FEBRUARY 14TH. —A beautiful day. Yet Gen. Lee is giving furloughs, two to each company. If the weather should be dry, perhaps Hooker will advance: a thing desired by our people, being confident of his destruction.
The papers issued extras to-day with news from the Northwest, based upon the account of a “reliable gentleman,” who has just run the blockade. He says Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois have resolved to meet in convention, at Frankfort, Ky., for the purpose of seceding from the United States, and setting up a confederacy for themselves, or joining the Southern Confederacy. I fear the “reliable gentleman” is not to be relied upon. Yet it would be well for the Western States, a just retribution to New England, and a very great relief to us.
Gen. Lee is urging the department to have the meat at Atlanta brought to his army without delay. It is here the army will be wanted.
I saw pigs to-day, not six weeks old, selling in market at $10 a piece.
I met Col. Bledsoe to-day, on a visit to the city, who told me Fenelon never tasted meat, and lived to be ninety years old. I am no Fenelon, but I shall probably have to adopt his regimen. I would barter, however, some of his years for a good supply of food. We must have peace soon, or a famine.
Saturday, 14th—Remained quiet today. I and Nix went to see Miss Jennie Lane. Miss Mattie still there.
February 14.— A squadron of the Fifth Michigan cavalry regiment was surprised at Annandale, Va., by a superior force of rebels, and were forced to retreat with a loss of fifteen killed and missing and several wounded.—The rebel steamer Era No. Five, laden with four thousand five hundred bushels of corn, was this day captured in the Red River, La., by the United States gunboat Queen of the West, under the command of Colonel Charles R. Ellet.
—The United States gunboat Queen of the West got aground near Gordon’s Landing, Red River, La., in full range of a powerful rebel battery which poured into her several volleys of shot and shell, cutting the steam-pipe, thereby necessitating her abandonment.—(Doc. 105.)
Friday, 13th.—Orders to be ready to go into entrenchments at a moment’s notice.
London, February 13, 1863
The last week here has been politically very quiet. I am surprised at it, for I thought that the meeting of Parliament would set the floods going. Lord Derby, however, put his foot on any interference with us, on the first night of the session, and so we have obtained a temporary quiet. But the feeling among the upper classes is more bitter and angry than ever, and the strong popular feeling of sympathy with us is gradually dividing the nation into aristocrats and democrats, and may produce pretty serious results for England.
Society is beginning. As it is almost certainly the last season I shall pass in London, I intend to see all I can. Society in London certainly has its pleasures, and I found an example of this, the other evening. We were asked to dinner at the Duke of Argyll’s, who is a warm friend of ours, as well as the Duchess who is daughter of the anti-slavery Duchess of Sutherland. The party was evidently asked on purpose to meet us. There was Lord Clyde, who always has his hair on end and never seems to talk; Charles P. Villiers, a friendly member of the Cabinet; Charles Howard, a brother of Lord Carlisle; John Stuart Mill the logician and economist, a curious looking man with a sharp nose, a wen on his forehead and a black cravat, to whom I took particular pains to be introduced, as I think him about the ablest man in England; very retiring and embarrassed in his manner, and a mighty weapon of defense for our cause in this country. Then there was the famous physician, Dr. Brown-Séquard; then Professor Owen, the famous naturalist, geologist, palæontologist and so on, whom I have met before. Then came Lord Frederick Cavendish whom you know…. You know your friend “Lord Fwedewick’s” style of costume in America. It’s not much better here. If a man chooses to neglect rules he can do it in London though not with impunity. As for example, our friend and cousin the phenomenon who has just graduated at the university with much lower honors than we had hoped for him….
February 13—Nothing new. We have been fixing our camps. Our company has built log huts, from two to three feet high, and then put our tents over them—building a chimney to each hut or tent, and we are very comfortable. We got orders to cook two days’ rations, and be ready to march in two hours, but did not have to go—in fact, nothing new until the 25th.
From Colonel Lyon’s Letters.
Fort Henry, Feb. 13, 1863.—No excitement here now about an attack, yet we may have a fight in a week. These matters are all uncertain. Secesh comes like a thief in the night. We are always ready.
13th. When Chester came over we talked about going to Mr. Rice’s in the evening and concluded we wouldn’t go, so went over to Capt. N.’s and got him to give our regrets, etc. Saw the other boys before dark and none of them was going. I prefer staying in camp, a soldier’s home.
Friday, 13th—The mail today brought me a letter from Jason Sparks and the monotony of camp duties was broken with good news from home. The weather is quite warm and we no longer need fires in our tents. Things are growing very fast and the farmers in this locality are planting their corn.
13th.—Still in Richmond, nursing B. He was wounded this day two months ago; but such fluctuations I have never witnessed in any case. We have more hope now, because his appetite has returned. I sent over to market this morning for partridges and eggs for him, and gave 75 cents apiece for the one, and $1.50 per dozen for the other. I am afraid that our currency is rapidly depreciating, and the time is approaching when, as in the old Revolution, a man had to give $300 for a breakfast. Mrs. P. came in to scold me for my breach of good manners in buying any thing in her house. I confessed myself ashamed of it, but that I would be more ashamed to disturb her whenever B’s capricious appetite required indulgence. I have never seen more overflowing hospitality than that of this household. Many sick men are constantly refreshed from the bounties of the table; and supplies from the larder seem to be at the command of every soldier. One of the elegant parlours is still in the occupancy of the wounded soldier brought here with B.; his wound was considered slight, but he suffers excessively from nervous debility, and is still unfit for service. I did feel uncomfortable that we should give Mrs. P. so much trouble, until she told me that, having no sons old enough for service, and her husband being unable to serve the country personally, except as a member of the “Ambulance Committee,” they had determined that their house should be at the service of the soldiers. Last summer, during the campaigns around Richmond, they took in seven wounded men, some of whom had to be nursed for months.
