Near Fayetteville, Tenn., Saturday, Nov. 7. 2nd Brigade started at 6 A. M. We followed at 8 A. M. struck a macadamized road a mile from camp which we followed five miles. The road runs from ——, a beautiful road high and dry. Extensive fields of corn on all sides. Most wealthy country we have seen. Elegant houses of frame and brick. Left the road a quarter of a mile from Elkton and struck north along hilly ridges, very stony and rough. Came into camp at 5 P. M. on a high point, five miles from Fayetteville in Lincoln County. Drew fresh meat from commissary, but we had no salt to cook, no salt in the Division. The timber to-day was mostly beach, grew very tall and large, beautiful timber loaded with nuts, and we ate many. Sugar, cane of sorghum kind raised on a small scale by nearly all, I suppose to supply the deficiency occasioned by the Confederacy. Small wooden mills. Vertical rollers used to press it. Slept in the open air, not thinking it worth while to put up tent.
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Saturday, 7th—I met Mr. Gore there, promised to write to Cousin Serena. Came on to Mr. Somer’s and then to Van Wert; staid with Col. Jones to-night; met Mr. Jones and Lady, Mrs. Cullin and Miss Lou, daughter of the Colonel. Had a candy pulling.
7th. Halted near the gap till daylight. Moved on to Russelville where we got forage and halted for dinner. Unsaddled and remained over night. Great reports about the Rogersville affair. 7th Ohio passed by, rather thin. Several 2nd Tenn. prisoners came in, having escaped from the rebels.
Saturday, 7th—I was on fatigue duty again today. Two brigades of General Logan’s Division went out to the Black river post to relieve General Tuttle’s Division, which came in and is to take boat for points up the Mississippi river.
November 7 — Remained in camp. This is a lovely and delightful place to camp, situated among the piledup and rolling foothills of the Blue Ridge, where the roaming mountain wind that sweeps over the wooded slopes of the Blue Ridge dips down and breathes its pure, balmy, pine-laden breath around the grassy hillsides and through the winding dells.
November 7, [1863]. — I am asked if I would not be gratified if my friends would procure me promotion to a brigadier-generalship. My feeling is that I would rather be one of the good colonels than one of the poor generals. The colonel of a regiment has one of the most agreeable positions in the service, and one of the most useful. “A good colonel makes a good regiment,” is an axiom.
Two things make me sometimes think it desirable to have the promotion, viz., the risk of having a stupid brigadier put over me, and the difficulty and uncertainty of keeping up my regiment — that is the risk of losing my colonelcy.
November 7th. At break of day the whole corps marched to Warrenton Junction, thence via Bealton Station and Morrisville, to within three-quarters of a mile of Kelly’s ford; arrived there at 5 P. M. and went into bivouac for the night; marched twenty-one miles in the face of a frightful wind and blinding clouds of dust heard heavy cannonading towards evening in front, where the cavalry are pushing the advance. Another battle supposed to be imminent.
Unidentified corporal in Confederate uniform of Company K, “Jake Thompson Guards,” 19th Mississippi Infantry Regiment, with revolver
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Sixth-plate ambrotype, hand-colored ; 9.3 x 8.2 cm (case)
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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Civil War Portrait 086
by John Beauchamp Jones
NOVEMBER 7TH.—No news from any quarter, except the continued bombardment of the debris of Fort Sumter, and the killing and wounding of some 10 or 12 men there—but that is not news.
There is a pause,—a sort of holding of the breath of the people, as if some event of note was expected. The prices of food and fuel are far above the purses of all except speculators, and an explosion must happen soon, of some sort. People will not perish for food in the midst of plenty.
The press, a portion rather, praises the President for his carefulness in making a tour of the armies and ports south of us; but as he retained Gen. Bragg in command, how soon the tune would change if Bragg should meet with disaster!
Night before last some of the prisoners on Belle Isle (we have some 13,000 altogether in and near the city) were overheard by the guard to say they must escape immediately, or else it would be too late, as cannon were to be planted around them. Our authorities took the alarm, and increasing the guard, did plant cannon so as to rake them in every direction in the event of their breaking out of their prison bounds. It is suspected that this was a preconcerted affair, as a full division of the enemy has been sent to Newport News, probably to co-operate with the prisoners. Any attempt now must fail, unless, indeed, there should be a large number of Union sympathizers in the city to assist them.
Several weeks ago it was predicted in the Northern papers that Richmond would be taken in some mysterious manner, and that there was a plan for the prisoners of war to seize it by a coup de main, may be probable. But the scheme was impracticable. What may be the condition of the city, and the action of the people a few weeks hence, if relief be not afforded by the government, I am afraid to conjecture. The croakers say five millions of “greenbacks,” and cargoes of provisions, might be more effectual in expelling the Confederate Government and restoring that of the United States than all of Meade’s army. And this, too, they allege, when there is abundance in the country. Many seem to place no value on the only money we have in circulation. The grasping farmers refuse to get out their grain, saying they have as much Confederate money as they want, and the government seems determined to permit the perishable tithes to perish rather than allow the famishing people to consume them. Surely, say the croakers, such a policy cannot achieve independence. No, it must be speedily changed, or else worse calamities await us than any we have experienced.
Old Gen. Duff Green, after making many fortunes and losing them, it seems, is to die poor at last, and he is now nearly eighty years old. Last year he made a large contract to furnish the government with iron, his works being in Tennessee, whence he has been driven by the enemy. And now he says the depreciation of the money will make the cost of producing the iron twice as much as he will get for it. And worse, he has bought a large lot of sugar which would have realized a large profit, but the commissary agent has impressed it, and will not pay him cost for it. All he can do is to get a small portion of it back for the consumption of his employees, provided he returns to Tennessee and fulfills his iron contract.
November 7.—Major-General George H. Thomas issued an order complimenting the troops composing Generals Turchin’s and Hazen’s brigades for their skill and cool gallantry at Brown’s Ferry, Georgia, and the column under Major-General Hooker, which took possession of the line from Bridgeport to the foot of Lookout Mountain, for their brilliant success in driving the enemy from every position which they attacked. “The bayonet-charge made by the troops of General Howard, up a steep and difficult hill, over two hundred feet high, completely routing the enemy, and driving him from his barricades on its top, and the repulse by General Geary’s command of greatly superior numbers, who attempted to surprise him, will rank among the most distinguished feats of arms of this war.”—A sharp fight occurred at Stevensburgh, Virginia, between General Kilpatrick’s cavalry and a party of rebels, who were defeated.
—The battles of Rappahannock Station and Kelly’s Ford, Virginia, were fought this day, resulting in the retreat of the rebels across the Rappahannock River.—(Doc. 10.)
—General Duffie, in command of the National forces, occupied Lewisburgh, Virginia, this morning; the rebels had passed through in their retreat from General Averill, just previous to his arrival. General Duffie captured the rebel camp, tents, provisions, and one cannon, many prisoners and one hundred head of cattle.—General Kelley’s Despatch.
