July 29, Wednesday. A very busy day, though still far from well. Had a call from Colonel Forney. Some remarks which I made in relation to Rebel movements appeared to strike him with interest, and, as he left me, he said he should go at once and enter them for an editorial. This evening he sends me a note requesting me to read my article in his paper, the Chronicle, to-morrow morning.
Monday, July 29, 2013
July 29.—Numerous depredations and outrages having been committed by citizens and rebel soldiers in disguise, harbored and concealed by citizens residing on the route of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad, orders were issued by General Halleck authorizing the arrest of every citizen against whom there was sufficient evidence of his having been engaged in these practices.—A skirmish took place at St. Catherine’s Creek, near Natchez, Miss., between a party of rebels belonging to the command of General Logan, and the Seventy-second Illinois regiment, under the command of Captain James, in which The former were routed with a loss of fifty prisoners and seventy-five horses.—A force of rebels, numbering about two thousand, under the command of General Pegram, made an attack upon the National troops at Paris, Ky., and after a severe engagement, lasting over two hours, were repulsed and routed.—The Eighth regiment of Massachusetts volunteers returned to Boston from the seat of war.—Brigadier-General Innis N. Palmer was ordered to the command of the Eighteenth army corps at Newbern, N. C., and of the posts and districts occupied by that corps. —At Lynchburgh, Va., the rebel government officials were busily engaged in pressing horses for artillery service in General Lee’s army. The pressure was general, exempting only the horses in the employment of the government and those belonging to countrymen. — The British ship Banshee was captured off New-Inlet, N. C.— Queen Victoria’s speech, delivered to Parliament to-day, contained the following: “The civil war between the Northern and Southern States of the American Union still unfortunately continues, and is necessarily attended with much evil, not only to the contending parties, but also to nations which have taken no part in the conflict. Her Majesty, however, has seen no reason to depart from the strict neutrality which Her Majesty has observed from the beginning of the contest”— Colonel Richardson, the rebel guerrilla, issued an order requiring all men of West-Tennessee, between the ages of eighteen and forty-five, to report to his camp under the rebel conscription law. The following instructions were issued to govern them in carrying out the order:
“If a man should absent himself from home to avoid the order, burn his house and all his property, except such as may be useful to this command.
“If a man resists this by refusing to report, shoot him down and leave him dying.
“If a man takes refuge in his house and offers resistance, set the house on fire, and guard it, so he may not get out”
—William L. Yancy, a member of the rebel Senate from Alabama, who died yesterday, was buried at Montgomery.
29th. Friday. The Major went down to see friends in the 18th Corps. a failure. I thought of accompanying him but through a blunder didn’t go. My eyes have occasioned me much trouble of late. At 10 P. M. Thede and I made our way to 9th Corps Hdqrs. to see affair reported to come off in morning.
July 29 — This morning we moved out five miles from Culpeper Court House on the Warrenton road, and camped. We passed through General A. P. Hill’s infantry camp this morning, which is strung along the Warrenton road not far from the Court House.
July 29—Left at 7, marched until 3, camped one mile from Madison Court House. Marched ten miles to-day.
July 29th. At two thirty A. M. a propeller came up the river, and at two forty the gunboat Katandin. The latter anchored off our starboard bow. At six o’clock sent fourth cutter to Tennessee, and brought off spare main and topsail yard, and sent up a new one; stowed outboard damaged main topsail yard; painted spare topsail yard. At ten P. M. the steamer Westmoreland arrived from Vicksburg, with two days later news from the North.
29th. About 9 A. M. some coffee. Bought some cakes. Major A. B. N. called early and assured S. R. that all was right. Seemed good to see him. At noon went with A. B. and Mr. Hall to dinner at Gibson House. Got shaved and went at 3 to report to Gen. Cox. Released, without examination. Telegraphed to Columbus and received reply that I had been commissioned, 2nd Lt. Got me a suit of clothes. Went round with Thede. Took a bath at the Burnett house. Purington, Kautz and others laughed at me—for the scrape. Regiment came in and camped. Received some congratulations.
Private Edward A. Cary of Company I, 44th Virginia Infantry Regiment, in uniform and his sister, Emma J. Garland née Cary; Photographed by Charles R. Rees. Edward Cary was killed in the June 1862 Battle of Port Republic. (Glimpses of Soldiers’ Lives: Edward Cary)
Sixth-plate ambrotype, hand-colored ; 9.2 x 8.3 cm (case)
Gift 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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- fade correction,
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Civil War Portrait 041
Haines Bluff, July 29th, 1863.
We did not leave on the 23d, as was rumored, but are still in our old camp, enjoying a short season of repose preparatory to our voyage up the river. It is a repose much needed by our men. What prompted our commander to hurry us through as he did—sixty miles in three days—I cannot conceive. Strict orders were issued against straggling. No man would be allowed to leave the ranks without a written pass from the Surgeon, and all stragglers were to be picked up by the Provost Guard and taken to headquarters for trial by court martial. The General “reckoned without his host.” Some men, so great was their respect for discipline, marched in the ranks until they fell, in a dying condition. But most of them cursed the General and his orders and sat down to rest and cool off whenever their judgment told them they were getting too hot, and, when rested, came on again.
After the first day, no attention was paid to orders. Men fell out in such numbers the Provost could not arrest them, and came straggling into camp until nearly morning.
The next morning after our arrival, in the Seventeenth alone, one hundred twenty men were reported unfit for duty, and forty-five are now sick in hospital. Doubtless much of this sickness is the effect of the poisonous liquid we were compelled to use for cooking and drinking purposes. How grateful to us, then, is the delicious, sparkling water that flows in abundance from that romantic spring I described on our first arrival. Before I leave this subject, let me record our experience the week we were encamped before Jackson. The first day we used cistern water, but that soon failed. After that, all that was left for coffee and for cooking purposes was water from an artificial pond, scooped out in a barnyard, and all the battery and camp horses—five or six hundred of them in number—were watered there every day. They were ridden right into the pond! Rather than drink it, I have been three miles to the rear, after having been on duty all day, for a canteen of cistern water.
July 29.—A letter of farewell from the Valley, written as the enemy’s lines were closing around our loved ones there. It is painful to think of their situation, but they are in God’s hands.
It is said that Lee’s army and Meade’s are approaching each other. Oh, I trust that a battle is not at hand! I feel unnerved, as if I could not stand the suspense of another engagement. Not that I fear the result, for I cannot believe that Meade could whip General Lee, under any circumstances; but the dread casualties! The fearful list of killed and wounded, when so many of our nearest and dearest are engaged, is too full of anguish to anticipate without a sinking of heart which I have never known before.
There was a little fight some days ago, near Brandy Station—the enemy driven across the river. Fredericksburg and Culpeper Court-House are both occupied by our troops. This is very gratifying to our Fredericksburg refugees, who are going up to see if they can recover their property. All movables, such as household furniture, books, etc., of any value, have been carried off. Their houses, in some instances, have been battered down.
I was in Richmond this morning, and bought a calico dress, for which I gave $2.50 per yard, and considered it a bargain; the new importations have run up to $3.50; and $4 per yard. To what are we coming?
