Bridgeport, Sunday, Dec. 20. Considerable frost this morning, but the boys came out in high spirits, full of fun and very noisy. The fire-places doing good service to keep up spirits, and all have drawn clothing enough to keep warm. We received no mail or papers for three days, the cars having run off the track this side of Nashville. Captain Dillon left for Nashville this P. M. after artillery equipment. Wrote a letter to brother John. Darned stockings, etc. Signed receipt roll for clothing.
December 2013
I remained in New York taking sulphur baths, and received the special attention of several army surgeons, but recovered very slowly. On December 10th I returned to Washington, intending to join the army, but upon examination by an army surgeon, was declared unfit for service, and was detailed on court martial duty in Washington. The court broke up on the fifteenth, and at my own request, I was relieved from duty, and joined my command, now in winter quarters. I found division headquarters located amongst a lot of bushes, on low ground knee deep in mud; the general staff were under canvas, not having commenced the erection of permanent quarters, and for a partially sick man the immediate outlook was not reassuring. The day after my arrival men were put to work to fix us up, and all the wall tents were mounted on framed logs made flat inside ,and fitted with fireplaces, chimneys, doors, and floors. We put up a bunk to accommodate two, had it filled with cedar branches, covered with blankets, and thus provided ourselves with a lovely bed. In the evening when the open fire was lighted, we were indeed comfortable and did not envy the richest man in the country. Our servants’ tents were placed on logs, just in rear, within call, and the horses amply provided for, so we were thoroughly prepared for the winter. General Warren, who has been in command of the corps since Gettysburg, which I forgot to mention, is still in command, General Hancock not yet having recovered from the severe wound he received at Gettysburg.
by John Beauchamp Jones
DECEMBER 20TH—We have nothing new yet from Averill’s raiders; but it is said Gen. Lee has set a trap for them. From East Tennessee there is a report that a battle has taken place somewhere in that region, but with what result is not yet known.
There is much consternation among the Jews and other speculators here, who have put in substitutes and made money. They fear that their substitutes will be made liable by legislative action, and then the principals will be called for. Some have contributed money to prevent the passage of such a law, and others have spent money to get permission to leave the country. Messrs. Gilmer and Myers, lawyers, have their hands full.
The Confederate States Tax act of last session of Congress is a failure, in a great measure, in Virginia. It is said only 30,000 bushels of wheat have been received But the Governor of Alabama writes that over 5,000,000 pounds of bacon will be paid by that State.
December 20.—The Third Wisconsin cavalry returned to Fort Smith, Ark., from a successful reconnoissance southward. They were within five miles of Red River, but finding that the rebels had changed position since last advices, they were unable to proceed further. Their return was a constant skirmish for over one hundred miles, strong bodies of the enemy being posted at all the cross-roads to intercept them. They, however, cut their way through. In some places they evaded the enemy by taking blind mountain-passes. Their loss was small.—Mrs. Anne Johnston, of Cincinnati, was tried at Nashville, Tenn., before the Military Committee, for acting as a rebel spy, and smuggling saddles and harness from Cincinnati into the rebel lines. The articles were packed in barrels, purporting to contain bacon, for the shipment of which permits had been regularly obtained.—The schooner Fox, tender to the United States flag-ship San Jacinto, East-Gulf squadron, destroyed in the Suwannee River, Florida, a rebel steamer, supposed to be the Little Leila, formerly the Paw-Paw, and before the Flushing. She was set fire to by a boat’s crew belonging to the Fox.—(Doc. 23.)
Letter No. XXVI.
Camp near Knoxville,
December 19th, 1863.
My Precious Wife:
I would like to write you a long letter but it is so windy and disagreeable, and the smoke blows so much in my eyes that I will hardly be able to get through a short note to let you know that I am well. I dream many sweet dreams about you and the children. We are having pretty tough times now; only half rations and half of our brigade barefooted. I was without shoes for two weeks, but have a good pair now.
Macon Mullens, Sam Billingsly, Billy Robinson, Joe Ben Majors and some others, whom you do not know, have been barefooted for three or four weeks, but we have pressed a good deal of leather from the tan yards about here, and several of our men have been shod, and I trust all soon will be. Many letters reach us through Mr. Gushing, of Houston. I have nothing to write which I would enjoy writing out here in the cold. Billy Dunklin has seen Colonel Tom Harrison. He is well and full of fight. Your husband, faithfully ever,
John C. West.
December 19, Saturday. There was a reception to-day from one to three at the President’s. Went over for an hour. Several of the Cabinet, most of the foreign ministers, judges of the Supreme Court, and a gay assemblage of ladies, with some of the Russian officers, were present.
Told Grimes he must remain on the Naval Committee; that the country required it; that we could not dispense with his services. He says he cannot serve under a chairman whom he knows to be corrupt, indolent, faithless, worthless. He spoke of Hale in most disparaging terms as an unfit associate of honorable men, selfish and wicked, wholly regardless of the Navy or country. There is not, he says, a man in the Senate that does not know him to be an improper person to be on the committee, yet they had not the courage to do their duty and leave him off, — in other words cannot resist his appeals to be kept in the position in order to aid him in a reelection.
Sent a letter to Wilkes this afternoon inquiring if he procured, assented to, or knew of, the publication of his letter of the 11th inst. He coolly returns a negative, which does not surprise me, though palpably untrue. I am prepared to receive any affirmation of a falsehood or denial of a truth from him, provided his personal interest can be thereby subserved. His letter of the 11th is equivocal and in some respects untrue.
Had a call from Senator Trumbull, who feels that, the Senate ought not to continue Hale in the chairmanship of the Naval Committee, but says the Department will not suffer in consequence, for Hale is well understood, and I must have seen that the Senators as against him always sustain the Department. Fessenden also called with similar remarks and views. I avoided the expression of any opinion, or wish, as to the construction of the committee. If the question were open and I was consulted, I should not hesitate to give my views, but I do not care to be intrusive, to interfere with or complain of what the Senate does, or has done, in these matters. Senator Fessenden wants a portion of the prizes should be sent to Portland. Told him of difficulties. Portsmouth, Providence, New Haven, New Jersey have made similar applications. Whatever pecuniary benefit there might be to a few individuals in each locality, the true interest of the country could not be promoted by such an arrangement. Attorneys, marshals, and their set would have additional business, but to get it, a host of additional officers must be employed and paid at each place.
19th. Up quite early in the morning and sent word to the details and to Leavitt. June came up with two wagons. Got 975 meal. 4th Army Corps camped near Cross roads. Saw Ed. Brice, orderly for Gen. Hazen, 41st near by. A good many troops here now. Sleep in a bed again tonight.
Greasy Cove, Jackson Co., Ala., December 19, 1863.
On examination of my pockets this morning, I find a letter I wrote you a week since. Will mail it this morning and tell you the late news in another dispatch. You notice we have again changed our camp, and you’ll probably admire the classic names they have given these beautiful valleys. I was at Stephenson and Bridgeport a few days since for our camp and garrison equipage, and was just starting back with it when I heard that our detachment was ordered to report to the rest of the brigade at their camp at Athens, Tenn., 40 miles beyond Chattanooga. So I left my traps and came back to move. We will start as soon as our parties get in from scouting. The last party that went out and returned was some 200 strong. Dorrance had 20 men from our detachment. They brought in a splendid lot of horses, but had to go 75 miles for them. The guerrillas killed one man of the party, (46th Ohio) and captured a number, maybe 15. Picked them up one, two or three at a time. Dorrance was captured and paroled by some of Forrest’s men. He was pretty well treated, but the parole amounts to nothing. They took nearly all of his money, his arms, spurs, horse, etc. He was the only one of my men captured. It is confounded cold lately and I haven’t been real dry for three days. We have to swim creeks to go anywhere, and there is so much brush and drift in these streams that a horse will always get tangled and souse a fellow. I swam a horse across a creek yesterday, and he went over on his hind legs standing straight up. I never saw such a brute. Rumor says we will be dismounted and go with the corps to Mobile. But the most probable story is that we are going into camp at Athens for the winter. Would much rather go to Mobile but think that we can’t be spared from here.
Saturday, 19th—All is quiet around Vicksburg, and the weather is quite mild and pleasant, though quite cold at night. Our camp was cleaned up for inspection. I was out on picket again, though on higher ground than the previous time out.
December 19.—Mrs. Patterson Allan, charged with carrying on a treasonable correspondence with persons in the North, was arraigned before Commissioner Watson, at Richmond, Va. The letter which she was charged with writing, was inclosed in a box, and directed to Rev. Morgan Dix; both were then placed in a buff envelope, and addressed to Miss H. Harris, New-York.— Captain George Washington Alexander, commandant at Castle Thunder, was relieved from command at that point, and confined to his quarters, under arrest, charged with malfeasance in office. It was alleged that he extorted large sums of money from prisoners confined in that institution, by promising to use his influence for their benefit, and in some cases permitting the prisoners to go at large, upon paying him large sums of money. He was also charged with trading largely in greenbacks.—Colonel A. D. Streight, and his Adjutant, Lieutenant Reed, in attempting to escape from Libby Prison, at Richmond, Va., were detected, and “put in the dungeon.”—Major-General Grant arrived at Nashville, Tenn.
