20th. Off early. Every morning and noon have to wait for somebody. Considerable sport. Took dinner after passing the Hiawasse, where they had a rail-mauling, quilting and dance last night. Most of the country turned out. Good deal of smallpox scattered through the country. People alarmed. Put up with some poor Union people. Slept in room with whole family.
January 2014
Diary And Memoranda, 1864
Jan. 20th. Rec’d a lot of letters; getting to have lots of correspondents, must appreciate my letters. Of course I do my best; but I think they are dry. Lieut C. has any amount, he is a fine fellow.
January 20th.
Nothing reliable from the front. All sorts of rumors prevail, but so contradictory one can believe none of them.
Early this morning infantry began to come in, or rather to pour through, in the wake of the cavalry. All day long they came, a ceaseless flood. They belong to the Fourth Corps. I could get nothing satisfactory from them, only they were going to Louisville. After all, it may be only a change of position.
January 20.—A beautiful day. I have received a letter from my brother. As usual, it is filled with bright hopes of the future—pictures of the enemy flying in dismay and confusion the next time they meet, and wiping out the disgrace of Missionary Ridge. He says they are in comfortable winter-quarters, having built log-cabins. He had a nice Christmas dinner sent from home.
In a letter from Mrs. Dr. Burt, who is now living with her father, in the upper part of Georgia, among the mountains, she says the people there are almost starving, and that our cavalry behave very badly, taking every thing they can lay their hands on; and that her mother and self are compelled to hide their jeans from them. I regret hearing of our own people doing such things.
Huntsville, Wednesday, Jan. 20. Health good. Plenty to eat and nothing to do. Foragers brought in several hogs. D. J. D. gave us a piece of ribs which we roasted before the fire, a fine dinner out of it. —— and —— of our Battery in jail in town for robbing an old gray-haired negro after dark while on his way home from the camp, where he had been to sell corncakes. Special orders from Captain Dillon read to us at retreat. Orders squad and battery drill each day from 9 A. M. to 10 A. M. and from 2 P. M. to 3 P. M.; four roll-calls a day, 6 A. M., 11 A. M., 6 P. M. and 8 P. M. all to appear in full uniform. “Style”.
January 20—Hard work until to-day, when we were sent out to lay a plank road. While at work General Lee and his daughter rode by us, and soon after a courier came from his headquarters and gave us some woolen socks and gloves—sent to us from his daughter. Nothing more worth recording this month.
January 20th. General Warren and the officers of his staff are projecting a ball at corps headquarters for the evening of February 22d, Washington’s birthday. It is to be the occasion of a grand military display, and all the notables of the country are to be invited to make it an epoch in the annals of the army of the Potomac.
by John Beauchamp Jones
JANUARY 20TH.—The Senate bill to give increased compensation to the civil officers of the government in Richmond was tabled in the House yesterday, on the motion of Mr. Smith, of North Carolina, who spoke against it.
Major-Gen. Gilmer, Chief of the Engineer Bureau, writes that the time has arrived when no more iron should be used by the Navy Department; that no iron-clads have effected any good, or are likely to effect any; and that all the iron should be used to repair the roads, else we shall soon be fatally deficient in the means of transportation. And Col. Northrop, Commissary-General, says he has been trying to concentrate a reserve supply of grain in Richmond, for eight months; and such has been the deficiency in means of transportation, that the effort has failed.
Gov. Milton, of Florida, writes that the fact of quartermasters and commissaries, and their agents, being of conscript age, and being speculators all, produces great demoralization. If the rich will not fight for their property, the poor will not fight for them.
Col. Northrop recommends that each commissary and quartermaster he allowed a confidential clerk of conscript age. That would deprive the army of several regiments of men.
The weather is bright again, but cool.
January 20.—Correspondence showing the operations of Southern agents and individuals at the North, in the cotton trade, and making other revelations, were made public.—Major Henry H. Cole and the Maryland cavalry under his command, were officially praised for their gallantry in repelling the assault made upon his camp on Loudon Heights, on the tenth instant, by the rebel partisan, Mosby.—General Halleck’s Letter.
—A squad of men sent from Charleston, Mo., in pursuit of a band of guerrillas, killed the leader of the band and wounded two or three others. The remainder escaped to the swamp. Five prisoners were carried in, charged with harboring guerrillas.—Thirty-two guerrillas were captured near Paris, Ky., and taken to Columbus.
Tuesday, 19th—The weather is quite pleasant. No news. On picket again and all is quiet. We see nothing of the rebels about here.
