August 31—Went to Mr. Watkin’s, took dinner there, and stayed all day. Had a very pleasant time with his daughter, Miss Annie.
August 2013
Decatur, Ill., August 31, 1863.
The general stopped me here and insists on keeping me for a time. Major Wait’s resignation, which was forwarded the same time the general sent his, has been accepted, and I now being the only member of the staff in the north, he wants me to stay with him, for should he be ordered away for any purpose, he would want some attendance. I would enjoy myself very much but for my biliousness. Appetite poor, miserable, sickish demoralized stomach, and am becoming yellow as saffron. My duties are not very heavy. The general has some very fine riding horses, and I devote some little time to exercising them. Mrs. Miner has very kindly undertaken to introduce me into society here, which, from what I have seen I judge to be very excellent. I went with the general to a union meeting at Charleston, about 100 miles from here, near the crossing of the Terre Haute and Alton and Chicago Branch of the Central. The general made a big speech, and I made a good many small, ones. We stopped with Col. Tom Marshall while there. Had a big dance at night in which I participated heavily, staying with them until the very last moment. Train left at 2 a.m. Never will forget that dance in the world.
31st. Up at 3 and off at 4, rear of our brigade. Wagons in the way again. 8 hours going 10 miles. Camped on ground of Major Ellis’ fathers. Went out with forage detail. Got plenty of hay and then let the boys go for oats. Got some peaches. Report that 20,000 rebels are at K. Rebs left here this morning.
Vicksburg, Monday, Aug. 31. Very cold last night. Slept uncomfortable. Got up before daylight and cleaned out my stable. 9 A. M. we had mounted inspection and muster for pay. The old harness was stiff and scattered, in poor condition for active service, as were also some of the horses (or at least so is my old gray charger, a secesh horse farm bred). Warm during the day. D. J. D. a little better.
Sunday, 30th—Monday, 31st—Moved four miles this evening. I and Jim McGuire went out and spent the night with Mr. Anderson.
Monday, 31st—We left Heff river and marched through to Bayou Mason, eighteen miles, and stopped for the night. While marching today some of us heard the report of a rifle, and we learned that a member of the Seventh Missouri had committed suicide by shooting himself. He stepped out of rank into the brush and putting the muzzle of his gun under his chin, touched off the trigger with his toe and blew his head off. We were mustered for pay upon reaching Bayou Mason.
August 31st. Reveille at break of day. Immediately after breakfast the division fell in, leaving its tents standing, and marched to Bank’s ford, halted there a short time, and then advanced to the United States ford, and bivouacked there in the woods, entirely out of sight. Headquarters were established about a small old stone house, and here we had a lot of sport, no enemy being near, and every one in fine spirits on account of getting out of camp. Various games were indulged in throughout the whole command, the division staff not excepted.
In the evening the staff gathered in the house, servants spread the blankets on the floor, and lying upon them, there being no furniture besides a rickety old table, we exercised our wits. I don’t know why so many fairly sensible creatures should suddenly lose their senses, but in this case, at least in the general’s opinion, they certainly did. The fun grew fast and furious, finally, the party divided itself into two equal parts, and agreed to attack and defend the room. Accordingly one half of the men went out while the other half remained inside to conduct the defense. Doctor Stiles, Derrickson, Hobart, the First brigade quartermaster, and myself, formed the garrison. Stiles was stationed at the door, Derrickson and Hobart each defended a window, whilst the quartermaster and I carried supplies of ammunition, reinforced the weakest spots, and generally kept our eyes open. Stones, logs of wood, iron pots, and sundry other missiles came flying through the windows. We put out the light to hide our strategy, hung blankets over the windows, and spared nothing in the proper defense of the place. The windows were quickly battered in and then came pails of water followed by showers of flour and corn meal. Derrickson, Stiles, and Hobart were soon plastered from head to foot, but were so intent upon avoiding the heavier ordnance of stones and dinner pots that little heed was paid to flour or water; as the siege progressed the beleaguered garrison were at their wits’ end for material, and Stiles, who by this time was as serious as the famous Don Quixote of happy memory, finding the door about to give away, drew his pistol and emptied it into the angle nearest the attacking force. The illusion was instantly dispelled and hostilities ceased at once. The general was aroused and ordered us immediately to bed, on pain of arrest. When the outs were admitted, they were unable to control themselves for laughter over our pitiable appearance; we were covered with flour and meal and the room in which we all proposed to sleep, was a scene of utter desolation. It took the combined force of servants an hour to make it fit for sleeping in, and at least another hour was necessary to make ourselves presentable.
by John Beauchamp Jones
AUGUST 31ST.—Governor Vance writes that large bodies of deserters in the western counties of North Carolina are organized, with arms, and threaten to raise the Union flag at the courthouse of Wilkes County on next court-day. The Governor demands a brigade from Virginia to quell them. Lieut.-Col. Lay has been sent thither, by the new good-natured chief of the Bureau of Conscription, to cure the evil. We shall see what good this mission will effect. Col. Preston writes to the Secretary to-day that disorders among the conscripts and deserters are now occurring in South Carolina for the first time—and proposes shortly to visit them himself. The best thing that can be done is to abolish the Bureau of Conscription, and have the law enforced by the military commanders in the field.
I saw to-day a letter to the Secretary of War, written by Mr. Benjamin, Secretary of State, on the 18th inst., referring to a Mr. Jno. Robertson, an artist, whom the Secretary of War promised a free passage in a government steamer to Europe. Mr. B. says the promise was made in the President’s room, and he asks if Mr. Seddon could not spare an hour in his office, for Mr. R. to take his portrait. He says Mr. R. has the heads of the President, all the heads of departments (except Mr. Seddon, I suppose), and the principal generals. It does not appear what was done by Mr. Seddon, but I presume everything asked for by Mr. Benjamin was granted. But this matter has not exalted the President and his “heads of departments” in my estimation. If it be not “fiddling while Rome is burning,” it is certainly egotizing while the Confederacy is crumbling. On that day Sumter was falling to pieces, and some 40 locomotives and hundreds of cars were burning in Mississippi, and everywhere our territory passing into the hands of the invader!
Mr. Robertson, I believe, is a stranger and an Englishman, and a free passage in a government ship is equivalent to some $2000, Confederate States currency. Almost every day passages are denied to refugees, natives of the South, who have lost fortunes in the cause, and who were desirous to place their children and non-combatants in a place of security, while they fight for liberty and independence. The privileged passage is refused them, even when they are able and willing to pay for the passage, and this refusal is recommended by Col. Gorgas, a Northern man. They do not propose to immortalize “the President, the heads of departments, and the principal generals.” But Mr. Benjamin has nothing else to do. Washington would accept no meed of praise until his great work was accomplished.
August 31.—The rebel transport, Sumter, having on board the Twentieth regiment of South Carolina volunteers, and the Twenty-third regiment of Georgia, was sunk in Charleston harbor by the guns of Fort Moultrie. The Twenty-third Georgia had been on duty at the rebel Battery Wagner, and, being relieved, went on board the steamer to go to Fort Johnson. The tide being low, they could not go the usual course, but steamed off in the direction of Sullivan’s Island. The watch at Moultrie, supposing it to be a Yankee monitor, awakened the gunners, when they opened a spirited fire on the defenceless vessel. Every means possible were employed to signal to them, both from Sumter and the boat, but they recognized no signal.
“The third and fourth shots sunk the boat, yet they kept firing until a small boat was sent to tell them who we were. This was about three o’clock A.M. The men were panic-struck, and leaped off into the water by fifties and hundreds, and it seemed for a while that nearly all would be either killed or drowned; but the cool conduct of Major Ballinger, the Commandant of the Twenty-third Georgia, and a sand-bar on the left of the boat, covered by some four or five feet of water, saved them from a watery grave.
“By nine o’clock, the whole regiment was once more on dry land, and, miraculous as it was, not a single life has been lost by the dangerous wreck. But guns, blankets, oil-cloths, haversacks, canteens, boots and shoes, and, in fact, all kinds of clothing, were left upon the rugged waters of the boiling deep.”—Atlanta Intelligencer.
—The sloop Richard, loaded with cotton, was captured off the coast of Florida, by the United States bark Gem of the Sea.
August 30—Left at 5 in the morning. We hunted through the cliffs for several hours and caught one deserter. Several of our men and myself dined in a widow lady’s house. There were quite a number of ladies there, and we had a very pleasant time. Then we went to Mr. Bell’s and had supper there. From there we went to Mr. Wheeler’s and stayed all night.
