September 22, Tuesday. But little additional intelligence from Rosecrans and the South. We have information of a failure on our part at Sabine Pass, where an attempt was made to capture formidable batteries with frail boats, the army as spectators. The expedition appears to have been badly conceived, planned, and executed. A large military force was sent to take these batteries. Neither General Halleck nor the Secretary of War consulted the Navy in this matter. General Banks appears to have originated it, and made a requisition on Commodore Bell, who readily responded, in the absence of Farragut, with light boats built for transporting passengers in Northern rivers. Admiral Farragut was at the Navy Department when dispatches were received from Commodore Bell, stating that application for cooperation and aid had been made on him, and how he had answered the call. When Farragut read the dispatch, he laid down the paper and said to me: “The expedition will be a failure. The army officers have an impression that naval vessels can do anything; this call is made for boats to accompany an army expedition; it is expected the Navy will capture the batteries, and, the army being there in force with a general in command, they will take the credit. But there will be no credit in the case, and you may expect to hear of disaster. These boats which Bell has given them cannot encounter batteries; they might cooperate with and assist the army, but that is evidently not the object. The soldiers should land and attack in the rear, and the vessels aid them in front. But that is not the army plan. The soldiers are not to land until the Navy had done an impossibility, with such boats. Therefore there will be disaster.” The news of to-day verifies his prediction. This Sabine expedition was substituted, I suppose, for that of Indianola, which I suggested, and we may now have the promised word of General Halleck. He will have heard from Banks.
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Tuesday—Reading My stories of Court of London.
Camp at Messenger’s Ferry, Big Black River, Miss.,
September 22, 1863.
I wrote you a few lines from Vicksburg on the 18th inst. to notify you that I had escaped the perils of navigation (sandbar and guerillas) and of my safe arrival. I had a delightful trip down the river. A splendid boat, gentlemanly officers, not too many passengers, and beautiful weather. Major General Tuttle and wife and Mrs. General Grant were of our number. I think Mrs. Grant a model lady. She has seen not over thirty years, medium size, healthy blonde complexion, brown hair, blue eyes (cross-eyed) and has a pretty hand. She dresses very plainly, and busied herself knitting during nearly the whole trip. Believe her worthy of the general. Vicksburg is a miserable hole and was never anything better. A number of houses have been burned by our artillery firing, but altogether the town has suffered less than any secesh village I have seen at the hands of our forces. But very few buildings escaped being marked by our shot or shell, but such damage is easily repaired in most cases. No business whatever doing in the town, except issuing orders by generals, obeying them by soldiers and the chawing of commissary stores without price by the ragged citizen population. I was of the impression that I saw some rough country in Tishomingo County, Miss., and in the mountains in north Alabama, but after a day’s ride in the vicinity of Vicksburg and to our present camp, I find I was mistaken. They call it level here when the surface presents no greater angles than 45 degrees. I found only one officer to a company present here, and the colonel is also on leave. There is a great deal of sickness but the health of the regiment now is improving. We have lost a large number by disease since I left the regiment. Anyone who saw us in Peoria would open wide his eyes at the length of our line now, and think we’d surely passed a dozen battles. The greater part of the material this regiment is made of should never have been sent into the field. The consolation is that these folks would all have to die sometime, and they ought to be glad to get rid of their sickly lives, and get credit as patriots for the sacrifice. We are now in the 2d Brigade 4th Division 15th Army Corps, having been transferred from the 16th Army Corps. We are camped on the bluffs of Black river, which we picket. Our camp is the finest one I ever was in. There are two large magnolias, three white beeches, and a half dozen holly trees around my tent. I think the magnolia the finest looking tree I ever saw. Many of the trees are ornamented with Spanish moss, which, hanging from the branches in long and graceful rolls, adds very much to the beauty of the forest. Another little item I cannot help mentioning is the “chigger,” a little red insect much smaller than a pin-head, that buries itself in the skin and stings worse than a mosquito bite. Squirrels skip around in the trees in camp, and coons, owls, etc., make music for us nights. Capt. Gus Smith when on picket several nights, saw a bear (so he swears) and shot at it several times. The enemy’s cavalry are maneuvering around on the other side of the river, constantly making it unsafe for our boys to straggle much over there. Sabbath evening we, our brigade, moved out across the river about four miles to meet a party of Rebels, but as usual they were not there. We ate our supper while waiting for them and returned by moonlight, 8 o’oclock p.m. We’ve had a brigade review and a short brigade drill, and I’ve eaten a very hearty supper since finishing the last period. I feel perfectly well once more. Much better than I did any day while North. Did I tell you that I had the ague for a week or so before I started South? My continued ill health more than anything else is what started me off for the regiment so suddenly. The general wanted me to stay until after the fair, but I wouldn’t have done it for a horse. Altogether, I feel very happy over getting back to my company. The boys profess being very glad to have me with them again, and I assure you that such compliments do me good. I didn’t know that I could take as much interest in any strange humans as I feel in these men of my company. While I was in Central Illinois I wished many times that this war was over, and that I could settle in one of the many good points I saw for trade. I know that I could do well selling goods in any of a half dozen towns that I visited there, and even in Decatur. But I know I could not be satisfied out of the army while this war lasts. I am glad to be out of staff duty for several reasons. One of the most important is that it costs all my pay to keep me. I did not make a cent while with the general, and have only two months’ pay due me now. It has been very cold here. Night before last I had six blankets over me, last night five and will use four to-night. ‘Twas quite warm this p.m., but the nights are very cold. We will have hot weather yet. There is a great deal of ague here.
September 22 — Early this morning we were ordered to Barboursville, which is about ten miles southwest of Orange Court House. We hurriedly packed up all our kitchen goods and camp chattels and were on the march early in the day, following General Fitzhugh Lee’s cavalry. We passed through Orange Court House, came by Summerset, and at sundown we arrived at Barboursville.
All afternoon we heard artillery firing up the Rapidan. From all indications it seems that the Yankee cavalry is getting ready and ripe for a raid on Charlottesville or some other adjacent point on the Virginia Central Railroad, and we were ordered up here to Barboursville so as to be at a more convenient point from which to give the dear Yankee raiders a cordial and courteous welcome to Dixieland. When we arrived here this evening we put our battery in position near a church at the western edge of Barboursville, our guns bearing on the Standardsville road.
General Jones’ cavalry fought the Yankee raiders today at Liberty Mills, on the Rapidan, which, I think, checked the raiders somewhat and cracked the backbone of the contemplated raid. We are quartered to-night in a church, with our guns in position near the church doors.
Tuesday, 22d.—News from above is that Yankees were driven back several miles, capturing 4,000 prisoners, and thirty pieces of artillery. Yankees in full retreat. Went to church at night. Cousin Robert Magill made profession.
22nd. Awakened at 1 A. M. Co. G and E made a mistake and didn’t march out till daylight. Moved to Johnston’s Station and got breakfast with regiment, then moved on to within a mile and a half of Carter’s Station. Got in line and remained there overnight. Support of Battery. Some cannonading on both sides. 7,000 to 10,000 rebels. 2nd Brigade came up in evening, also Burnside. Rebs throwing up breastworks. Slept at heads of horses ready to mount.
Helena, Tuesday, Sept. 22. Warm day. Drill as usual at 8 A. M. Watered as soon as we returned. We have to go a mile in column over dusty roads to water twice a day. Very unpleasant, the river bank being too steep to approach it otherwise. Obtained an order from Lieutenant Hood for a bushel of potatoes from Commissary. Got them for $1.00 per bushel. Hard-tack of poor quality is all the rations we receive. All anxiously waiting for mail. A large mail passed by for us today.
Wednesday, 23d—The weather is quite cool and the boys are beginning to fix up for winter by siding up the tents and building chimneys. There is some prospect of our brigade having to remain here for the winter. The Second Brigade of our division is still at Natchez. We are raising our tents and bunks about twenty-four inches from the ground. The openings around the tents we close up with boards torn from buildings, and having the wedge tent which accommodates four, we build our bunks for two men, one on either side, with the fireplace and chimney in the rear between the bunks. This makes a pretty good house for winter quarters.
Tuesday, 22d—Everything is very quiet. We learned that Alexander Ragan of Company E died at Benton Barracks, St. Louis, on the 9th of this month. His is the first death in our company since August 3, 1862, when Ebenezer McCullough died at Corinth, Mississippi, on that date.
September 22d. General Caldwell took us all along and climbed Clark’s Peak this morning, and from the signal station we saw a very pretty cavalry skirmish. There was some artillery firing, which in the mountains makes a thousand echoes. During the evening two deserters from the enemy were brought in to headquarters, a sergeant and a private. They declared themselves sick of the Confederacy and war, and wished to be sent to the rear.
