October 20 — On picket. To-day twenty-seven wagons came from Harper’s Ferry through the Yankee lines and passed our post. They are wagons that the Yankees borrowed from General Jackson to convey their wounded from Harper’s Ferry to Washington, after the fight at Harper’s Ferry last month.
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Monday, 20th—No news of importance. We are again drawing regular army rations, having a railroad to our base of supplies. There is little to be secured by foraging around Corinth, as the rebels’ attempt to retake the place has resulted in keeping a large force of our men here and food and feed has been almost cleaned up, with the men for a part of the time on short rations.
Monday, 20th. In the morning watered my horse and cleaned up his feet. Capt. N. told me something very acceptable from Col. Ratliffe. Read the Lorain News and Cleveland Herald. In the P. M. wrote to Fannie.
Monday, 20th.—Wagons met us this morning at 6 o’clock, with two days’ rations, ready cooked; drew one pound of bread to the man. When we arrived within four and one-half miles of Cumberland Gap, halted and waited further orders.
Corinth, Monday, Oct. 20. To-day we had to police the entire camp ground as it was reported that General Rosecrans was going to inspect camp. The ground was shoveled and swept over, but no Rosecrans came.
A Trip to Plymouth, N. C.
On the 15th of this month, the 25th, Major Pickett in command, with the 17th Massachusetts and the 10th Connecticut regiments, the whole under command of Col. Upton, embarked on steamers bound for Plymouth, on the Roanoke river which empties into the Albemarle sound at its extreme western end. On the morning of the 16th we passed Roanoke island, and our attention was attracted towards it as being the scene of our first conflict and success. We soon afterward entered the Albemarle sound, a beautiful sheet of water running east and weft, about 70 miles long with an average width of some 20 miles. It was a beautiful day, and the sail, as we slowly steamed along, was delightful, affording us a fine view of the shores. The shores were in striking contrast; the south shore is low and swampy, rising scarcely out of the water, while the north is bold, with a gently rising slope and shows many handsome farms. The scenery here is the first that has reminded us of home, and looks as though it was inhabited by a better class of people than we have yet seen.
About dusk we reach the upper end of the sound, and turning sharply to the left, enter the woods, where the overhanging branches of the tall trees seem almost to embrace each other. We are now in the Roanoke river, which is here quite narrow. In the dusk of the evening, as we grope our way along the narrow channel through the trees, the scenery is grandly wild. Some five or six miles through the woods brought us to the little town of Plymouth, situated on the left or south bank of the river. Here we drop anchor for the night, and wait until morning to learn more of our excursion.
The next morning we learned the expedition had been given up, and we steamed back down the river on our return trip, without scarcely getting a glimpse of Plymouth. On coming out into the sound we could see the little town of Edenton on the north shore, hid away in a little nook of the sound, and almost buried in trees. From our standpoint it looked like a charming little town. It is occasionally occupied by our troops and the gunboats make frequent calls there. The only setback to the pleasure of the trip down the sound was the annoyance caused the officers by the hilarity of the boys who entered into the spirit of fun and seemed to be bent on having a general good time. The officers occupied the saloon and were greatly disturbed by the noise and racket on deck over their heads. They would often send up and order the boys to keep more quiet as the noise disturbed them. The boys of course would respect their wishes, and for a time all would be quiet, but soon another party would come on deck, from some other part of the boat, and bedlam would again break loose. The officers had my commiseration; I exercised all my authority to preserve order and would willingly have done anything that lay in my power to have alleviated their sufferings, for it is not surprising that men brought up in machine shops, rolling mills, foundries and like places should be possessed of rather sensitive nerves.
We arrived back at Newbern, the morning of the 18th, having had a pleasant excursion of about 400 miles, and if we could have had our band with us the thing would have been complete. It seems the object of our visit to Plymouth was for the officers of the expedition to consult with the military and naval officers at that station in regard to the expediency of dislodging the enemy’s forces at Rainbow bluff, a point some 30 miles up the river, which prevents our boats from ascending higher up, and which they cannot shell out. At the council of officers it was decided that if we should succeed in capturing it, it would be without results, as it is of no military consequence to us, and that it would be unwise to risk men in an enterprise that would be barren in results. Hence our return to Newbern.
Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Museum purchase through the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program.
salted paper print with applied color sight 6 1/2 x 4 1/2 in. (16.5 x 11.4 cm) oval.
Smithsonian American Art Museum image.
Civil War Portrait 016
OCTOBER 20TH.—The news from Kentucky is very vague. It seems there has been a battle, which resulted favorably for us, so far as the casualties are concerned. But then Bragg has fallen back forty miles, and is probably retiring toward Cumberland Gap, that he may not be taken in the rear by the enemy’s forces lately at Corinth.
The President intends suspending the Conscription Act in Western Virginia, for the purpose, no doubt, of organizing an army of Partisan Rangers in that direction,
It seems, from recent Northern papers received in this city, that the elections in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana have gone against the Abolitionists. What then? If the war should be waged by the Democrats for the restoration of the Union, and waged according to the rules of civilized nations, respecting non-combatants, and exempting private property from pillage, it would be a still more formidable war than that now waged against us.
I have just received the following note from the Secretary:
…
“OCTOBER 17th, 1862.
“MR. J. B. JONES will hereafter refer all applicants for passports to Gen. Smith’s Adjutant-General, and grant none from the department.
“GEORGE W. RANDOLPH,
“Sec. of War.”
…
Neither the acting Assistant Secretary, nor Mr. Kean, with his whole alphabet of initials, could be certain whether the order referred merely to applicants to go out of the Confederacy, or all applicants of whatever kind. If the latter, I am functus officio, so far as passports are concerned. But Capt. Kean says there is plenty of work for me to do; and I presume I will not be entirely out of employment.
I took a good look at Mr. Randolph today. He is thin, frail. His face is pale, and will soon be a mass of wrinkles, although he is not over forty. His eyes are extremely small, blue, and glisten very much.
October 20.—A skirmish took place on the Cumberland River, a few miles from Nashville, Tenn., between a considerable force of rebel cavalry under General Forrest, and a body of Union troops under the command of Colonel Miller, in which the rebels were driven across the river with some loss. A number of prisoners, including a colonel, were taken.
—Five hundred cases of yellow fever were reported in Wilmington, N. C. The mortality was very great, thirty or forty dying daily. The publication of the Journal newspaper had to be suspended, as almost all the hands necessary to carry on the work were sick with the fever.
—President Lincoln issued an order establishing a Provisional Court for the State of Louisiana, and appointing Charles A. Peabody, of New-York, to be a Provisional Judge to hold the court.—(Doc. 11.)
—Major Woodson, of the Tenth cavalry, Missouri State militia, attacked a band of rebel guerrillas on Auxvois River, dispersed them, killing and wounding several, capturing arms, ammunition, blankets, and horses.—The Twenty-seventh regiment Maine volunteers, left Portland this morning for the seat of war.
—Lieutenant-colonel James Stuart, with a portion of the Tenth Illinois cavalry, attacked two hundred rebel cavalry near Marshfield, Mo., this day, completely routing and disorganizing them, and capturing twenty-seven prisoners.— The plantations in the vicinity of President’s Island, on the Mississippi, were burned to-day in retaliation for an attack upon the steamer Catahoula by the rebels.
