Tuesday, 5th—Came to Gifford’s blacksmith shop. Albright had swapped horses, had two shoes put on, got dinner and came on to Joe Carter’s. A. had two more shoes put on, went on to Griggs and got supper. A. and Maze of Petticord’s Company came on. We came four miles to Joe Sullivan’s; left A. there. I and Maze went over to Jordan Carr’s. Yanks all through here yesterday.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
May 5th. Commences with a sky overcast and cloudy, and thunder and lightning, precursors of a storm; finished repairing Albatross’s wheel broken in action of 4th inst.; at three A. M., at daylight, sent a party on shore to dig a grave; at five fifteen sent the body of Mr. Hamilton, pilot, on shore, in charge of Lieut. Watson, for interment; the grave was dug on the left bank of the river, a short distance below Col. Ackelon’s house; at eight A. M., got under way, and steamed down the river, Albatross and Sachem in company with us; at eleven o’clock saw a flat boat ahead crossing the river opposite Bayou Sara, having two hogsheads of sugar on board; called one gun’s crew to quarters, and fired the Sawyer rifle on forecastle ahead of same to bring it to, and sent the second cutter in charge of an officer and an armed crew to take it in tow; took her in tow, and brought her alongside of us and made her fast: received a white man and boy, and several negroes, prisoners from off the scow, on board; at eleven forty-five called all hands to bring ship to anchor; at twelve, noon, came to anchor five miles above Port Hudson; at one P. M., the Albatross and Sachem engaged shelling the woods on the point opposite Port Hudson, and in burning two frame buildings used by rebel pickets. Making signals from masthead to U. S. sloop-of-war Richmond, and receiving answers from her to same; paroled the two white prisoners; received no mail this time from lower fleet.
Tuesday, 5th.—Reported great victory in Virginia; also that General Forrest had captured 1,600 prisoners near Rome, Ga. Moved one and one-half miles.
Near Black River, Tuesday, May 5. A fine day. Health good. Lay quiet all the morning until 2 P. M. Orders came to hitch up a howitzer and a rifle piece; first and third pieces made ready and fell in with 5th and 10th Iowa Infantry and four companies of cavalry on a reeonnoitering expedition. Colonel Boomer in charge. Waited three quarters of an hour at the river to finish the bridge, when the cavalry crossed and started on, the bridge consisting of three flat-boats tied together endways, which reached across. Passed through a half mile of very swampy bottom, then came into an open country with fine plantations. Marched briskly on the road to Vicksburg, about four miles, then rested. General McPherson passed to the front and returned in about an hour, ordering us to retrace our steps as soon as possible as there was much need of us there and the roads were bad. Returned on full trot and came into camp a little after dark.
Tuesday, 5th—The Fourth Iowa Cavalry passed here this morning. It is a fine regiment of horse. Four hundred and forty-four rebel prisoners captured at Grand Gulf were taken by here this morning to be sent to our prisons in the North; they are a hard-looking set of men. News came today that our men have taken Grand Gulf with two thousand prisoners. If this is true it gives us a road to Vicksburg over high ground, which means the fall of Vicksburg.
May 5.—I had quite a treat to-day— have been with a party, horseback riding, to the top of Lookout Mountain. I do not know how many feet its elevation is, but the road we took was four miles from the base. It is a made one, and many parts of it is cut out of solid rock; some portions are very narrow, and it made me quite nervous and giddy to look back.
“Now wound the path its dizzy ledge
Around a precipice’s ledge;
Sometimes in dizzy steps ascending,
Sometimes in narrow circuit bending,
Sometimes in platform broad extending,
Its varying circuit did combine.”
When we reached the summit, the view from it was really entrancing.
We sat on the Point of Rocks, which is the furtherest point of the mountain, under the shade of some magnificent trees. The scene presented below was one of the most beautiful pictures I ever beheld. The Tennessee River, with its various windings, made the plain beneath look like many islands, on which were
“Deep waving fields and pastures green,
With gentle slopes and groves between.”
We sat for some time in perfect silence; I was completely awed; I thought of our Savior when he preached his memorable “sermon on the mount.” I am afraid we have not profited much by it, or we would not be as we are now.
I am told that on a clear day, with a good glass, seven states can be seen from the top of this mountain.
As we came down, a Mr. Chandler, who was with us, took us to a natural stone bridge, which was about a hundred feet high. A very fine spring of water gushed from the side of the rocks forming this bridge, making a perfect waterfall. The whole scene was like fairy land. I do not think that Switzerland or Scotland has any finer scenes than we have here. Had this country only poets to sing her beauties, I have no doubt they would be as famous as any in the old world.
5th May (Tuesday).—We breakfasted at Huntsville at 5.30 A.M. The Federal officers captured in the Harriet Lane are confined in the penitentiary there, and are not treated as prisoners of war. This seems to be the system now with regard to officers since the enlistment of negroes by the Northerners.
My fellow-travellers were mostly elderly planters or legislators, and there was one judge from Louisiana. One of them produced a pair of boots which had cost him $100; another showed me a common wideawake hat which had cost him $40. In Houston, I myself saw an English regulation infantry sword exposed for sale for $225 (£45).
As the military element did not predominate, my companions united in speaking with horror of the depredations committed in this part of the country by their own troops on a line of march.
We passed through a well-wooded country—pines and post oaks—the road bad: crossed the river Trinity at 12 noon, and dined at the house of a disreputable looking individual called a Campbellite minister, at 4.30 P.m. The food consisted almost invariably of bacon, corn bread, and buttermilk: a meal costing a dollar.
Arrived at Crockett at 9.30 P.m., where we halted for a few hours. A filthy bed was given to the Louisianian Judge and myself. The Judge, following my example, took to it boots and all, remarking, as he did so, to the attendant negro, that “they were a d—d sight cleaner than the bed.”
Before reaching Crockett, we passed through the encampment of Phillipps’s regiment of Texas Rangers, and we underwent much chaff. They were en route to resist Banks.
May 5, Tuesday. But little of importance at the Cabinet. The President read a brief telegram which he got last evening from General Hooker, to whom, getting nothing from the War Department, he had applied direct to ascertain whether the Rebels were in possession of the works on the heights of Fredericksburg. Hooker replied he believed it was true, but if so it was of no importance. This reply communicates nothing of operations, but the tone and whole thing — even its brevity — inspire right feelings. It is strange, however, that no reliable intelligence reaches us from the army of what it is doing, or not doing. This fact itself forebodes no good.
Sumner came in this afternoon and read to me from two or three documents — one the late speech of the Solicitor of the Treasury in the British Parliament on the matter of prize and prize courts — which are particularly favorable to our views in the Peterhoff case. From this we got on to the absorbing topic of the army under Hooker. Sumner is hopeful, and if he did not inspire me with his confidence, I was made glad by his faith. The President came in while we were discussing the subject, and, as is his way, at once earnestly participated. His suggestions and inferences struck me as probable, hopeful, nothing more. Like the rest of us, he wants facts; without them we have only surmises and surmises indicate doubt, uncertainty. He is not informed of occurrences as he should be, but is in the dark, with no official data, which confirms me in the belief that the War Department is in ignorance, for they would not withhold favorable intelligence from him, yet it is strange, very strange. In the absence of news the President strives to feel encouraged and to inspire others, but I can perceive he has doubts and misgivings, though he does not express them. Like my own, perhaps, his fears are the result of absence of facts, rather than from any information received.
5th. Rode into camp bright and early. Made a tent again and got some coffee. Cloudy and dark. Got dinner at a wealthy planter’s. We were all disgusted, so much superficiality. So little soul or mind. Marched towards the river. Ordered back to Somerset. Various reasons given. Many speculations. Got rations after stopping for night. Went two and a half miles and dealt with drunken Lt. Was angry and threatened him.
Private Simeon J. Crews of Co. F, 7th Texas Cavalry Regiment, with cut down saber and revolver
Medium: 1 photograph : quarter-plate ambrotype, hand-colored ; 12.4 x 10.1 cm (case)
Donated by Tom Liljenquist; 2012
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.
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Note: image may be reversed – image at Find A Grave shows image with pistol in right hand vice left.
Civil War Portrait 025
