through his nose like a U. P. preacher, loves everything good and hates evil, especially tobacco, which I don’t, you know. I am very well contented, however, with him. I was with H. In fact, I am tolerably contented with everything. Dennison taught me to philosophize and take things easy.
OCTOBER 11TH.—There are rumors of Abolition gun-boats in the York and James Rivers. A battery of long range guns was sent down yesterday.
It is said that an army of raw Abolitionists, under Sigel, has marched from Alexandria toward Culpepper County. If this be so, we shall soon have more fighting, and more running, I hope. Lee keeps his own counsel—wisely.
Five soldiers, four unidentified, in Union uniforms of the 6th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Militia outfitted with Enfield muskets in front of encampment.
Photo shows soldiers wearing frock coats and standing at ease with their Enfield Rifles. An encampment is visible in the background. (Source: Matthew R. Gross and Elizabeth T. Lewin, 2010) Photo shows one identified soldier, Albert L. Burgess, on far right.
Date Created/Published: [between 1862 September 8 and 1863 June 6]
Medium: 1 photograph : quarter-plate tintype, hand-colored ; 12.5 x 10 cm (case)
Liljenquist Family Collection of Civil War Photographs; Ambrotype/Tintype photograph filing series; Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.
Record page for image is here.
Civil War Portrait 013
October 11.—A sharp fight took place a few miles from Helena, Arkansas, between a detachment of the Fourth Iowa cavalry, under the command of Major Rector, and a superior force of Texan Rangers, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Giddings, resulting in a rout of the latter, nine of their number, including Lieutenant-Colonel Giddings, being captured. The Unionists had three men killed and nine wounded.—Cincinnati Gazette.
—The ship Manchester, from New-York to Liverpool, laden with grain and cotton, was captured by the rebel steamer Alabama, in lat. 41° 25′, lon. 55° 50′, when her officers and crew were taken off, with such stores as were wanted, and she was burned.—The One Hundred and Fiftieth regiment New-York volunteers, under command of Colonel John H. Ketcham, left Poughkeepsie this day for Washington.
—A force of three hundred Union cavalry, under the command of Colonel McReynolds, made a descent on the rebel Colonel Imboden’s camp, at Cacapon Bridge, about seventeen miles from Winchester, Virginia, and captured a major, lieutenant, twenty-five privates, a large number of horses and mules, one thousand blankets, a quantity of ammunition, brass cannon, wagons, firearms, clothing, and Colonel Imboden’s private papers.—Cumberland (Md.) Union.
—The rebel gunboat Palmetto State, built at Charleston, mainly through the efforts and offerings of the women of South-Carolina, was formally named and dedicated. Colonel Richard Yeadon delivered an oration on the occasion.
—The Seventh regiment Maine volunteers, one hundred and sixty-one in number, under command of Colonel Mason, left Washington this day, by order of General Halleck, on its way home to recruit its decimated ranks.
—The schooner Elmira Cornelius, while trying to run the blockade at Bull’s Bay, S. C, was this day captured by the United States steamer Restless. Her captain ran her ashore, but she was got off by the assistance of the United States steamer Flag.
—Rumors of peace began to be mooted. The Richmond Enquirer of this date says: “There are prospects of an early peace, which conclusion is founded on the results of the battles in Virginia and Maryland, and the campaign now progressing. The battle of Antietam was, to the Federal forces, the most terrible defeat of the war.”
—The United States gunboat Maratanza, Commander Scott, while lying off Cape Fear River, North-Carolina, was fired into by a rebel battery of two Armstrong guns, which the rebels had constructed on the beach during the night. The second shell struck the ship and exploded, killing two and wounding five. After which, the Maratanza immediately got under weigh and stood out to sea.—Com. Scott‘s Despatch.
—Yesterday a body of Union cavalry captured fifty wagons laden with ammunition, on the road between Camp Dick Robinson and Danville, Kentucky, and to-day a portion of General Dumont’s forces captured at Versailles, Kentucky, a train of wagons, two pieces of artillery, and three hundred and fifty rebels, without a fight.
—The preamble and resolution, submitted to the rebel House of Representatives by Mr. Barksdale, of Mississippi, concerning the retaliatory measures to be adopted against the Government of the United States, passed the House by a vote of thirty-five yeas to twenty-two nays.—(Doc. 35.)
—The schooner Revere (British, of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia) was this day captured off Cape Fear, North-Carolina, by the United States gunboats Maratanza and Monticello. Her cargo consisted of military stores.
