Etowah Bridge, Friday, July 29. A very hot day. Hauled load after load of water in the morning, afterwards went to town with E. F. H. to spend the day. Saw General Kilpatrick, a young officer. Fighting Joe Hooker sent to the rear with his staff on a “dinky”. They go to “Washington. Hope they’ll give him a chance to work.
July 2014
Headquarters 56th Mass. Vols.,
Near Petersburg, Va., July 29, ’64.
Dear Father, —We are now in the front line of works, having moved there last night. Being in the front line may save us from being in a charge, which I think will take place to-morrow. I think that the mine will be exploded to-morrow morning early. We have expected it to come off for the two past mornings, as the powder has been placed in it, and the thing is ready to be lighted. To-day General Burnside has had all his division generals up at headquarters, making preparations, I suppose, for to-morrow.
You remember that man that I had to shoot at Annapolis. He threatened, so I was told, all sorts of things. I paid no attention to them, but called the man up, and gave him a talking to. He is naturally a smart man, and has had a very good education. I treated him just the same as I did the other men, and tried to reform him, by showing that I had confidence in him, and that I was not going to help pull him down. He behaved very well, and rose to be first sergeant, until a few days ago, when he got hold of some whiskey, and began to fall into his old ways again. I had to reduce him to the ranks again, which made him feel very badly. I send you a note which he wrote me yesterday, marked private. Please have it filed away, and don’t let any one see it, as I wish to keep it among my papers. I think that he will keep his word, and will not touch anything while in the regiment.
I am still on court-martial and have to go every morning to division headquarters.
My health is good, as usual, much better even than when I am at home. I only feel the need of a little rest, from the constant wear and tear on one’s nerves, which every one feels here.
Please send me some stamps in your next letter, as I am entirely out of them.
General Hancock has moved to the other side of the James River, where he captured four cannon, and several prisoners. The cavalry have also gone out, no one knows where, but I imagine to get in rear of the rebels who are now in the Valley. . . .
Friday, July 29. — Charlie Amory came as brigade adjutant-general. We were called up to General Bartlett’s headquarters and told that the mine was to be sprung, and our division was to lead in the charge. We were told that we were to press on through the mine to the hill beyond, called Cemetery Hill. We were relieved about 10 P.M. by colored troops from the Eighteenth Corps, and moved to the rear. About 2 A.M. we moved to the front through Willcox’s covered way, and got into position about 4 A.M.
by John Beauchamp Jones
JULY 29TH. —Clear and warm.
The local troops did not march until this morning, and no one supposesRichmond is seriously menaced by Grant. I believe the object of the demonstration on the part of the enemy is to draw our forces away from the vicinity ofWashington.
The Chief of the Signal Corps reports, on information supposed by him to be reliable, that Gen. Early’s captures in Maryland were worth $12,000,000—consisting of some 10,000 horses, 10,000 cattle, 7000 hogs, 4000 sheep, 200,000 barrels of flour, and a large amount of bacon, etc. Also, that he got between 2000 and 3000 recruits. All this doubtful.
Mr. G. W. Lamar,Augusta,Ga., writes the Secretary of War that he knows, personally, over one hundred men who have bought exemptions, and that they are bought and sold every day at a certain price. Now will the Secretary order an investigation? Mr. L. has, or had, nine sons in the army, and he says he could have bought exemptions for all, as he is rich. And yet a poor ensigncy is refused one of his sons.
Friday, 29th—It is quite sultry today. Six deaths occurred today in the three wards of our building. One of the sick men, William Gibson of the Thirty-second Ohio Cavalry, died last night. He had been very sick, but was getting better, and just before he lay down for the night, told me that he felt better than for several days; but a few hours later he was dead, dying very suddenly. He left a small family. Life is indeed very uncertain. We should be prepared to meet death any moment, for we know not when the brittle thread of life will be broken, and we have to go to meet our Lord, prepared or unprepared.
July 29, 1864.
Sleepless nights. The report is that the Yankees have left Covington for Macon, headed by Stoneman, to release prisoners held there. They robbed every house on the road of its provisions, sometimes taking every piece of meat, blankets and wearing apparel, silver and arms of every description. They would take silk dresses and put them under their saddles, and many other things for which they had no use. Is this the way to make us love them and their Union? Let the poor people answer whom they have deprived of every mouthful of meat and of their livestock to make any! Our mills, too, they have burned, destroying an immense amount of property.
Headquarters 56th Mass. Vols.,
Near Petersburg, Va., July 28, 1864.
Dear Hannah, — I enclose a beautiful ambrotype of two illustrious officers of Uncle Sam’s Army. One of them is Major Hovey (just promoted to Major A. I. G. of General Ledlie’s staff) and the other is your humble servant. This work of beauty and art was taken at City Point, Virginia, yesterday. I went down there on a pleasure trip with Major H., and had quite a pleasant time. I stopped at General Benham’s headquarters, which are at the Point, to see Channing Clapp. He was not there, so I resolved to beard the lion in his den, and see the general himself. So in I went, and shook hands with him. He was very polite, and asked after Uncle Oliver. We had quite a long talk on war matters, etc., in which the old gentleman showed his usual amount of conceit. He bid me good-bye very pleasantly.
I then went to General Grant’s headquarters, to see Mr. Dunn and thank him for bringing me that box, but could not find him. Please thank Father and receive my own thanks yourself for the contents of the box. We also went down to the wharf at City Point, where we saw the usual amount of ships, steamers, sutlers’ shops, etc., which always congregate at the depot of supplies for an army. Near here we had our pictures taken, each one costing two dollars. About a mile from City Point we came to the army hospitals, in a fine location, with the grounds well laid out and neatly policed, etc. They have two engines there which pump the water up from the river into a tank. From this tank the water is distributed all over the grounds to large wooden tubs. All the streets are watered by regular watering carts, so that the grounds are free from dust, and the air cool and pleasant. Dr. Dalton is in charge of the whole machine. We stopped and called on him, and had a very pleasant time. He is Henry Dalton’s brother, and is a very smart man indeed. After leaving the hospital we rode for home, or rather for the second line of rifle-pits in General Burnside’s front, having passed a very agreeable day. On reaching my regiment, I found that we were under orders to be ready to move, as an attack was expected on our left, the Second Corps having moved from there to the extreme right, the other side of James River. Hancock had a fight there, capturing 4 guns and some provisions. You will learn the particulars by the papers before this reaches you.
The mine is all finished, the powder in, the fuse all ready, and nothing wanting to make it go off except a lighted match, which will be applied, I think, to-morrow morning. Our brigade moves to the front line to-night, so that I don’t know whether we shall be in the scrimmage or not. I rather think we shall get into it, however, before the day is out. It will make some noise, as there are to be five (5) tons of gunpowder placed in it.
I hope that the attack, or assault, will be successful; for if it is, we shall [have] Petersburg in our possession. . . .
Thursday, July 28. — We moved to the front line.
[We had heard for some time that there was a mine being dug in our front, and that it was to be exploded soon. Dates differed, and we could get very little accurate information. At times I began to think that they were merely the usual camp rumors. It afterwards turned out that the mine was dug by Lieutenant Colonel Pleasants of a Pennsylvania regiment which was largely composed of coal-miners; there were four tons of gunpowder inserted in this mine.]
Thursday, July 28. — We moved to the front line.
[We had heard for some time that there was a mine being dug in our front, and that it was to be exploded soon. Dates differed, and we could get very little accurate information. At times I began to think that they were merely the usual camp rumors. It afterwards turned out that the mine was dug by Lieutenant Colonel Pleasants of a Pennsylvania regiment which was largely composed of coal-miners; there were four tons of gunpowder inserted in this mine.]
Thursday, July 28th.
With part of the company I was “on fatigue” to-day, which means working on the breastworks, and Edmonston remained in camp.
