Following the American Civil War Sesquicentennial with day by day writings of the time, currently 1863.

March 2015

Camp before Petersburg, March 25th, 1865.

One more “battle fought and victory won” for right and freedom. Never was an attack made under more favorable circumstances for the Rebels; never was repulse more complete.

The excitement and expectancy of the last two weeks had entirely died away. Sutlers had returned, and only yesterday General Wilcox’s Headquarters was enlivened by the presence of ladies.

This morning I was awakened, about daylight, by a single cannon. Soon a well-known sound struck my ear; a sound that instantly aroused all my faculties. Often had I heard it; at South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, at Cold Harbor, in the Wilderness and at Petersburg.

No, I cannot be mistaken; it is the Rebel “battle cry.” They are charging our works! But I hear no answering shout; no rattling musketry! It cannot be! They have heard good news, or are having a big drunk.

These are some of the thoughts that flashed through my mind as I listened to those fearful yells; more hideous, far, than tongue can tell or pen describe.

I was not long left in doubt. “Fall in, Seventeenth, with guns and equipments,” was the order that passed from tent to tent.

Then I knew that work was to be done. The Rebels had played a “Yankee trick” on our pickets by sending out a small force in advance, which, by pretending to desert, threw them off their guard until near enough to force them to surrender. Thus an opening was made through which they advanced on Fort Steadman, taking the garrison completely by surprise, most of whom they captured. Then they swept down the line, driving the Third Brigade from their works and taking possession.

Thus matters stood at daylight. Fort Steadman in their possession, their skirmishers advancing, supported by three brigades of infantry. When the Seventeenth formed in front of General Wilcox’s Headquarters, the Rebel skirmishers were within one hundred rods of them, evidently bent on paying their respects to the General.

Thinking their presence might be intrusive, at this early hour, our boys charged them, as only the Seventeenth can charge, and drove them back upon their main body, taking about thirty prisoners. By this time the Third Division of the Ninth Corps, held in reserve, had formed in front of the gap and checked their further advance. The Seventeenth formed on the right of the Third Division, and when the final charge was made for the recovery of the lost works, charged with them and held a position in the line until 1 o’clock in the afternoon, when they were relieved.

In this last charge one man of Company G was killed, and Captain Sudborough was wounded in the right side and arm.

At 2 o’clock we had recovered every foot of lost ground, and were as firmly established as before. I have heard, as yet, no estimate of our loss, or of the Rebels, except in prisoners. We took between three and four thousand prisoners, which is more men than we had engaged.

I feel a little curiosity as to the coloring correspondents will give this affair. Will they acknowledge it a surprise? The commander of the fort was taken in bed; also most of the garrison. After it was discovered, it was superbly managed, and Lee’s desperate attempt to join his forces with Johnson’s was rendered abortive.

March 25, 1865.—We started this morning at nine o’clock. The train ran off the track six miles out and had to stay there seven hours. I saw the hills on which the rebels had guns planted and often fired at the trains, especially if they were transporting soldiers. We arrived at Stevenson safely.

March—Nothing new. It is the same gloomy and discouraging news from the South, and gloomy and discouraging in prison.

Chattanooga, Friday, March 24. Wind still continues. Health good. Mail brought me this morning my long-looked-for letters from home. On detail under Sergeant Goodwin all day siding up the stables. George T. Hill started home on sick furlough this morning. Poor man, he has been running down for the last four months. R. Grey’s and Bancroft’s furloughs returned approved. They start to-morrow. Two returned disapproved.

Major Mendenhall is starting a garden for the reserve artillery. Sergeant Hutchinson is detailed to take charge of it. He is to have one man from forty-three different batteries to help him. He is to till about seven acres of land. Sergeant Proctor relieves him in the woods, this being queer work for soldiers.

Scottsboro, Ala, March 24, 1864. 1

Two months and twenty-four days without changing camp; which is the longest time our tents have covered one piece of ground since we organized. We have marched, though, some 35 days during this time, and some such marching. Whew! I think I never suffered on a march as I did on the Sand Mountain in DeKalb county. I wore a thin blouse, and had no overcoat. I’d lie so close to the fire nights that the clothes on my back would scorch and my breath would freeze on my whiskers. We had nothing to keep the freezing dews off us, and it seemed to me that it went through my clothes and an inch of flesh before the dew-point would be blunted. One night about 2 o’clock I had a huge pine knot fire and was trying to warm some half frozen portions of my body, when Captain Smith came over from his bed, as blue as a conscript, to thaw out. He turned one side and then t’other to the blaze, time and again but without much progress; finally he shivered out, “By G—d, Captain, I could wish a tribe of cannibals no worse luck than to get me for breakfast. I’m frozen hard enough to break out half their teeth, and the frost would set the rest aching.” Next morning a lot of us were standing by a fire nearly all grumbling, when the major asked me how I passed the night. “Capitally, slept as sweetly as an infant, little chilly in fore part of night, but forgot it when sleep came.” They looked so pitifully, doubtfully envious, that I got me laugh enough to warm me clear through. Captain Smith, Soot and Lieutenant Ansley have been in with me playing old sledge all evening. A storm came up, blew half of my camp house down, and broke up the party. Have just got fixed up again. Those pine knot fires we had on the mountains, made us all look like blacksmiths. Day before yesterday a foot of snow fell. Last night only drifts on the north side of things were left and to-night you have to hunt for a flake. Two shots on the picket line back of our camp. Guess it’s some of the 26th or 48th recruits. Out of every dozen or twenty recruits, there’s sure to be one who will see men skulking around his picket post, and who will shoot a stump.

Six-thirty a.m. 25th.—Bless me, how it rained and blew last night. Do you remember the storm at Point Pleasant, Mo., April 1, 1862? Never a high wind that I do not think of it. Believe we had two killed, about a dozen disabled and 20 horses killed. No paymaster yet.

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1 This entry was dated wrong in the book. Apparently Wills failed to date the letter for the new year, dating it instead for the old year, a common enough error.

March 24th.—Clear and very windy. The fear of utter famine is now assuming form. Those who have the means are laying up stores for the day of siege,—I mean a closer and more rigorous siege,—when all communications with the country shall cease; and this makes the commodities scarcer and the prices higher. There is a project on foot to send away some thousands of useless consumers; but how it is to be effected by the city authorities, and where they will be sent to, are questions I have not heard answered. The population of the city is not less than 100,000, and the markets cannot subsist 70,000. Then there is the army in the vicinity, which must be fed. I suppose the poultry and the sheep will be eaten, and something like a pro rata distribution of flour and meal ordered.

There is a rumor of a great victory by Gen. Johnston in North Carolina, the taking of 4500 prisoners, 70 guns, etc.—merely a rumor, I am sure. On the contrary, I apprehend that we shall soon have news of the capture of Raleigh by Sherman. Should this be our fate, we shall soon have three or four different armies encompassing us!

I tried in vain this morning to buy a small fish-hook; but could not find one in the city. None but coarse large ones are in the stores. A friend has promised me one—and I can make pin-hooks, that will catch minnows. I am too skillful an angler to starve where water runs; and even minnows can be eaten. Besides, there are eels and catfish in the river. The water is always muddy.

Friday, 24th—We left bivouac at 7 a. m. and marched to the Neuse river, which we crossed near Goldsboro on a pontoon bridge. As we passed through town, we were reviewed by General Sherman, passing him by platoon form, and marching to martial music. The men looked pretty hard after such a long raid, ragged and almost barefooted; but we felt repaid, for we had accomplished the task which we had set out to do when we left Savannah. We went into camp north of town just outside of the town limits. Our corps, the Seventeenth, occupies the right center and the Twentieth Corps the left center, while the Fifteenth Corps occupies the right and the Fourteenth Corps the left. General Schofield’s army, the Twenty-third, Twenty-fourth and Twenty-fifth Corps, is going into camp in the vicinity of Clinton.

Charles Francis Adams, U.S. Minister to the U.K., to his son, Charles.

London, March 24, 1865

ON this side my situation seems at last to be getting easy and comfortable, so far as freedom from anxiety is concerned. A great change of opinion has been going on in the last few months, in regard to the chances of the issue. People feel the power of our position and the weakness of that of the rebels. They are also not without some embarrassment respecting the possible consequence to themselves of their indiscreet betrayal of their true sentiments towards us. This has led to a singular panic in regard to what will be done by us, after a restoration. A week or two since you could not drive the notion out of their heads that we were not about to pounce at once upon Canada. This was corrected by the first debate that took place in Parliament on that subject. Last night there was another, the burden of which was absolute faith in our desire to remain on the most friendly relations. At the same time £50,000 was voted for the purpose of fortifying Quebec in case of accidents. The case then stands logically thus. If they do believe what they say, the money is thrown away, as no fortification can be necessary. If on the other hand they do not believe it, and that opinion is a just one, £50,000 will not go very far to putting Canada out of our reach. The fear that is implied is far more of a provocative than a resource in the dilemma.

Be this as it may, one thing seems for the present to be settled! That is, that no hope is left for any aid to the rebel cause. England will initiate nothing to help them in their critical moment. So far as any risk of an aggressive policy is concerned, it is over. Mr. Seward may now rely upon it, that if troubles supervene, it must happen very much by his own act. He has a right to exult in the success of his policy in carrying the country in its hour of peril clear of the hazards of foreign complications. The voluminous intrigues of the rebel emissaries have been completely baffled, their sanguine anticipations utterly disappointed. They have spent floods of money in directing the press, in securing aid from adventurers of all sorts, and in enlisting the services of ship and cannon builders with all their immense and powerful following, and it has been all in vain. So far as any efforts of theirs are concerned, we might enter Richmond tomorrow. This act of the drama is over. . . .

24th. Tuesday. Wrote home and to several friends. Went to the landing and procured some little eatables and paper. Paymaster in camp. Saw him. Busy with the Michigan Brigade and 1st Vermont. Marching orders.

March 24th. The past few days have been windy, with a cold rain, turning to hail and snow. The wind howling through our camp, coming from the North Mountain. Winter is hanging on. Every day we are led to believe that the war is about over with. No enemy has been reported in this vicinity for a long time. Picket duty is kept up.