Bridgeport, Wednesday, Dee. 9. Rain ceased, sun appeared and the deep slushy mud soon dried up. After dinner I was detailed to help take horses to turn them over with Lieutenant Simpson. Took thirty-eight horses and three mules, crossed the bridge on to the island, and had to go up stream two miles to the corral. Its presence was manifested by the stench from far off from the carrion of the dead. They filled for acres the woods to a number almost incredible, starved to death. The corral-master was an old-looking man. We found him in an isolated clapboard house with only two or three inhabitants. He must enjoy the life of a hermit. The corral was a field of ten acres containing three thousand to four thousand head of mules and horses, all much pulled down for want of feed. It was sundown before we turned them over. Had three miles of bad road to camp. Walked it through the dark, lost our track several times. Found a good supper of fried beef and biscuit awaiting us. Spent evening in Griff’s tent listening to music of flute and vocal as discoursed by Byness, Parker, etc.
Monday, December 9, 2013
December 9th.—” Come here, Mrs. Chesnut,” said Mary Preston to-day, ” they are lifting General Hood out of his carriage, here, at your door.” Mrs. Grundy promptly had him borne into her drawing-room, which was on the first floor. Mary Preston and I ran down and greeted him as cheerfully and as cordially as if nothing had happened since we saw him standing before us a year ago. How he was waited upon! Some cut-up oranges were brought him. “How kind people are,” said he. “Not once since I was wounded have I ever been left without fruit, hard as it is to get now.” “The money value of friendship is easily counted now,” said some one, “oranges are five dollars apiece.”
9th. Up early and breakfasted on mush. Supper last night the same. Infantry soon commenced passing. Left all boys but Thede and went on. Passed through Rutledge. Command moved on to Bean Station and camped—some skirmishing. Issued Hard Bread and beef! Boys came up. Bunked down by the fire and slept soundly. Cold night. Boys go for secesh badly on this trip.
Wednesday, 9th.—Notified that a man would be shot Friday.
by John Beauchamp Jones
DECEMBER 9TH.—The President’s message is not regarded with much favor by the croakers. The long complaint against foreign powers for not recognizing us is thought in bad taste, since all the points nearly had been made in a previous message. They say it is like abusing a society for not admitting one within its circle as well as another. The President specifies no plan to cure the redundancy of the currency. He is opposed to increasing the pay of the soldiers, and absolutely reproaches the soldiers of the left wing of Bragg’s army with not performing their whole duty in the late battle.
Mr. Foote denounced the President to-day. He said be had striven to keep silent, but could not restrain himself while his State was bleeding—our disasters being all attributable by him to the President, who retained incompetent or unworthy men in command, etc.
December 9.—President Lincoln granted a pardon exempting E. W. Gantt, of Arkansas, from the penalty of treason, which he incurred by accepting and exercising the office of Brigadier-General in the service of the rebels. The pardon also reinstated General Gantt in all his rights of property, excepting those relating to slaves.—The Marine Brigade, under the Command of General Ellet, and a portion of Colonel Grcsham’s command, returned to Natchez from an unsuccessful expedition after the rebels under Wirt Adams, who had mounted a battery on Ellis’s Cliff.—The English steamer Minna, while attempting to evade the blockade of Charleston, S. C, was captured by the United States gunboat Circassian.
Wednesday, 9th—All quiet to-day. Didn’t move.
