Thursday, 22d.—Overtook brigade five miles from Pulaski.
December 2014
Thursday, 22d—It is quite cool. Our camp is just inside the city limits. We tore down several houses and fences with which to build “ranches,” and then spent the rest of the day in cleaning accouterments and washing our clothes. The rebels, in their haste to get away, left about one hundred and fifty pieces of artillery and a large quantity of fixed ammunition. They also left hundreds of their sick and wounded soldiers here in the hospital.
Savannah is a very nice city, on high ground, affording a good view of the South Carolina coast. The town is well laid out, having wide streets and little parks at many of the intersections. There are some fine churches here. A large number of business houses and office buildings are vacant. They had a printing press here for the making of paper money. I passed the building this morning where the press was located, and found on the sidewalk two bales of the currency, which some one had thrown out. The bundles were of about one hundred pounds each and the money consisted of tens and twenties. I helped myself to $50.00 and walked on. At the present time this money is below par. The boys are offering $1,000 to citizens for a loaf of bread, and some of the officers have offered from $4,000 to $5,000 for some one to curry their horses, but they can find no one who will accept their offers.
December 21st.—Raining; rained all night.
The following dispatch was received this morning:
“Wilmington, December 20th, 1864, 10 A.M.—The head of the enemy’s fleet arrived off this port during last night. Over thirty steamers are now assembling, and more are following.—Braxton Bragg.”
It may be hoped that Gen. Bragg will do something more than chronicle the successes of the enemy this time. He is nearer to him than when he remained at Augusta; and yet the press could be made reticent on arrivals, etc.
Lieut.-Col. Sims, Assistant Quartermaster General, has contracted with the Southern Express Company to transport all the funds of the Quartermaster’s Department—hundreds of millions!
Mr. Hunter was with the Secretary this morning, when I laid before the latter Bragg’s dispatch. I doubt not it failed to contribute to a mollification of their painful forebodings.
By Northern papers I see President Lincoln disapproves Gen. Dix’s order to troops to cross the Canada line in pursuit of raiders. Gold is $45 for one to-day.
The army has no meat this day, the commissaries, etc. have it all, and are speculating with it—it is said. So many high officials are interested, there is no remedy. We are at the mercy of the quartermasters, commissaries, railroad companies, and the Southern Express Company. The President and Secretary either cannot or will not break our shackles.
An official account states the number of houses burnt by the enemy in Atlanta to be 5000!
There is a rumor of another and a formidable raid on Gordonsville. The railroad is now exclusively occupied with the transportation of troops—perhaps for Wilmington. The raid may be a ruse to prevent reinforcements being sent thither.
The Andersonville Report belongs to the Adjutant-General’s Office, and therefore has not come back to me.
Fort Gillem, Wednesday, Dec. 21. More rain last night, cold this morning. Griff attended to the domestic affairs, washed our dirty clothes, etc. In the afternoon I wrote two letters. Snowed and blustered considerable in the afternoon. Camp is very quiet. The ennui of a soldier’s life is very heavy these disagreeable days, but we amuse ourselves by reading a great deal aloud. Two thousand five hundred more prisoners brought in to-day and coralled in jail yard.
21st. Wednesday. Orders regarding success of Sherman and Thomas, read to us near Mt. Jackson. Camped 8 miles south of Newmarket. Rained.
Wednesday, 21st.—Marched to Pulaski. Got good house to stay in at night. Snowing and very cold. Have very bad toothache.
Wednesday, 21st—The last artillery firing this morning was that of a thunderstorm. It seems that kind Providence wanted a hand in the capture of the city. We received orders about 10 o’clock to be ready to march at a moment’s warning, and immediately we were ordered to march, as the rebels had evacuated the place. We started at once and before noon reached the edge of the city and went into camp, while a part of the army went in pursuit of the fleeing rebels. They left their outside works last night at 10 o’clock, and this morning left the city, crossing the Savannah river by pontoon bridges, under cover of their gunboats. Their rear guard is now five miles below, just across the river on the South Carolina side.
December 20th.—A brighter morning, cool and clear.
The President was at work yesterday. He and the Secretary and Gen. Cooper put their heads together to make up a regiment for Col. Miller in Mississippi, and designate the two field officers to be under him—from two battalions and two unattached companies.
If the Northern (purporting to be official) accounts be true, Gen. Hood has sustained an irretrievable disaster, which may involve the loss of Tennessee, Georgia, etc.
Hon. Mr. Foote declared last night his purpose to leave the city in a few days, never to resume his seat in Congress, if martial law should be allowed. He said he had information that when Charleston fell, South Carolina would conclude a treaty of peace (submission?) with the United States; and that North Carolina was prepared to follow the example! I have observed that these two States do not often incline to go together.
The great disaster would be the loss of Richmond and retreat of Lee’s army southward. This would probably be followed by the downfall of slavery in Virginia.
The Secretary of War has sent an agent to the Governor of North Carolina, to ask for special aid in supplying Lee’s army with meat—which is deficient here—or else it cannot be maintained in the field in Virginia! Very bad, and perhaps worse coming.
There is a rumor that Gen. Breckinridge has beaten Gen. Burbridge in Tennessee or Western Virginia.
Gen. R. E. Lee is in town, looking robust, though weatherworn. He complains that the department is depleting his army by details, often for private and speculative purposes, to the benefit of private individuals—speculators.
I drew my (State) salt to-day, 70 pounds, for 7 in family—20 cents per pound. It retails at a $1 per pound!
Mr. Secretary —— has sent (per Lieut.-Col. Bayne) some gold to Wilmington, to buy (in Nassau) loaf sugar for his family, to be brought in government steamers.
My son Thomas could get no beef ration to-day—too scarce.
Fort Gillem, Tuesday, Dec. 20. Everything froze up hard last night, and it was very cold. Suffered considerable on post. Griff and I wished to go to town, volunteered to load rations so as to go. Had to wait until late in the afternoon for our team. Drew hard-tack and salt junk. Visited Sanitary Commission rooms, obtained a good supply of reading matter. Bought stationery to write letters and returned to camp. It is turning warmer, rains again.
The papers tell us of the triumphant arrival of our gallant leader Sherman at the coast. Invests Savannah, and we expect to join him sooner or later. Beside this glorious success the utter defeat of his opponent and fellow raider, Hood, is insignificant. “The good time’s coming.” Eighteen teams out all the afternoon moving batteries.
Camp at Stephenson’s Depot, Virginia,
December 20, 1864.
Dear Uncle: — We broke camp at Camp Russell yesterday at early daylight and marched to this place on the railroad from Harpers Ferry towards Winchester. It rained, snowed, “blew, and friz” again. Awful mud to march in and still worse to camp in. But today it is cold and none of us got sick, so far as I know. Our First Division took cars to join Grant. It is said we shall follow in a day or two. This is not certain, but I shall not be surprised if it is true. I prefer not to go, and yet one feels that it is almost necessary to be present at the taking of Richmond. I am content, however, to go. I believe in pushing the enemy all winter if possible. Now that we have a decided advantage is the time to crowd them. Things look as if that were to be the policy.
I like the new call for troops. What good fortune we are having. If Sherman takes Savannah and then moves north, this winter will be the severest by far that our Rebel friends have had.
I received today your letter of the 14th enclosing Uncle Austin’s about the sad fate of Sardis. I will do what I can to get further information, but we are no longer with the Nineteenth Corps and may not again see them.
I am sorry to hear you have a severe cold. I am getting more nervous when I hear of your taking cold. Don’t try to visit Lucy or anybody else in the winter.
I am afraid I shall not get to visit you this winter.
Sincerely,
R. B. Hayes.
P. S. — There is a short but tolerably fair account of the battle of Winchester in Harper’s Monthly of January. It is written by somebody in the Nineteenth Corps. You will hardly read it with such emotion as I do. The writer calls our force “the Eighth Corps.” When you read on the 199th page his account of our battle-yell as we advanced, and of the Rebel musketry which met it, you will remember that I led the advance brigade of the advance division, and that perhaps the happiest moment of my life was then, when I saw that our line didn’t break and that the enemy’s did.
23d. — It is pretty certain [that] we do not go to Grant; probably in a week or two to Cumberland or West Virginia.
S. Birchard.
