Near Oxford, Friday, Dec. 19. Bright and sunny. The delightful weather succeeded in enticing most of the boys from their well worn decks and cribbage boards, bringing them out in ball playing, pitching quoits, etc. Tallied for an interesting game of base ball.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
December 19—We got away from the open field at 12 M., and went two miles out of town, and camped in the woods. We met the Bethel regiment to-day. I met quite a number of old friends and comrades of my old company. We compared notes on soldiering. We came to the conclusion that at Yorktown we were playing soldier, but now there is no play in it. We are expecting a fight every hour.
December 19.—To-day Colonel Dickey, in command of a detachment of Union cavalry, returned with his command to camp near Oxford, Miss., after an absence of six days on a scouting expcdition, during which time he and his party marched about two hundred miles, worked two days at the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, of which they destroyed thirty-four miles, captured one hundred and fifty prisoners, and a large amount of rebel stores, and returned, passing around a body of rebels numbering nine to one, and reached camp without having a man killed, wounded, or captured.— (Doc. 77.)
—Yesterday a party of General Stuart’s rebel cavalry captured a train of twenty-six wagons laden with army supplies, at Occoquan, Va., and to-day twelve of them were recaptured by a squadron of Union cavalry under Colonel Rush, after a sharp fight, in which the rebels were defeated, they having to destroy the remainder of the wagons in their flight.—The funeral obsequies of the late Brigadier-General George Dashiel Bayard, took place this day at Princeton, N. J.— Rev. Dr. McPheters, of Saint Louis, Mo., was ordered by the Provost-Marshal General to leave the State within ten days for encouraging the rebellion, and sustaining disloyalty in his church. —A general dissolution of President Lincoln’s Cabinet was announced.—The Legislature of Connecticut adopted a resolution declaring its confidence in the President of the United States, and pledging itself to support and sustain him in the prosecution of all measures which might be found necessary to suppress the rebellion.
DECEMBER 19TH.–Gen. Burnside acknowledges a loss of up-wards of 5000, which is good evidence here that his loss was not less than 15,000. The Washington papers congratulate themselves on the escape of their army, and say it might have been easily captured by Lee. They propose, now, going into winter quarters.
We have nothing further from North Carolina or Mississippi. Gen. Banks’s expedition had passed Hilton Head.
A Mr. Bunch, British Consul, has written an impudent letter to the department, alleging that an Irishman, unnaturalized, is forcibly detained in one of our camps. He says his letters have not been answered, which was great discourtesy, and he means to inform Lord John Russell of it. This letter was replied to in rather scathing terms, as the Irishman had enlisted and then deserted. Besides, we are out of humor with England now, and court a French alliance.The President was at Chattanooga on the 15th instant; and writes the Secretary that he has made some eight appointments of brigadiers, and promotions to major-generals. Major-Gen. Buckner is assigned to command at Mobile.
We are straightened for envelopes, and have taken to turning those we receive. This is economy; something new in the South. My family dines four or five times a week on liver and rice. We cannot afford anything better; others do not live so well.Custis and I were vaccinated to-day, with the rest of the officers of the department.
The Northern papers now want the Federal army to go into winter quarters. This was, confessedly, to be the final effort to take Richmond. It failed. Many of the people regard the disaster of Burnside as the harbinger of peace. [click to continue…]
