Friday, 28th.—Reported Federals have taken Knoxville.
August 2013
Camp White, West Virginia, September 28, 1863.
Dear Mother: — . . Your letter from Delaware dated the 20th came this morning. I am glad you are safely back to Mrs. Wasson’s pleasant home. I always feel uneasy when you have a journey before you.
Lucy left Webb and Ruddy with their Grandmother Webb at Mrs. Boggs’. Birch went with Uncle back to Fremont.
I am in no hurry about having my boys learn to write. I would much prefer they would lay up a stock of health by knocking around in the country than to hear that they were the best scholars of their age in Ohio.
I am glad to see that Laura’s husband has distinguished himself in the recent great battle and has escaped without injury. His good fortune will be gratifying intelligence at Columbus.
Lucy is in camp with me. Mrs. Comly (late Libby Smith) and Dr. Barrett’s wife are also in camp and make a pleasant little circle. She sends love. — Remember me to Sophia and Mrs. Wasson.
Affectionately, your son,
R.
Mrs. Sophia Hayes.
On the 28th two more deserters were shot; both men were bounty jumpers and deserved their fate.
by John Beauchamp Jones
AUGUST 28TH.—Another letter, from Gen. Whiting, calls vehemently for reinforcements, artillery, cavalry, and infantry—or else the city and harbor are soon to be at the mercy of the enemy. He is importunate.
After all, Morgan’s head was not shaved—but his beard, and that of his officers, was cut, and their hair made short. This I learn from a letter at the department from Morgan’s Assistant Adjutant-General.
The tocsin was ringing in my ears when I awoke this morning. Custis packed his haversack, and, taking blanket, etc. etc., joined his department comrades, and they were all marched out the Brooke turnpike. Yesterday the enemy in considerable force came up the Peninsula and attacked the guard (70 men) at Bottom’s Bridge, killing, so report says, Lieut. Jetu, of South Carolina, and some twelve or fifteen others. But I believe the attacking party have recrossed the Chickahominy. We shall know in a few hours. Gen. Lee is still here. Gen. Wise’s brigade, with the militia, the department companies, and the convalescents from the hospitals, must number some 8000 men in this vicinity. If the enemy be in formidable numbers, we shall soon be reinforced.
We have nothing from Charleston since Tuesday evening, when, it is said, the “first assault” was repulsed. It is strange we get nothing later.
August 28.—The Board of Supervisors of the city of New-York devoted two millions of dollars to exempt the firemen, the militia, and the police, and to provide for the families of drafted men in indigent circumstances.—By direction of Jefferson Davis, Lieutenant-General W. J. Hardee assumed command of the paroled rebel prisoners, captured at Vicksburgh and Port Hudson.—(Doc. 158.)
—Samuel Jones, a Major-General in the rebel service, issued an order from his headquarters at Dublin, Va., thanking the home guard and other citizens for their services in the action at White Sulphur Springs.—A party of rebel guerrillas attacked the mail-carriers from a cavalry division of the army of the Potomac, stationed at Harwood Church, Va., killing one man and capturing four others, together with the mail.
August 27—Returned at 7 this morning, went out again at dark, went through four houses of bad repute, but found not one deserter. Went twelve miles this night.
August 27 — We were relieved from picket this evening, and came back near Culpeper Court House to camp.
27th. Breakfasted and moved out at 7. Passed the 44th, 104th, 103rd, 57th and 12th Ky. Watered and went into camp. Forage party detailed and started and then ordered back. Roads still among the hills, through woods. Pioneer corps finds work. Went on 1½ miles and camped with orders to muster. Boys returned with little forage. Read some in “Barnaby.” Ate dinner at Commissary.
Vicksburg, Thursday, Aug. 27. Did not get up for roll call. Did not feel well. Headache and rheumatism quite bad in limbs. Feverish all day. Cleared off in the afternoon, fine and pleasant in the evening.
Thursday, 27th—Leaving our Oak Ridge bivouac early this morning we journeyed fifteen miles more and stopped for the night on the banks of Bayou Said, only seven miles from Monroe, our destination. During the day we crossed another ridge known as Pine Ridge, which is eight miles across and about twenty feet above the surrounding land. It is beautifully covered with yellow pine, growing so straight and tall, seventy-five to one hundred feet. We noticed a few small clearings with log huts. This is the worst bivouac we have yet occupied. It is full of poisonous reptiles and insects, centipedes, jiggers, woodticks, lizards, scorpions and snakes of all kinds—I have never seen the like. Some of the boys killed two big, spotted, yellow snakes and put them across the road—they measured about fifteen feet each. The ground is covered with leaves ten inches deep, and the water of the bayou has a layer of leaves and moss fully two inches thick.[1]
[1] This proved to be our most dangerous Journey in all our four years’ service. The natives told us the next morning that no Southern soldiers could have been hired to do what we did. I have often wondered and would like to know, just as we did then, why we were sent into this forsaken section of the country, and during the most sickly time of the year, at that! The natives we saw were a white-livered set; they were all ardent sympathizers of the secession cause.—A. G. D.
