June 30th. At eight in the morning the steamer St. Maurice came down the river with a load of contrabands,—men, women and children,—which she got off of some plantation near Red river. Brisk artillery and musketry firing heard in rear of Port Hudson all this day. At three thirty in the afternoon received a mail on board from the lower fleet.
June 2013
June 30 — Some picket fighting done last night to our right. Sharp shooting as usual today. 10 o’clock a.m. — pretty heavy cannonading to our right at this hour. We lie in the trenches every night. The sun has now set beneath the western horizon for the last time in June, ’63 and we are still in possession of Vicksburg. W.R.C.
Colonel Lyons.
Fort Donelson, June 30,1863.—Yesterday noon we had a terrific thunder storm. The building occupied by Lieut. Becker, of the artillery, in which was a large quantity of powder and loaded shell, was struck with lightning, the fluid tearing a gun to pieces within six inches of several barrels of powder. Had the powder ignited, the loss of life would have been fearful, as it is right in the midst of our camp. The escape was almost miraculous. Several men belonging to Flood’s Battery were knocked over, and one is seriously injured. He will probably lose his eyesight. Our magazine is now nearly done and we shall very soon have all our ammunition in it.
The troops at Fort Heiman have had a reverse. Lieut.Colonel Henry, the commander, took about 300 of his cavalry—nearly all he had—about a week ago, and went out on a scout. He got beyond Lexington, 70 or 80 miles from Fort Heiman, when he was attacked by a large force of rebels and his command was nearly all killed or captured. The Lieut.-Colonel of the 4th Missouri Cavalry was killed, and Lieut-Colonel Henry probably captured. Of course, when the remnant of the force at Fort Heiman heard of it they had a big scare and thought the rebels would be right on them. I sent Colonel McConnell over there Tuesday night with six bundred men and four pieces of artillery; but the scouts found no enemy near them, and the Colonel is marching back now, I suppose. How natural all this comes to the 13th, march, march, march—and no fight! Aren’t you sorry?
The guerillas don’t trouble us any, although we hear of them twenty, thirty and forty miles off. As they are living on their friends I don’t chase them. The rebel citizens are getting very sick of these fellows and beg us to send out forces after them. I tell them that they are only reaping the bitter fruits of their own folly, for they all encouraged the organization of these gangs.
[June 30th]
The enemy are making a bold effort and devastating a wide stretch of country. I trust this will prove our chance for ending the rebellion by utterly routing them. Weather very hot; remained all day in bivouac, awaiting orders. During the day the lame ducks came up and rejoined their colors.
This evening we hear Hooker has been relieved of the command, and that General Meade from the Fifth corps is appointed in his place. There is not an officer in the army, I think, who does not rejoice at the news. We saw enough of Hooker at Chancellorsville to assure us he was not capable of commanding an army like this.
by John Beauchamp Jones
JUNE 30TH.—Dispatches from the West show that we still held Vicksburg at the last dates; and, moreover, Gen. Taylor (son of Zachary Taylor) had stormed and taken the enemy’s fortifications at Berwick’s Bay, with the bayonet. We took 1000 prisoners, 10 large cannon, and many stores. Also that we had taken Thibbodauxville, and have thus cut off Banks from New Orleans.
5 O’CLOCK P. M.—The city is now in good humor, but not wild with exultation. We have what seems pretty authentic intelligence of the taking of HARRISBURG, the capital of Pennsylvania, the City of YORK, etc. etc. This comes on the flag of truce boat, and is derived from the enemy themselves. Lee will not descend to the retaliation instigated by petty malice; but proclaim to the inhabitants that all we desire is PEACE, not conquest.
From Vicksburg we have further information that, in springing his mine, Grant destroyed hundreds of his own men, and did us no injury. Also that a battery we have above Vicksburg had fired into some passing transports, doing great damage to life and boats. The troops landed, and failed to take the battery by assault, losing hundreds in addition.
Tuesday, 30th.—Very hot weather; nothing to protect us from the burning sun as we lie in ditches, except blankets stretched up, and they have to be very low to keep them from being shot to pieces.
June 29.—Another rainy day. We all feel very miserable. It is now 9 o’clock P. M., and the train from the army has not come in; many are afraid it has been captured. This anxiety is enough to kill any one. We do not know the moment that we may hear of a disaster to our army. It is supposed that Rosecrans is trying to outflank it. I do pity General Bragg from my heart. Every body now is against him. He has always had to fight under great disadvantages. He has to confront one of the best generals the Federals have, and at the present time part of his army is in Mississippi. General Morgan has gone on another raiding expedition into Kentucky. I do not like these raids; they do not seem right.
Yesterday a man died, by the name of Murphy, belonging to the Thirty-sixth Alabama Regiment; he was from Jackson County, Mississippi.
June 29.—At Philadelphia, Pa., there was much excitement on account of the approach of the rebels toward Gettysburgh. Business was suspended, and the people prepared themselves for defence.— (Doc. 85.)
—At Sykesville, Marriottsville, and other points in Maryland, the rebels appeared and committed depredations on public and private property.— Columbia, Pa., was placed under martial law, and Captain Samuel J. Randall, of the Philadelphia City Troop, was appointed Provost-Marshal; the citizens of the town were seized and sent to work on the intrenchments.—Wrightsville, Pa., was evacuated by the rebels.—The Forty-fifth regiment of Massachusetts volunteers, returned to Boston from Newbern, N. C.—National troops enforced the enrolment, and arrested deserters, in Sullivan and Green counties, Ind.—Captain Jones, with a detachment of the First New-York cavalry, had a sharp engagement with a party of rebel horsemen belonging to the command of General Imboden, at McConnellsburgh, Pa., defeating them and driving them out of the town.— (Doc. 85.)
—General Bragg abandoned his fortifications on the north side of Duck River, Tenn., and made a hasty retreat toward Tullahoma.—The rebels approached to a point on the Reistertown road seven miles from Baltimore, Md., creating a great excitement in that city.—A resolution calling on President Lincoln to restore General McClellan to command, passed the Common Council of Philadelphia.—A party of Colonel Sharpe’s scouts, nine in number, headed by Sergeant M.W. Kline, dashed into Hagerstown, Md., this morning, in the very rear of the enemy, and captured ten prisoners and a large rebel mail, which was on its way from the South to Lee’s army.—At Westminster, Md., a fight took place between a portion of the First regiment of Delaware cavalry and the rebel cavalry belonging to General Stuart’s division. About half-past three o’clock in the afternoon, a citizen informed the Nationals that the rebels were approaching, and the men were rapidly put in position. Lieutenant Clark, with twelve men, advanced to reconnoitre; he found about three hundred rebels coming down the Washington road, and heard that as many more had crossed from said road toward the rear of the Delaware encampment. The reconnoitring party then fell back to the main body and formed in front of the first platoon. Major Knight, who was in command of the Federal force, gave the order to charge, which was obeyed in gallant style. The rebels were driven back on the Washington road about two hundred yards. The fight lasted some fifteen or twenty minutes, sabres and pistols being freely used, when the Federals, overpowered by superior numbers, were in turn forced back. Just then it was discovered that a large force was coming up from the rear, and the order was given to retreat. Major Knight, Lieutenant Clark, and Adjutant Lobdell remained behind to the last, covering and directing the retreat. Clark had a ball pass through the rim of his hat, and one of his arms was very much bruised by the side-stroke of a sabre. These officers, with a number of men, reached Baltimore shortly after midnight There were about ninety-five men engaged on the Union side, consisting of Captain Corbett’s and Lieutenant Churchman’s companies. Captain Corbett had his horse shot, was wounded and taken prisoner. Lieutenant Churchman and Surgeon Shields were also captured. The Nationals had two killed, seven wounded, and thirty-eight missing. The names of the killed and wounded were as follows: killed, Daniel Welch and Wm. Vandegraft; wounded, Joseph Wilson, Samuel Bigler, James Newkirk, Frank Stewart, Dickinson Meredith, Theodore Jones, and Robert Machin. Of the rebels, two lieutenants and one private were killed, and fifteen wounded. The rebel dead were buried by the Union troops after Stuart left Westminster. Their wounded were left behind.—Baltimore American.
—General Shipley, Military Governor of Louisiana, issued an order calling upon the citizens of New-Orleans for a brigade of volunteers to serve for sixty days in defence of the city.— This day Rear-Admiral Porter, being informed by General Dennis, commanding the post at Young’s Point, on the Mississippi River, that the National negro troops at Goodrich’s Landing had been attacked by the rebels, directed General Ellet to proceed with the Marine Brigade to the scene of action, and remain there until every thing was quiet. The hindmost vessel of the brigade, the John Haines, arrived there as the rebels were setting fire to the Government plantations, and supposing her to be an ordinary transport, they opened fire on her with field-pieces, but were much surprised to have the fire returned with shrapnel, which fell in among them, killing and wounding a number. The result was a retreat on the part of the rebels, and the escape of a number of negroes whom they had imprisoned. The gunboat Romeo also came up the river about this time, and hearing the firing, hurried to the scene of action. The commander soon discovered the rebels setting fire to the plantations, and commenced shelling them. This he kept up for a distance of fifteen miles, chasing them along—the rebels setting fire to every thing as they advanced. The result was an almost total destruction of houses and property along the river front in that vicinity. The rebels carried off about one thousand two hundred negroes, who were employed in working upon the Government plantations. General Ellet landed his forces, and in company with a black brigade, proceeded to chase the rebels, who were making a hasty retreat. The General found the road strewn with broken carts and furniture, which the rebels left in their haste to get away from his forces. He pursued them as far as Tensas River, where they had crossed. They burned the bridges, and intrenched themselves for a battle. This was soon offered them. The Union artillery opened on them and put them to flight. General Ellet, not knowing the country very well, and having only a small force with him, deemed it proper not to pursue them much further. He sent two hundred infantry across the bayou, and found they were retreating to Delhi, leaving their plunder strewn along the road.
29th June (Monday).—We are still at Chambersburg. Lee has issued a remarkably good order on non-retaliation, which is generally well received; but I have heard of complaints from fire-eaters, who want vengeance for their wrongs; and when one considers the numbers of officers and soldiers with this army who have been totally ruined by the devastations of Northern troops, one cannot be much surprised at this feeling.
I went into Chambersburg again, and witnessed the singularly good behaviour of the troops towards the citizens. I heard soldiers saying to one another, that they did not like being in a town in which they were very naturally detested. To any one who has seen as I have the ravages of the Northern troops in Southern towns, this forbearance seems most commendable and surprising. Yet these Pennsylvanian Dutch[1] don’t seem the least thankful, and really appear to be unaware that their own troops have been for two years treating Southern towns with ten times more harshness. They are the most unpatriotic people I ever saw, and openly state that they don’t care which side wins provided they are left alone. They abuse Lincoln tremendously.
Of course, in such a large army as this there must be many instances of bad characters, who are always ready to plunder and pillage whenever they can do so without being caught: the stragglers, also, who remain behind when the army has left, will doubtless do much harm. It is impossible to prevent this; but everything that can be done is done to protect private property and non-combatants, and I can say, from my own observation, with wonderful success. I hear instances, however, in which soldiers meeting well-dressed citizens have made a “long arm” and changed hats, much to the disgust of the latter, who are still more annoyed when an exchange of boots is also proposed: their superfine broadcloth is never in any danger.
General Longstreet is generally a particularly taciturn man; but this evening he and I had a long talk about Texas, where he had been quartered a long time. He remembered many people whom I had met quite well, and was much amused by the description of my travels through that country. I complimented him upon the manner in which the Confederate sentries do their duty, and said they were quite as strict as, and ten times more polite than, regular soldiers. He replied, laughing, that a sentry, after refusing you leave to enter a camp, might very likely, if properly asked, show you another way in, by which you might avoid meeting a sentry at all.
I saw General Pendleton and General Pickett today. Pendleton is Chief of Artillery to the army, and was a West Pointer; but in more peaceable times he fills the post of Episcopal clergyman in Lexington, Virginia. Unlike General Polk, he unites the military and clerical professions together, and continues to preach whenever he gets a chance. On these occasions he wears a surplice over his uniform.
General Pickett commands one of the divisions in Longstreet’s corps.[2] He wears his hair in long ringlets, and is altogether rather a desperate-looking character. He is the officer who, as Captain Pickett of the U.S. army, figured in the difficulty between the British and United States in the San Juan Island affair, under General Harney, four or five years ago.
[1] This part of Pennsylvania is much peopled with the descendants of Germans, who speak an unintelligible language.
[2] McLaws, Hood, and Pickett are the three divisional commanders or major-generals in Longstreet’s corps d’ armée.
29th. After breakfast and grazing, moved through Jamestown and on to Jackman’s Bottom. Had a guide to get corn. Followed a long high ridge through the wood, then went by a rugged path to the flat for corn. Hard work. Some firing on both sides. At Jackman’s Bottom ferry Bugler Co. B wounded in the leg. Went to main road and camped at Mr. Glenes. Thede and I occupied a shed. Husks for a bed.
