Camp on Little River, Va. – The March to Gettysburg; drawing by Edwin Forbes; June 23, 1863.
Library of Congress image.
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June 23d. The forenoon of this day pleasant, but afternoon and evening squally and rainy. Firing at intervals heard at Port Hudson during the whole day.
June 23d, 1863.
Once more we are on the wing. Yesterday morning we were ordered to be ready to march when called on. Of course, the men do not expect to stay anywhere, but it always comes a little tough to leave a pleasant camp just as they get comfortably settled. But military orders are inexorable, and, in spite of regrets, we “struck tents, slung knapsacks,” and started on our winding way among the hills. This part of the country is made up of ranges of high hills separated by ravines down which the water has cut channels from ten to twenty feet deep. We marched about three miles on the road leading to Vicksburg and halted on the top of a high hill just large enough to hold our regiment. It was plowed last spring and planted to cotton. Colonel Luce looked indignant, the company officers grumbled, the men swore. General Welch regretted, but Major General Parks ordered the left to rest here, and it rested. But Colonel Luce could still do something. Ordering us in line, he said: “Men, you need not pitch your tents in line in this open field; go where you can make yourselves most comfortable, only be on hand when the bugle sounds.” Three cheers and a tiger for Colonel Luce, then a wild break for trees, brush; anything to shelter us from the fierce rays of a Southern sun. We are now nine miles from Vicksburg by the road, six miles in a direct line. We can distinctly hear musketry at that place, which has been kept up almost incessantly the last three days. At intervals the cannonading is terrific. Our Orderly Sergeant rode over there yesterday, to see his brother. He says Grant’s rifle pits are not more than twenty-five rods from the Rebels, and woe to the man on either side who exposes himself to the marksmanship of the other. As near as I can learn, matters remain about as they were three weeks ago. Unless General Grant succeeds in mining some of their works, thus affecting an entrance, he will be compelled to starve them out.
We would think, in Michigan, such land as this utterly unfit for cultivation. But the highest hills are cultivated and planted with corn or cotton. Corn, even on the highest hills, I have never seen excelled in growth of stalk. One would naturally suppose that in this hilly country water of good quality would abound. Such is not the fact. Soon as we broke ranks I started out in quest of water. I followed a ravine about half a mile, then crossed over to another, but found none. Blackberries being plentiful, I filled my cap and returned to camp. Some of the boys had been more successful, and after resting a few minutes I took another direction, for water we must have. This time I followed a ridge about half a mile, then began to descend—down, down, I went, seemingly into the very bowels of the earth, and when I reached the bottom found a stagnant pool of warm, muddy water. Making a virtue of necessity, I filled my canteen, returned to camp, made some coffee, ate my berries, with a very little hardtack, and went to bed to dream of “limpid streams and babbling brooks.”
This morning my comrade and I arose with the early dawn and started out in search of berries, which we found in great abundance.
A strange stillness pervades our hitherto noisy and tumultous camp. The men are scattered in every direction, lounging listlessly in the shade, not caring even to play cards, so oppressive is the heat. I am sitting in the shade of a mulberry tree, Collier lying on the ground near by; we alternately write or lounge as the mood takes us. Most assuredly I never felt the heat in Michigan as I feel it here. Yet men can work in this climate, and northern men, too. The Eighth and Twentieth have been throwing up fortifications for several days.
June 23.— The general routed us all up this morning at 6 o’clock, to be ready to go out with him. At 8 o’clock our cavalry escort of 20 men, with a regiment of infantry, started for Moran’s Cross-roads, about two miles from headquarters. The cavalry rode ahead and formed a line near the cross-roads, while our infantry went into the woods on this side as skirmishers. We found no one in the woods, however. We stopped at Coleman’s house, where our guide was caught the other day. It was undoubtedly Mosby who took him. In the afternoon three ladies and two gentlemen drove up here from Washington. They were Mrs. Dana, Mrs. Ames, and Miss Green, daughter of General Green. They spent the night here, and in the evening a band came over to serenade them. General Howard was ordered this evening to proceed to Harper’s Ferry. The day was pleasant and cool. The evenings are still quite chilly. Received a letter from Hannah and Father.
June 23 — Another attempt was made last night to charge the enemy trenches by six Co’s of our regiment and a squad of Georgians which was successful. We drove them back and filled up their ditch, but our regiment suffered severely. We had twenty one killed and wounded. George Loy of Co. B. was killed and Andy Hughes and Wm. Boles as wounded. Though it is said the Yankees occupy the same ground again today that they did yesterday. Andy Hughes died today. Loy was not killed instantly but die d early this morning. W. R. Clack
July 23d. [actually June 23d] Early this morning General French was directed to turn over the command at Gainsville to General Zook, French having been assigned to the command of Harper’s Ferry. This was most agreeable news for both French and Zook. French was delighted to go to Harper’s Ferry and Zook to get an independent command. He immediately issued an order assuming command and announced me as the adjutant-general of the post. The command consists of Arnold’s First Rhode Island battery, two squadrons of cavalry, our own brigade, and the Third division, lately French’s, amounting altogether to about three thousand men.
Zook promptly made himself acquainted with the position of the troops and the character of the ground. He established a picket line personally, completely surrounding the camp with detachments of cavalry, pushed well out on every road converging on the place, also mounted patrols, who kept up communication between the pickets and our headquarters.
June 23.—The State of New-York responded nobly to the call for troops to drive the rebels from the soil of Pennsylvania and Maryland. Twenty regiments at this time had been armed, equipped, and supplied with subsistence and transportation, and had gone to Harrisburgh and Baltimore. Sixteen of these regiments moved from New-York, two from Brooklyn, and two from Buffalo. The following is a list of the regiments that had left: The Seventh, Eleventh, Twelfth, Thirteenth, Twenty-second, Twenty-third, Twenty-eighth, Thirty-seventh, Forty-seventh, Fifty-second, Sixty-ninth, Sixth, Seventy fourth, Seventy-first, Sixty-fifth, Fifty-sixth, Fifth, Thirty-second, Fifty-fifth, Fourth artillery, and a consolidated regiment from Staten Island.
—The Raleigh (N. C.) Standard of this date favored a convention of all the States, to procure peace, either by reconstruction of the Union or by peaceable separation.—Rev. R. I. Graves, of Hillsboro, N. C., who was committed on the fourth of February last, on the charge of treason to the rebel government, was discharged, through the efforts of W. A. Graham.—The London Times publishes an elaborate article against the employment of negroes, as soldiers, in the army of the United States.
—In the Missouri State Convention, Governor Gamble, Chairman of the Committee on Emancipation, presented the following ordinance from the majority of the committee:
First. That the first and second clauses of the Twenty-sixth Section of the Third Article of the Constitution be abrogated.
Second. That slavery, or involuntary servitude, except for the punishment of crime, shall cease to exist in Missouri on the fourth of July, 1876; and that all the slaves within this State on that day be hereby declared free.
Third. That all slaves hereafter brought into the State, not now belonging to citizens of the State, shall thereupon be free.
Fourth. That all slaves, removed by the consent of their owners to any seceded State, after the passage of the ordinance of secession, and hereafter brought into this State by then-owners, shall thereupon be free.
Fifth. The General Assembly shall have no power to pass laws to emancipate slaves without the consent of their owners.
A minority report was also submitted, abrogating some clauses of the Constitution as above, declaring slavery abolished on the first of January, 1864, provided they and their issue be apprenticed to their former owners until the fourth of July, 1876; requiring the Legislature to pass laws regulating the relation between said apprentices and their masters, to secure them humane treatment, necessary education, and providing against importation or emigration of any negro or mulatto in the State. No future assessment of slave property shall be collected, nor shall the right to the services of apprentices be subject to taxation. Provisions were also made to submit the ordinance to a vote of the people.
—Colonel S. H. Saunders returned to Boston, Kentucky, from the expedition sent by General Burnside, into East-Tennessee, and reported as follows:
“I arrived here with my command at eleven o’clock this morning. I struck the railroad at Lenoir, destroyed the road up to Knoxville, made demonstrations against Knoxville, so as to have the troops drawn from above, destroyed the track, and started for Strawberry Plains; burnt Slate Creek Bridge, three hundred and twelve feet long, and the Strawberry Plain Bridge, one thousand six hundred feet long, and also Mossy Creek Bridge, three hundred and twenty-five feet long. I captured three pieces of artillery, some two hundred boxes artillery ammunition, over five hundred prisoners, ten thousand stand of arms, destroyed a large amount of salt, sugar, flour, meal, saltpetre, and one saltpetre works, and other stores. My command is much fatigued. We have had but two nights’ sleep since leaving Williamsburgh. The force in East Tennessee was larger than I had supposed. I did not attack Loudon Bridge, for reasons that I will explain. At Mossy Creek I determined to return. In the mountains I had very great difficulties that were unexpected. I found the gaps, through which I intended to return, strongly guarded with artillery and infantry, and blockaded with fallen timber. A force was also following in our rear. I determined to cross at Smith’s Gap, which I did.”
—Chambersburgh, Pa., was reoccupied by the rebels, under General Rodes; and the National troops, commanded by General Knipe, retreated to the main body.
—The rebel sloop, John Wesley, which had evaded the blockade of St Mark’s, Fla., on the thirteenth, was captured by the Union steamer Circassian.—The Fifth regiment of Massachusetts volunteers, whose term of service had expired, arrived at Fortress Monroe, from Newbern, N. C., and again volunteered their services to General Dix.—The Union gunboat Sumter was sunk off Cape Henry.—Several wagons, with ammunition, forage, and other articles belonging to the National troops, were destroyed by a party from Mosby’s rebel cavalry, on the Chantilly road, near Bull Run, Va.—The sloop Kate, from Nassau, N. P., was captured in Indian River, Fla., by the Union bark, Pursuit.
by John Beauchamp Jones
JUNE 23D.—From the army on the Potomac we have a dispatch from Lee, saying there have been several cavalry engagements during the last week, wherein our arms were successful. Lee will soon electrify us with another movement of his grand army,—such is the general belief.
From the West we learn that on Saturday last, Grant, no doubt driven to desperation by our occupation of Milliken’s Bend cutting off his supplies and reinforcements, made a more furious attempt than ever to take Vicksburg by assault, and was repulsed disastrously. His loss is estimated at between 7000 and 10,000 men. Pemberton is now greatly praised by many people, while some of our officers shake their heads and say he is fighting with the halter around his neck, and that if he were not to fight and hold out to the last, his own men would hang him.
Notwithstanding the immense amount of goods brought in daily, the prices keep high.
Tuesday, 23d.—Pretty heavy firing on lines last night; reported 57th Georgia captured a lieutenant-colonel and six privates.
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