April 29. — At 6 the first bridge was begun, and at 7 it was completed. About 8.30 we all started for the lower crossing, where we had been repulsed in our attempt at crossing. At 9 o’clock our men, protected by rifle-pits, opened a sharp fire on the enemy posted in their pits, and soon made them start from them, they leaving one by one. Our artillery then opened on them, and I saw one man knocked plump over by one of our solid shots. Whenever a rebel attempted to run from one pit to another, or showed himself in any way, our men would open on him, and if he was hit, a shout would be raised by every one. It was pleasant for us who were not under fire to see the devils knocked over. Soon a few boat-loads of men were thrown over the river. As soon as our men appeared on the opposite bank, there was a stampede of the rebels from all the rifle-pits and houses along the bank, and then there was a race, our men running and firing at the enemy as they went along. As we came to the different pits, our men would pull out the rebels, and send them over the river. From one pit a white rag was shown, and one of our men pulled three rebs out of it. Over a hundred prisoners were caught here. The bridges were laid here by 11 o’clock, the enemy shelling us towards 10 o’clock, but without any damage. At 12 o’clock, I reached camp, and immediately went to sleep, not having had any for twenty-four hours. In the morning, I was sent three different times to General Sedgwick: once with the message that General Russell had refused to obey General Benham’s orders; the second time, that General Russell had refused to obey General B.’s orders, and that he had put him under arrest; and the third time, to ascertain how many bridges General S. wished.
Monday, April 29, 2013
April 29, Wednesday. The atmosphere is thick with rumors of army movements. Hooker is reported to have crossed the river. Not unlikely a portion of his force has done so, and all may. That there may be a battle imminent is not improbable. I shall not be surprised, however, if only smart skirmishes take place.
Admiral Lee writes me that in his opinion there is no such force in Suffolk as Dix and others represent. General Dix, like most of our generals, cries aloud for gunboats and naval protection, but is not inclined to be grateful, or even just to his defenders.
Near Richmond, Wednesday, April 29. Awakened at 2 A. M. with orders to march before daylight. Everything ready accordingly, but did not start until an hour after sunrise. Crossed the bayou about two miles from where we started on a rude pontoon built across a barge. Marched through a thick wooded bottom three miles, then recrossed the bayou on a similar bridge. Open country once more. Encamped early within two miles of where we crossed the river. Teams sent back after forage and rations. Very tired. Gnats very bad.
April 29—We left this morning. The regiment was two miles on the road when we got orders to return. But Tom Tiotter and myself marched ahead of the regiment, and had got four miles before we had found out that the regiment was not in our rear. When we got back we were laughed at for our smartness.
Wednesday Night, April 29.—On Saturday Mr. —— and myself went up to Cedar Hill, and he attempted to go to Fredericksburg; when he reached Hamilton’s Crossings he found it impossible to go on—conveyances were so scarce and the roads so terrible. He had the pleasure to dine, by invitation, at General Jackson’s head-quarters. That night he spent with his old friend, Mr. M. Garnett. Once having every luxury which could be desired, he now lives in his desolated house, surrounded by down-trodden fields, without fences, trees, or vegetation of any sort. His servants, except a few faithful ones, have deserted him; his horses and stock of all kinds have been swept away; his sons in the army; and he is cheerful and buoyed with hope, not for himself, but for the cause: good old patriot as he is, forgetting his own privations in zeal for his country. On Sunday Mr. —— heard an admirable sermon at head-quarters (General Jackson’s) from the Rev. Mr. Lacy, a Presbyterian chaplain, and returned home on Monday, having found it impossible to fulfil the object of his trip, that of preaching to the soldiers in Fredericksburg.
Sunday Night.—Very sweet services in our little church to-day. The subject of the sermon was, “Woe to them who are at ease in Zion.” Mr. found a note on the pulpit from a Georgia soldier, asking the prayers of the congregation for himself and his family at home. The extemporaneous prayer after the sermon, offered for him, was most earnestly and tearfully joined in by all.
by John Beauchamp Jones
APRIL 29TH—Gen. Beauregard is eager to have completed the “Torpedo Ram,” building at Charleston, and wants a “great gun” for it. But the Secretary of the Navy wants all the iron for mailing his gun-boats. Mr. Miles, of South Carolina, says the ram will be worth two gun-boats.
The President of the Manassas Gap Railroad says his company is bringing all its old iron to the city. Wherefore?
The merchants of Mobile are protesting against the impressment by government agents of the sugar and molasses in the city. They say this conduct will double the prices. So Congress did not and cannot restrain the military authorities.
Gen. Humphrey Marshall met with no success in Kentucky. He writes that none joined him, when he was led to expect large accessions, and that he could get neither stock nor hogs. Alas, poor Kentucky! The brave hunters of former days have disappeared from the scene.
The Secretary of War was not permitted to see my letter which the President referred to him, in relation to an alphabetical analysis of the decisions of the departments. The Assistant Secretary, Judge Campbell, and the young Chief of the Bureau of War, sent it to the Secretary of the Navy, who, of course, they knew had no decisions to be preserved. Mr. Kean, I learn, indorsed a hearty approval of the plan, and said he would put it in operation in the War Office. But he said (with his concurrence, no doubt) that Judge Campbell had suggested it some time before. Well, that may be, but I first suggested it a year ago, and before either Mr. K. or Judge Campbell were in office. Office makes curious changes in men! Still, I think Mr. Seddon badly used in not being permitted to see the communications the President sends him. I have the privilege, and will use it, of sending papers directly to the Secretary.
Gen. Lee telegraphs the President to-day to send troops to Gordonsville, and to hasten forward supplies. He says Lt.-Gen. Longstreet’s corps might now be sent from Suffolk to him. Something of magnitude is on the tapis, whether offensive or defensive, I could not judge from the dispatch.
We had hail this evening as large as pullets’ eggs.
The Federal papers have accounts of brilliant successes in Louisiana and Missouri, having taken 1600 prisoners in the former State and defeated Price at Cape Girardeau in the latter. Whether these accounts are authentic or not we have no means of knowing yet. We have nothing further from Mississippi.
It is said there is some despondency in Washington.
Our people will die in the last ditch rather than be subjugated and see the confiscation of their property.
April 29.—This morning about five o’clock, a courier dashed into Fredericksburgh, Va., with the startling, exciting intelligence that the Yankees were crossing the Rappahannock in that vicinity. Immediately the Episcopal church bell, the ring of which had been previously agreed upon as a signal, sounded the alarm, and the streets presented a busy spectacle of military preparation, and women and children leaving the scene of danger.—Richmond Examiner, May 1.
—Fairmount, Va., was this day captured by strong rebel force under General William E. Jones, after a desperate resistance and contest by the garrison of the place, under the command of Captain Chamberlain, of the One Hundred and Sixth New-York volunteers. The Union party had only one of their number killed and four wounded, while the rebels had nearly one hundred killed and wounded.—(Doc. 178.)
—General Stahel, with about two thousand cavalry and a light battery, left Fairfax Court-House on Monday morning last, to make a reconnoissance in force toward Warrenton and the Blue Ridge, taking the Aldie Pike. The column moved on to Aldie without meeting any force of the enemy. Several captures of Mosby’s bushwhackers were made, some on foot, who were hoping to pick off a scout or two for the sake of the horses. At Aldie the advance-guard run a small party of Mosby’s men out of the town, capturing three. From Aldie to Middleburgh light skirmishing was continued on all sides with guerrillas.
At Middleburgh, Mosby, who preceded the command up the road with about fifteen men, succeeded in getting from fifty to sixty together. A charge through the town by the advance-guard routed them, however, and drove them to the woods beyond, from which they were dislodged and scattered by a half-dozen shells from Captain Daniels’s battery.
Camping at Middleburgh on Monday night, scouting-parties were sent out toward Snicker’s and Ashby’s Gaps, but found nothing but scattered bodies of guerrillas.
Yesterday the march was resumed to Salem. Skirmishing with other parties of guerrillas took place along the route, and at Salem, Mosby, with one hundred and fifty men, was driven from the place. From Salem the column moved on to White Plains, which place was reached about dark. Here a rebel lieutenant in Stuart’s command was found, who was wounded. From White Plains the force made a night-march back to Middleburgh. Halting a few hours, they moved on to Aldie, which place they reached about four o’clock. After resting a few hours at Aldie, the line of march was taken, and the troops reached camp about five o’clock this morning.
This reconnoissance demonstrated that there was no regular force of the rebels in the valley between the Bull Run mountains and the Blue Ridge.
—Grand Gulf, Miss., was this day attacked by a fleet of seven U. S. gunboats under the command of Admiral Porter. After a bombardment of five hours’ duration, the rebel batteries were silenced, but not without considerably damaging the hulls of the fleet, and killing twenty and wounding a large number of their crews.— (Doc. 179.)
Wednesday, April 29th. Left Natchitoches at 9 o’clock p. m. on Tuesday and had a very disagreeable ride, taking all night to get to Dutchman Cumberlando to breakfast; ate a strip of bacon and a piece of corn bread for which he charged me a dollar, and that on the heels of an invective against extortions and speculators. I saw on the road to-day large numbers of negroes from the lower parishes of Louisiana whose masters were retreating from the Yankee vandals; saw the tracks of several severe whirlwinds, which have occurred in the last three weeks; was quite sick for a while this afternoon and was not improved by hearing that all stragglers and recruits belonging across the Mississippi were to be detained on this side of Red river; reached Mansfield about 4:30 this afternoon; saw two young ladies riding on horseback; they worked very hard and their arms seemed to be in their way, dangled about very ungracefully; they, however, appeared to enjoy the ride very much.
